Non-Jews Discover 'Hidabroot': 'Arrange for Rabbi Zamir to Visit Our Village'

'I Voted for Shas Because of Hidabroot'

(Yousef, Shuttle Driver, Resident of Yafia)

'So, how many seats did you get?' This was the question that Yousef, a shuttle driver from Yafia, asked an Orthodox man who boarded his shuttle.

It was the day after the last elections. The Orthodox man from Migdal HaEmek looked puzzled. 'What seats? Where? What seats?' he asked while glancing at the seats in the minibus as it raced up the road on the way to pick up more Orthodox men. He knew Yousef not from today; they sometimes had conversations, but this time his words weren't clear at all.

'So, how many seats did you get in the Knesset? After all, yesterday were the elections. How many seats did your party get?'

The Orthodox man from Migdal HaEmek tells us of the incident and can't help but laugh. 'When I realized that our Arab driver was interested in the number of mandates the Shas party got, I answered him, and then he added a surprising sentence: "Check the Knesset's website how many guys voted for you from the Yafia area because I and my whole clan voted for Shas."'

An Arab clan voted for Shas? What led to this?

'That's exactly the question my friends and I asked Yousef, and he explained that he had the opportunity several times to listen to the classes we heard during the trip. These were classes downloaded from the Hidabroot site, featuring Rabbi Panger, Rabbi Zamir, and Rabbi Yigal Cohen. One day he decided to listen to these classes also during other trips he made throughout the day, and since then he has been doing so regularly.

'Yousef told me something truly amazing. He claims he had severe conflicts within his clan, really to a dangerous degree, and Rabbi Yigal Cohen's talks helped him make peace between the sides. Finally, he said to me: "I have immense gratitude towards Rabbi Yigal Cohen, so as soon as I heard him say to vote for Shas, I immediately told my entire clan that we are all going to vote for Shas, and that's what we did."'

'Your Rabbi is a True Sage'

(Dr. Bhathish Hamed, Pediatrician)

Dr. Bhathish Hamed, a pediatrician at a 'Clalit' clinic in Kiryat Shmona, also discovered Channel 97, and since that day he watches regularly.

'For me, it all started purely by chance,' he says, 'I would come home at night after a workday and look for something to watch on TV. At first, I was flipping through the channels one after the other, all were boring. Until I reached Channel 97 and saw Rabbi Zamir Cohen. I didn’t know his name, but every time his face came on the screen, I stopped. He had a logical, calming, deep voice that just penetrated my heart. As time passed, I realized his words were also very interesting, and I would already enter the Hidabroot channel on purpose to listen and hear. This created a situation where every day, regularly, after work hours, I sit and watch the program. By the way, one day a child named Zamir Cohen came to my clinic. It was a big surprise for me. I asked him if he was named after Rabbi Zamir, whom I admire so much, and it turned out I was right.'

Dr. Bhathish

What were the things that mostly spoke to you on 'Hidabroot'?

'I loved that Rabbi Zamir does not talk about philosophical and distant subjects, but about life itself – why we are here at all, why we came to the world, and how we should accept others. These were things I connected to very much. He is very wise, your Rabbi, and I really like him. He deserves to be a Rabbi.'

You’re Druze and not Jewish, don't these things contradict your religion?

'Not at all! The things that Rabbi Zamir says are good for all religions in the world – of course, the ones not related to Jewish law. Nothing contradicts the Druze faith; he says only beautiful and good things. The truth is I tried to listen to more Rabbis on Hidabroot. They are all very wise and good, but I mostly connect to him.'

And what about the language? Can you understand everything he says?

'Yes, I understand him easily because I am a pediatrician and have a good command of the language. Because I understand the things, I love the lectures so much. I also recommended them to my friends, most of whom are Druze. I told them: "Come hear what this man is talking about," they listened and also loved him very much. There was a period where I watched Rabbi Zamir for hours, so sometimes I lacked sleep, but I couldn’t stop. I respect him very much and wish him all the best in the world. Personally, I am sure every person should hear him. Everyone can learn from him.'

'Your Wise Man Saved My Home'

(Renovation Contractor, Resident of Kafr Qasim)

Shmuel Mizrahi, a resident of Ramat Gan, hired an Arab renovation contractor to carry out an extensive renovation project in his home. During the work days, he noticed two interesting things: first, the handyman never removed his headphones throughout the day, and second, now and then he would draw attention to the importance of investing in peace between husband and wife and in children's education. The handyman didn’t just speak superficially; he would also give examples from the sources of Jewish law and Jewish sages.

'One day,' Shmuel recalls, 'I couldn’t resist and decided to challenge him. I said to him: "Listen, it is very easy to say the things you mention, but not easy to implement them." He didn't blink but replied immediately: "As long as the candle is burning, it’s still possible to fix." At the first moment, I was dumbfounded. Hearing this quote from an Arab handyman is more than surprising. Then I asked him the question that had occupied me for the past few days – where did he get this knowledge? Where does he draw it from?'

And what did the handyman answer you?

'He replied to me the most unexpected answer: "From the headphones, come and listen." I apologized and told him that I don’t understand the Arabic language, but he said to me: "What Arabic are you talking about? Everything here is in Hebrew, it’s your wise man, Rabbi Tamir".'

Shmuel completely didn’t understand which Rabbi Tamir he was talking about, but when he took the headphones and put them to his ear, everything became clear. 'I hear through the headphones none other than Rabbi Zamir Cohen,' he recalled, 'I looked into the handyman's eyes and they simply sparkled as he told me about him. He said to me: "Listen, this Rabbi is a real genius, he helped me get out of the anxiety and depression I had. Throughout the day I listen to him, and at night I watch programs on Channel 97."

The worker continued to work silently for a few more minutes with the headphones on his ears, then added and asked: "Tell me, maybe you can arrange for him to come to our village? I'll organize a celebration in the village and we'll invite him for a lecture."

(Photo: shutterstock)

'I Came Especially to Your Seminar'

(Suha, Arab Maid, Resident of Nazareth)

Suha, a 23-year-old woman from Nazareth, encountered 'Hidabroot' in the most surprising way. It happened on one of the regular weekdays when she came to work as a maid at the 'King Solomon' hotel in Tiberias. After finishing her work in the hotel rooms, she was asked to go to the event hall to make sure it was clean, and then it happened.

'Hundreds of people were sitting in the hall, just masses,' she describes, 'and everyone was quiet and in silence. I had never seen so many people sitting and quiet. They were listening to a Rabbi speaking in a not loud voice, but mesmerizing.'

Suha notes that she cleaned the table area and set them while listening to the lecture. 'I didn't understand every word, I barely caught the direction,' she says, 'but the Rabbi's voice calmed me, it created a pleasant feeling, and I also loved hearing the quotes from the Bible.'

The next day, as she passed by the hall again, she found another Rabbi standing and talking. 'This time it was a Rabbi who managed to make everyone laugh. People were sitting and rolling with laughter. I didn't understand why they were laughing, but I saw that from time to time the faces turned serious, there were those in the audience who even cried. It fascinated me a lot and I couldn't leave, so I stayed after my shift ended, sat down, and listened.'

She didn't stay an hour or even two. 'I stayed at the hotel until the evening and listened to lectures one after another. It was mesmerizing. I didn't know how to explain to myself why I was listening to lectures not intended for me and some I didn’t even understand, but I couldn't get up and leave.'

At the end of five days of lectures, Suha approached Rabbi Zamir and said to him in simple words: 'I believe in Islam, but I connected very much to the things.'

Rabbi Zamir listened to her and briefly answered several questions she raised. And as in many unbelievable stories, she also told the Rabbi, almost casually, that she is Muslim but has 'Jewish roots' because her mother is Jewish... Here, the Hidabroot team stepped in. Suha understood that according to Jewish law she is actually Jewish, and the shock did not leave the team of lecturers. Hidabroot made sure to connect her to the appropriate departments, provide her with suitable reinforcement materials, but actually – here her story is only just beginning...