Jewels of Judaism is a Jewish believing organization that is focused on “…bringing the precious out of the worthless.” This concept of “bringing the precious out of the worthless” is found in Jeremiah 15:19.
Jewels of Judaism was established by Daniel Goldstein in 2011 to provide a balanced perspective on the teachings from the Bible, with special emphasis on the Jewish Feasts and the Sabbath. The goal in this mission is to see people walk in the fullness of their faith in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob with a deeper understanding of the teachings of the New Testament in light of the Jewish Scriptures (the Old Testament).
Biography of Daniel Goldstein
Daniel Goldstein was born on the East coast of the United States of America in the state of New Jersey. Although Daniel naturally identified with his Jewish heritage from an early age, he grew up in a home and community that was almost completely devoid of any type of Jewish practice or learning.
It was in 1995 that Daniel made his first trip to Israel and became more connected with his Jewish roots by spending a semester of university in Jerusalem. It was at this time that he was introduced to the Sabbath experience as well as to the traditional Passover celebration. Those few months in Jerusalem had a significant impact on Daniel but it would be ten more years before he would make the leap of faith to make Aliyah.
After completing his Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Foreign Language in the year 2000, Daniel taught English in the USA and then spent five years teaching English in Istanbul, Turkey. It was during this time abroad in the country of Turkey that Daniel would be challenged in his Jewish identity more than ever before.
Toward’s the end of his five-year adventure in Turkey, Daniel was confronted with anti-semitic rhetoric by certain individuals which caused Daniel to consider his Jewish identity in a deeper way. Over a period of a few months, God began to lead Daniel in a very powerful way to visit Israel for a second time. During this second trip to Israel Daniel knew that God was clearly calling him to return to Israel, to make Aliyah, and to make Israel his home. Daniel made Aliyah in July, 2007.
Daniel blowing the shofar in Tzafat, Israel
Aliyah is always an adventure that is filled with new and trying experiences. As Daniel sought to find his way in Israel after initially making Aliyah, he ended up befriending a certain rabbi and attending the synagogue that this rabbi led in the city of Haifa, the city where Daniel first resided in Israel. It was through the generous hospitality of this rabbi and his family that Daniel discovered the beauty of the Sabbath in a personal way.
Daniel spent his second year, after making Aliyah, on an orthodox Jewish kibbutz that was also an organic farming kibbutz. During this year Daniel worked on the farm, studied Hebrew, and studied Judaism at the Beit Madras (a sort of Jewish Bible school) on the kibbutz. The Sabbath observance, the Jewish holidays, and the orthodox Jewish life were all part of his experience during this year.
Throughout these first two years in Israel Daniel had a burning desire to write about the new lifestyle that he was experiencing as a reconnected Jew. One of the topics that continually burned in his heart and mind during this time was that of the Sabbath. Daniel thought of his many Gentile Christian friends in America and around the world who more than likely had no contact with the Jewish culture and he wanted to do his part in sharing with them all that he had been learning. As a result, Daniel wrote his first book; Practicing the Sabbath with Community.
Daniel wrote this book on the Sabbath in 2008 and then spent the next three years refining it and getting it to a place of publication. Through the encouragement of friends and family he eventually self-published his first book Practicing the Sabbath with Community under the organizational name Jewels of Judaism. Daniel chose the name Jewels of Judaism because he believes that there are many precious “jewels,” like the Sabbath, in the Jewish culture which need to be understood by the Gentile Christian population. Daniel’s book on the Sabbath is currently available in both English and Spanish.
Daniel Goldstein (left) with a Columbian pastor (right) and the Spanish edition