{"id":25664,"date":"2025-06-04T17:30:29","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T14:30:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/?p=25664"},"modified":"2025-06-04T18:30:28","modified_gmt":"2025-06-04T15:30:28","slug":"after-a-lifetime-in-the-church-he-chose-the-people-of-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reganews.co.il\/en\/after-a-lifetime-in-the-church-he-chose-the-people-of-israel\/","title":{"rendered":"After a Lifetime in the Church, He Chose the People of Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Priest Who Converted
\n<\/strong>Chaim Hadar Eliyahu is a modest, cheerful 50-year-old Jew\u2014at least, that\u2019s how he appears at first glance. But Chaim\u2019s life story is far from simple. It includes a childhood in Barcelona, 38 years spent in a monastery, and even ordination as a priest\u2014until he ultimately underwent conversion and embraced Judaism.<\/p>\n

There Was Something That Didn\u2019t Quite Fit<\/strong>
\nChaim Hadar Eliyahu, formerly William, was born in Barcelona to an Israeli father who had converted to Christianity, and a local Spanish mother. After his father\u2019s baptism, Chaim and his brother were moved from a secular school to a Christian one. At 19, Chaim decided to study sculpture at a monastery, and after three years, he became part of the monastic community.<\/p>\n

One day, while praying in the chapel\u2014the Christian house of worship\u2014he felt a powerful calling to become a priest. He shared this with his father, and in 2010, he was ordained.
\n“Suddenly you feel on top of the world,” Chaim says. “You have Christianity, and you believe it\u2019s superior to other religions. People come to you and receive so much from you as a priest\u2014it\u2019s deeply meaningful.”
\nStill, he adds, “there was something in the role that just didn\u2019t quite sit right.”<\/p>\n

“I Want to Be a Jew”<\/strong>
\nChaim was not a typical priest. Even during his childhood, despite living as Christians, his family was familiar with Jewish tradition, spoke Hebrew, and even observed some Jewish customs.
\nEliyahu says that many priests harbor intense hatred toward Jews\u2014a hatred he believes stems from jealousy and festers in their hearts.<\/p>\n

\"\"
“I heard my heart say: ‘I want to be a Jew.'” \u2014 Chaim Hadar Eliyahu | Photo: A Moment of Wisdom<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Priest Who Converted
\n<\/strong>Chaim\u2019s turning point came on the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur<\/em>, during the opening Kol Nidrei<\/em> service.
\n“The moment I sang Kol Nidrei, I felt as if it released me from all the vows I had made with the Church. And inside, I heard my heart say: ‘I want to be a Jew,'” he recalls.<\/p>\n

“They\u2019ve Grown Used to Walking on Diamonds”<\/strong>
\nChaim converted to Judaism and moved to Israel. On Purim a year ago, he met his wife, and this past July, they were married.
\n“Sometimes I feel that Jews are like princes who\u2019ve grown used to walking on diamonds,” Chaim reflects.
\n“And because they walk on them every day, they don\u2019t realize the treasure that lies beneath their feet. Converts remind Jews of the treasure they\u2019ve forgotten,” he concludes.<\/p>\n

Watch Chaim’s story by Rega shel Chochma:<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n