"If You Told Me I Would One Day Wear a Kippah, I'd Say Not Even at My Father's Funeral"

No child is born with a deep-seated hatred for religion unless they are raised to feel that way, or something profoundly negative leaves a lasting scar. That was Nir Yaakobi, who during a visit to the synagogue, experienced a life-changing event. "My father and I were walking when some kids started laughing at the kippah on my head. From that moment, I refused to wear a kippah or accompany my father to the synagogue."

That was at age 14. Despite his internal opposition to everything religious, his innate curiosity wouldn't let him rest. In 9th grade, during a visit to the Weizmann Institute, a lecturer explained Darwin's theory. "I challenged him with a question, 'Let's say you're right. At what point does Hashem enter your picture since He created the apes too?'."

And what was his answer?

"He laughed and couldn't answer. It was clear he removed Hashem from his equation, yet it didn't stop the students from listening intently, much to my dismay."

Despite this, there came a time to choose sides. "As a scouts leader, during a session, we were asked to define if we were Jews or Israelis," explains Yaakobi (44), now a father of seven and residing in Mexico, involved in real estate and leading Torah classes. "The nature of the question implied you couldn't be both. That was when I abandoned my Jewish identity, defining myself strictly as Israeli."

After his military service, Yaakobi enrolled in business administration. His dream was global business success, and he achieved it, becoming CFO of a stock exchange-listed company and inventing a high-tech patent. He enjoyed unlimited credit, first-class flights, and prestige. Yet, he hated his job and felt unfulfilled. "I searched for happiness everywhere and never found it, asking myself if this was truly what I wanted. The answer was always no."

The Jewish Tape Found 'by Chance' on the Atlantic Shore in Casablanca

He realized the emptiness of material pursuit and turned to spirituality, learning languages like Spanish, French, and Arabic, but satisfaction was fleeting. He sought answers in churches and mosques on his travels. In Morocco, on the Atlantic shore in Casablanca, he was hit by boredom. He wondered why happiness eluded him despite numerous attempts to find it. With an American passport, he explored his Iranian roots but was advised a return ticket was unlikely without signing a non-Jew document. Despite this, Hashem sent another answer. His mother had packed him tapes, "in case you get bored." One day, while listening, a voice spoke directly to his life's problems. It was a lecture by Rabbi Dr. Shalom Severnik, stating, "The more you pursue happiness, the smaller it becomes." Exactly his dilemma.

Rabbi Pointed to a Random Girl and Said: 'Marry Her.' And So It Happened

Upon realizing the message was spiritual, Yaakobi flew to Los Angeles where he lived, and began attending daily Torah classes. "I discovered the wisdom of the rabbis," he says. As his spiritual strength grew, he faced a new problem: settling down. Dating didn't appeal to him, so his rabbi suggested a journey to Jerusalem for answers. Confused, he went anyway.

After a week and a call from his rabbi, urging him back to 'get married,' he headed back. The rabbi pointed to a girl at his lecture: "Marry her." Though their first date had been unimpressive, he invited her out again. She canceled another date for him, and two weeks later, they were engaged. They married within months. Now parents of seven, they lead a devoutly Orthodox life. "Twenty years ago, if you told me I'd be a baal teshuvah with seven kids, I'd say there's a better chance I'd grow wings. Yet here I am, thanks to the guidance of amazing people like Dr. Shalom Severnik," Yaakobi laughs, recalling his journey back to faith.

For inquiries email shira@htv.co.il