NEW YORK (VINnews) — This week, a man who grew up in Kuwait in an environment steeped in antisemitism recounted his journey to Judaism on Rabbi Efrem Goldberg’s weekly podcast, Behind the Bimah.

Mark Halawa, now a practicing Jew, described how small acts of kindness and human connection gradually unsettled his assumptions and led him to embrace the faith. “It wasn’t a story of protest or politics,” said Halawa. “It was about quiet moments and sincere questions.”

Rabbi Goldberg and Rabbi Philip Moskowitz hosted Halawa in episode #190, titled From Kuwait to Jerusalem: Mark Halawa’s Journey to Judaism. The episode explores Halawa’s upbringing in a Muslim Arab family, the challenges of confronting deeply ingrained prejudice, and the encounters that ultimately inspired his conversion.