From DJ Nightlife to Torah and Meaning: The Spiritual Journey of Eyal Shitrit

Eyal Shitrit is married and a father of two, living in Charish. "I work in professional content production and digital marketing, business strategy consulting, personal coaching, and real-estate marketing.

Stage Life

“I was born in a traditional Moroccan family in Kiryat Shmona, with five brothers and one sister. My father worked in fire services, and my mother worked at Tel-Hai College.

Most of what I know I learned on my own. My deep connection to music began at age 14. When I went out with friends, I’d stand next to the DJ booth, totally mesmerized by the music, by the DJ, by how he controlled the atmosphere in the room and set the mood for everyone. Nothing else interested me. It was magnetic.

I’d just stand there and watch what he was doing — and that’s how it went on. My friends danced; I watched the DJ.

A year later, at 15, I joined an events crew that provided services for a hotel at Kibbutz HaGoshrim. I started out carrying sound equipment, and slowly I moved into DJing karaoke. Not long after, the crew expanded to work in other venues, and I continued along with them.”

Crossing the Fence

“Gradually more people started recognizing me as a DJ and inviting me to play in different places.

After high school I enlisted in the army, but I also needed to help at home and keep working. Even though the army didn’t really allow it, I’d sneak out on weekends — jump over the gate after everyone went to sleep, and go DJ at events.

After some time as a DJ, I got tired of playing other people’s music and wanted to create my own. One night I played with a well-known electronic music group, and I asked them what software they used to produce their tracks.

That same night I came home and didn’t rest until I managed to get my hands on the software. I started experimenting on my old, slow computer — and honestly, it was terrible. Embarrassing even. Looking back, I wouldn’t call what I made ‘music’ at all, but back then, it didn’t matter. I was so locked-in on creating that I just kept going.”

15 Hours a Day

“I dove deeper and deeper into the world of music production. I learned a lot and entire worlds opened up to me about how music is built, what each instrument does, and how to process sounds and combine them properly in a track.

I realized everything has structure and order — music is something very planned.

There were days when I’d enter the studio at 10 a.m. with a bottle of water… and leave the next day at the same hour. The sun would circle the earth, and I’d still be sitting in the exact same position in front of the computer.

Slowly my work began sounding better, and those little successes motivated me to keep creating.

At some point I moved back to Kiryat Shmona. I ran a recording studio, rehearsal rooms, and taught electronic music production, and I still spent about 15 hours a day producing.

Eventually I released a track that was signed to the label of a famous DJ and included in their album. After that I began performing at huge productions, sometimes in front of 5,000 people or more, appearing on radio shows, hanging out with big names in the electronic music world — and I was even photographed for a modeling campaign.”

A Terrifying Experience

“In the middle of all this, when I was 24, something very strange happened — something that eventually closed a circle for me.

One Thursday night I went to sleep and had an incredibly vivid dream, exactly three seconds long. I dreamed I was lying in a dark room with no windows. I turned my head toward the door, and saw a large figure, as tall as the doorway, holding a suitcase. The figure wore a cloth hood, so I couldn’t see its face.

And the moment I saw it, I felt like I died on the spot.

I woke up terrified, crying like a baby, and the feeling of death was still there. I tried to get up and realized I couldn’t feel my arm. It wasn’t numb — it just felt like a stone.

That weekend I repeatedly felt a very real sense that I was dying. It shook me to the core and made me feel like I had wasted my life up until then. I felt like I had done nothing meaningful — so I decided to fly to my brother in the U.S., start fresh, and begin living.”

Strange Experiences Continue

“I arrived in Los Angeles, where my brother lives — and the strange experiences didn’t stop.

At some point I asked a rabbi what all of this meant. He told me: ‘You had a righteous grandfather who passed away. He gave up some of his heavenly merits so he could descend to this world again to protect you. He entered your body to keep you alive — and took you out of it briefly so you’d understand that there is something beyond what we see.’”

I lived a year in the U.S., working with my brother in fire-safety equipment. Then I returned to Kiryat Shmona, worked as a computer technician, drifted for about three years — and at 31 I’d had enough and decided to go back to the U.S.

I knew they probably wouldn’t approve my entry because I had overstayed my visa last time. My brother is a major supporter of an organization called ‘L’hoshit Yad’ that takes children with cancer on a 10-day dream trip to the U.S. twice a year. He suggested I join with the staff on one of the trips, and I did.

On that flight, I met a young woman volunteering with the organization… and today she is my wife.

The group went back to Israel after the trip, but I stayed and worked in the U.S.”

A Good Neighbor

“During that time, I gradually began strengthening my observance of mitzvot. Even during my first stay in the U.S., as a completely secular guy, I used to listen regularly to Torah lectures — especially from Rabbi Zamir Cohen — and they inspired me deeply. I saw so much wisdom in Judaism, and it drew me in.

On my second stay, something inside me suddenly ignited. I really wanted to grow spiritually, and this time it felt more natural.

I took on tefillin, Shabbat, and Birkat HaMazon. I moved out from my brother’s house and rented an apartment — and by divine providence, the apartment was within walking distance of my brother, so I could spend Shabbat meals with him without violating Shabbat.

My neighbor across the hall was a great Torah scholar — and every halachic question I had, I’d ask him. He helped me a lot on my journey.”

Spiritual Search

“At that time I had my own business inside my brother’s business. I worked hard and earned well, but my daily routine was chaotic. I realized that if I committed to praying Shacharit, Mincha, and Arvit, it would organize my day.

I started working fewer hours, and to my surprise, I earned three times more than before.

Then one morning I woke up, again unable to feel my hand, just like after that earlier dream. A song by Amir Benayoun — ‘Omed BaSha’ar’ — hit me like a wake-up call. All the rabbis say Mashiach is near… and I felt I had no more time to waste.

I called Rabbi Zamir Cohen’s yeshiva and asked to join. They said I sounded like a good fit — but I’d need an interview.

I left everything in the U.S. — car, apartment, excellent income, and flew back to Israel. When I landed, they told me the yeshiva was currently on break, so I’d need to wait two weeks.”

Sometimes Dreams Do Come True

“I was 32, which is not an easy age to enter yeshiva. I searched online for baal-teshuva yeshivas and came across a list. One entry that seemed right for my age was Yeshivat Torat Chaim — so I wrote its name on a piece of paper and put it in my pocket.

I also called the coordinator who compiled the list — we met, and after hearing my story, he said that Torat Chaim would be perfect for me. I pulled out the note and saw I had already written the same name, and I literally got chills.

I called the yeshiva, and soon after, I began learning there. Since then, thank God, my life has completely changed. I grew spiritually, learned so much, and realized that everything I once searched for ‘outside,’ was already in the Torah.

From someone who once led others astray, I now merit to produce hundreds of motivational Torah videos that strengthen tens of thousands of people. I also create and edit my own inspiration videos — and recently finished writing a book that will be published soon.

Today I work in professional content production and digital marketing — video and audio editing, graphic design, animation, and branding — as well as business strategy consulting, personal growth coaching, and real-estate marketing.

Above all, my truest dream was, is, and will always be music. I pray that one day God will send me the right partner so I can return to creating music — only this time, with holiness.”