The Chan Younis Convert

 

Dor Shachar, formerly Ayman Abu Subukh from Khan Younis, is currently a very busy man. The convert to Judaism who was born and bred in Gaza is shuttling between various venues in Europe and the US in an attempt to provide ‘Hasbara’- to represent Israel’s viewpoint from the perspective of one who was formerly identified as its enemy.

Shachar says he grew up being taught to hate Jews, to celebrate when they were killed, to see them as the enemy who stole Palestinian land. Yet even as a child he wanted to escape the hateful education he received. He used to visit the soldiers (who were still present in Gaza until 2005), play soccer with them and receive all kinds of treats. When he came home, his father would berate and punish him for interacting with the Israelis.

At some point after working at a construction site for a while, Shachar confided in a religious soldier that he wished to convert and become a Jew. He was taken to a Hesder yeshiva in Rishon Letzion where he studied for ten months before going to Machon Meir in Jerusalem and completing his conversion. Dor continued his studies and now lives in Rishon Letzion. He says that he was not surprised at the murderous attacks on Oct. 7th- he knows the level of hatred and animosity firsthand – but it pained him a lot. He also suggested a reason for the Hamas’s success in carrying out the widespread attack – “Hashem can’t be in a place where there is hatred and division.”

Shachar also warns that it is not just Hamas who react in this way to Israel. “Most Palestinians feel the same way.”