The Young Hasidic Creator Bringing Judaism to the Arab World in Fluent Arabic
Young Chabad Hasid Shalom Kovesh is capturing hundreds of thousands of Arab viewers with fluent Arabic videos explaining Judaism, bridging divides and sparking surprising curiosity.
It happens at least once a week: a young Hasidic man suddenly appears on the phone screen of hundreds of thousands of viewers across the Arab world. With a calm voice and fluent, precise Arabic, he explains the commandment of eating matzah on Passover, clarifies the meaning of prayer words, explains why tzitzit must be worn, and provides information on various Torah topics. Many viewers do not know that the man on the screen is Shalom Kovesh, a young Chabad Hasid whose life story is just as fascinating as the content he creates.
From Hungary to Israel
"I grew up in a family of Chabad emissaries in Hungary," Kovesh says. "My mother grew up in Israel, in the Krayot area. My father, Rabbi Shlomo Kovesh, is a Hungarian, a baal teshuvah, and today manages all of Chabad in Hungary. My childhood years were spent in Hungary. At home we spoke exclusively Hebrew, but since we studied in Hungarian educational institutions and spoke the language outside as well, we mastered it well. At age 14 I was sent to a Chabad yeshiva in Belgium, studied in a large yeshiva in Israel, and then continued for a year of shlichut in Hebron."
While living in Hebron, Kovesh was first exposed to the Arabic language and decided he wanted to learn it. "I started taking a course with an expert teacher, and since then I have been studying with him to this day."
What was it about the Arabic language that attracted you so much?
"Arabic always interested me. I loved Mizrahi music and connected to Middle Eastern culture. The desire to learn was always there, and when it materialized, I was truly happy."
Kovesh did not abandon Arabic even when he later served in the Givati Brigade. When he returned to Hungary for another two years, he continued studying the language there. He also perfected it academically through studies at the Open University. "Last year I returned to Israel and lived with my grandfather in the Krayot. Last month, thank God, I got married, and today I live in Kochav Yaakov."
The Idea Behind the Arabic Videos
Where did the idea to produce videos in Arabic come from?
"It started after I was discharged from the army. I wondered what I was going to do, and very quickly the idea of producing videos in Arabic came to me. For me it was simply a given—because it is something non-standard, and there are not many Haredi people, with a beard and full Haredi attire, who speak Arabic, Hungarian, and English. In addition, I have communication skills, so this could be a real opportunity to shed light for an entire audience on things that until now were completely distant from them."
In practice, the idea emerged about a year ago: "I returned for a visit to Hungary and went to get a haircut at a barbershop next to a kebab stand. I saw a Hungarian trying to ask for a cigarette from the Arabs working there, but they had trouble understanding him because he spoke only Hungarian and not English.
"I stepped in, translated between them, and got him his cigarette. Since it was cold and I was wearing a hat, my Jewish identity wasn't visible, so one of them approached me thinking I supported the Palestinian cause. He asked where I knew the language from, and I started talking to him. I told him I was an Israeli from the Krayot area, and he was shocked and didn't believe me. When I told him my name is Shalom, he asked: 'Prove it to me.'
"In those days I had a podcast in Hungarian about the Middle East. But when I returned home and told my father what happened, he told me: 'You need to start creating content in Arabic, and not just a podcast, because we are talking about a much larger target audience.' He encouraged me to go for it, and that's how I started producing videos in Arabic about Judaism."
Revealing Judaism to a New Audience
How do you decide which topics to reveal in the videos?
"I go by what feels interesting to me, by questions I receive from the audience, and also by what is relevant to the period or holidays. Beyond that, there are topics I know in advance will draw fire and interest everyone—like the dynamics between men and women, relationships, and marriage. I see what people ask in the comments and identify where there is real demand."
Are there specific topics that suddenly gained momentum?
"Unequivocally, the video on family purity. It completely fascinated them. They were in shock to discover that there is an entire spiritual world standing behind these laws."
But there are also very complex topics. How do you condense deep concepts into a minute and a half?
"I don't think there is such a thing as a 'difficult topic'; there are more complex topics that require thought. The real challenge is distillation: I have a minute and a half to two minutes at most, so I must think very carefully about the core points that must be included so the viewer understands the idea without losing interest.
"To this day I haven't really encountered a topic that posed a real problem for me in terms of its reception, except for one topic I haven't touched yet—the Holy Temple. I am looking for the way to do it with maximum sensitivity, without hurting the beliefs of others and without giving up our truth."
Mission on Screen
Do you believe the videos help them see us in a better light?
"I think so. To understand this deeply, one must compare two types of historical hatred toward Jews: hatred in Europe versus hatred in the Islamic world. In Europe, antisemitism is deeply rooted within Christian culture. Because of that, it is so easy for them to believe lies, and presenting dry facts in front of them often doesn't help, because the root is embedded in historical Christian culture. From my acquaintance, there are many Europeans who do not necessarily view themselves as Jew-haters, but it will still be easy for them to believe the absurd lies spread about us in the media—because of the prejudice so deeply rooted in Euro-Christian culture.
"In contrast, in the Islamic world, throughout most of history and in most places, specific Jew-hatred—unlike general minority hatred—was not so deeply rooted. In times of tension and regional outbreaks, the majority actually harassed Christians. The major turning point happened around the world wars, and especially with the establishment of the State of Israel. When they realized a Jewish state was about to arise here, it clashed with religious perceptions, and concurrently a new Arab nationalism developed.
"In my opinion, this hatred today is fueled and maintained mainly by huge lies absorbed from age zero. When you read what they write and think on networks, you see they are talking complete nonsense because they simply have no clue about anything. In their eyes, Zionism is an ideology of Jewish supremacy and support for child murder—that is the only thing they are told about it."
How do you think this can be changed?
"Unequivocally through a human presentation of us, exactly like what is done in political Hasbara, just in Arabic. The way to reach their hearts and break down walls is simply to introduce them to religion, to the human being behind the story. Beyond that, I clearly see there is enormous curiosity there toward Jews, even among those who define themselves as outright anti-Zionists or anti-Israelis."
What kind of responses do you receive from viewers on the other side?
"There are tons of responses, but one of the most popular, which I hear all the time and which genuinely surprises me anew, is: 'I want to convert, how do you do it?'. I even made a video about it. Beyond that, I receive countless private messages. People write to me that they support, love, and ask me to make a clear distinction between Zionism and Judaism.
"I try to answer everyone, even though it's hard for me to keep up. I don't get into complex nuances of religious Zionism or various streams with them, but stay on the most basic and simple understanding. The beautiful part is that quite a few understand this and don't even argue with me."
Sparking Change
Do you get recognized on the street occasionally?
"Yes, I get recognized quite a bit here in Israel. Just last week someone came to install doors at my house and suddenly recognized me. It happens to me often.
"Do Jews recognize you too?
"That's less common. Occasionally there are Jews who ask me in the comments: 'Why don't you put Hebrew subtitles?'. But I do it consciously. I don't want to confuse the algorithm or attract exposure to a Jewish audience, because my target audience is Arabs. If Jews watch it and enjoy—fantastic, but my goal is focused outward.
"In my view, all this activity connects perfectly to the path of the Lubavitcher Rebbe. The Rebbe strongly encouraged spreading the Seven Noahide Laws, and this was something previously considered unusual in the Jewish world—that Hasidim would actively deal and communicate with non-Jews as well. Just as Chabad established the tefillin and mezuzah campaigns for Jews, the Rebbe also pushed to invest attention in the Noahides, and this endeavor sits precisely on the root and mission of Chabad.
"Do you watch their news in Arabic yourself?
"Certainly. I watch a lot of news in Arabic. It renews a lot for me in terms of language and local dialects, but more than that—it renews insights for me on their thinking and conduct. The central insight is that not everyone hates us, or at least in their own minds they don't feel they hate Jews. Many Muslims truly believe they only hate the State of Israel, and that Zionism and Judaism are completely different things. That is quite encouraging. While it is clear to me that things don't change in one day, from my experience, sometimes there is someone to talk to and there is openness, and conversely sometimes you feel like you are facing an opaque wall. In any case, even if you don't convince them in a second—the mere discourse makes the change."
