"A Restart for the Entire System": The Fashion Designer and TV Director Who Embraced Judaism

"I started working in fashion at a young age, and it played a significant part in my return to Judaism," says Eiran Baleli (50), owner of the long-standing clothing brand 'Bancoozy' in central Tel Aviv. I meet Eiran and his wife, Revital, a TV director and lawyer, who together raise their three children in their cozy home in Yad Binyamin. Of course, this meeting occurs during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as we sit safely distanced in their home's lush garden.

Arguably, the greatest damage brought by the virus outbreak is economic, and it's fascinating in this context to see how people become creative, striving with all their might to maintain their livelihoods. In addition, looking at the Balelis' experience is doubly interesting as it opens a window into the story of their return to Judaism.

"I Searched for Answers for Years"

"I was born in northern Tel Aviv," recounts Eiran, "to a secular family with no connection to tradition. We didn’t even fast on Yom Kippur. I studied at Herzliya Gymnasium, served at a tank base, and after my release, flew to Australia, where I started a t-shirt design business. When my visa expired, I returned to Israel, continued the business here, expanding and gaining recognition. I began marketing to stores, opened two shops and a studio, and started producing men's fashion.

"A major highlight as a designer was a very large fashion show I did at Hangar 11 at the Tel Aviv port with dozens of models. It was a very successful show, and I returned home exhilarated. I went to bed on cloud nine, but woke up depressed. I remember asking myself how it's possible to switch from the highest high I've ever felt to the lowest down in a matter of hours. For many years, I asked myself questions about the soul, and these questions wouldn't leave me. They also dealt with the meaning of life, which amplified everything."

Where did you search for answers to the questions that so troubled you?

"For years, I defined my feelings as burdens and searched for solutions and healing from a psychological standpoint. At that time, I lived as a Tel Aviv artist, with all that entails, and couldn't find the right person to guide me. Thank God, shortly after that show, Hashem sent me a wonderful rabbi, Rabbi Prosper Malka—who himself is a baal teshuva—and I entered into a deep conversation with him, which yielded not a few answers.

"Rabbi Malka illuminated points that sparked my desire to learn and explore more, which I indeed did. Additionally, he introduced me to the inner study of Torah, known for its endless depths. Today, I try to be what my rabbi was for me at the beginning of my return. I try to pass this knowledge on to others. Furthermore, my store is in central Tel Aviv, and many celebrities come to buy clothes, so I strive to do 'kiruv' (spiritual outreach) through this avenue as well.

"Nevertheless, since the pandemic started, the store is closed, my regular income has halted, and my wife suggested we bring part of the production home by starting to make fabric masks. It was a spontaneous idea; my wife identified a public need, and shortly after, I developed a line of unique masks that are comfortable, beautiful, and environmentally friendly.

"At the same time, thanks to the reduced intensity of life and a calmer, more available mind, I'm able to think of new things preparing me for future development. In parallel, I'm taking actions to prepare for the day after COVID-19. I realized there would be a significant change, and I plan to transition my business to online sales. People think that this new situation imposed on us will soon end, but I feel there will be a substantial change in our way of life, and we still have no idea how."

A Break from Hashem

Regarding the new situation, Revital, who usually works as a director at the Hidabroot channel and has produced several quality programs, with more to come, says that alongside the damages COVID-19 brought, it also brought much blessing. "After three years of very significant work at the Hidabroot channel, a period for which I am thankful and blessed, suddenly, the tranquility returned to my life.

"During those years, we produced a variety of programs: 'Behind the Microscope' hosted by Emmanuel Shilo on science and faith topics, 'Eternal Love'—a magical program combining personal deep conversations and Jewish music featuring Tzvi Yechezkeli and Rabbi Daniel Cohen, and over 50 episodes of the beloved children's show 'Our Station'. Additionally, during the filming of the new program 'To Be a Queen' hosted by Rebbetzin Chava Levy, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. We found ourselves under immense pressure, a day before shooting with singer Din Din Aviv, and realized we would have to postpone the filming. Currently, we're all waiting to return to the studio and continue with the program.

"Alongside everything— I started and graduated with honors in a law degree, which was the fulfillment of an old dream. At the first-year honors ceremony, which I completed as the faculty's valedictorian, I walked up to the stage to receive the certificate, and the greatest satisfaction was knowing that despite being a dedicated, caring Polish mom and a career woman, I managed to complete a degree with honors."

However, as Baleli notes, this period was particularly demanding for her. "To wake up at five in the morning to study for an exam, then send the kids to school and immediately head out to start a shooting day at Hidabroot studios—these are lives filled with action and professional and personal satisfaction, but they are very challenging. In all this craziness, Hashem put a break here that really made me do a restart for the entire system. I rediscovered the connection with my husband, my kids, our home, and our garden. Not that all this wasn't important to me before, but in the flow of life and the continuous race from Shabbat to Shabbat, there wasn't always time to pay attention to all the subtleties and small details."

What insights did this sudden pause evoke in you?

"When we were told to stay inside our homes, it reminded me a lot of Passover. It was also quite close to the holiday. Before the Plague of the Firstborn, the Israelites were commanded to stay in their homes and be together until morning, with the prohibition of moving from one group to another until that night passed and they truly gained a great light. One of the lights we gained from the COVID-19 is that the virus made us realize what we truly have in life, prompting a real self-accounting. What we are doing, and how the most important things in our lives function. How is communication with the children, how is marital peace. A person creates his family, and this is the most essential aspect of life.

"I have friends who are very successful career-wise, but in recent months they have fallen into depression. Bachelors over 35 who barely leave the house are simply alone. In general, the family concept connects strongly to Judaism for me because anyone connected to Judaism understands they must live life with purpose and establish a family. Whether single by choice or not, they know they are on the path to purpose."

The Return of the Spark

Regarding the search for purpose, Revital also traversed a long road before finding it. "I was born in Ramat Hasharon," she shares, "to a secular Ashkenazi family. There was no Kiddush at home; we didn’t fast on Yom Kippur. We would joke that grandma fasted for all of us. I studied cinema at 'Alon' High School, served as a military photographer, and after the release, lived in Amsterdam. When I returned to Israel, I started studying acting. I studied for three years, worked in the film and TV industry while studying, and after graduation continued in the industry as a casting director, director, and among others, as the house director for the Children's Channel, and more.

"But I never had real satisfaction. From the age of ten, I asked my parents what the purpose was and why I was in this world. They had no answers. In general, over the years, I felt immense emptiness, and even success in the TV world didn’t fill the void. At a certain point, I was exposed to the teachings of the late Yemima Avital's method, 'Conscious Thought ', and it opened up for me an understanding for the first time of what being Jewish means, what a soul is, what Jewish spirituality is, and so on. Simultaneously, I met some Breslovers who began talking to me about Judaism, and these things suddenly gave me meaning."

And what led you to the next step—observing the commandments?

"After learning more and more, I wanted to accept the yoke of the commandments, and at a certain point, I started observing Shabbat. Relatively soon after, I was offered to meet Eiran, and after a few meetings, we decided to get married. After my return, I thought continuing in TV wasn’t appropriate, so I made a transition to water therapy and worked as a hydrotherapist at the therapeutic pool in the Spivak Center for the Disabled, Ilan Center in Ramat Gan, and the therapeutic pool of 'Ezer Mizion' in Bnei Brak.

"After a few years, I missed the TV spark, and following a conversation with Rabbi Ofer Gisin, I decided to return. I started working with Maya Ohana Moreno (the widow of Emanuel Moreno, may his memory be a blessing) on a screenplay about her life story, and then I came to the Hidabroot channel. I took a large circle, and ultimately returned to the profession with sanctity. And with all the gratitude for what came due to COVID-19, I also have a great hunger to return to work and creative processes. The things happening at the channel are amazing, and the accessibility of the Jewish world with a contemporary TV language is simply innovative and excellent. The fact that we reach so many people thirsty for Judaism is another sign of the blessed path of the Hidabroot organization."