The fight for my child's recognition in Israel has already stretched over two years. In this second episode, I dive into the next chapter – traveling back to Israel, facing the legal hurdles, and navigating a system unprepared for someone like me. Challenges, unexpected turns, and difficult choices define this part of my story – but my journey is far from over.

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When I first arrived in Israel as a mother, I didn't come just to prove my son's right to belong – I came already knowing he was from here. From the very beginning, I told everyone I met that the child was Israeli. Even without a visa for myself and even the court's decision, I chose to live as I his belonging was unquestionable, rooted in him since birth. In this episode, I look back on that first arrival, the courage, the risks, and the quiet defiance of living the truth before it was recognized.

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Before stepping into my personal story, I take you to the roots of the struggle: the Israeli laws on family and citizenship that shaped every step of my fight. In this episode, I unpack the legal framework, the gaps that leave families in limbo, and the questions those gaps force us to ask.

Why is belonging reduced to paperwork? Who decides if a child is recognized? And what happens when a system built on ancestry cannot handle lives that don’t fit its boxes?

This is the legal prelude — the foundation of my battle for recognition, identity, and a place in Israel.

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Welcome to Israeli Goy, the space where identity evolves, borders soften, and dreams take on flesh. I’m Adriana, and today’s episode — A Belly Full of Belonging — is personal.

This isn’t just about pregnancy.
It’s about carrying a child of the nation I’ve always felt tethered to — a people, a place, a purpose I’ve never fully touched, yet always known.

No guests. Just one voice. One body. One future being born.

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Welcome back.

In the last episode, I shared the path I walked — barefoot, sometimes broken — through the winding streets of Israel, seeking something ancient, something sacred: conversion. A way to become part of the people I had come to love so deeply.

I followed every step. I waited. I hoped. But in the end, the answer was no. The Rabbanut closed its doors, and I was left on the outside, watching.

But G-d — G-d had already begun writing a different story.

While I was still knocking on locked gates, I met someone. A man. An Israeli. And in that quiet unfolding, something unseen was taking root.

Two days after the denial, I conceived a child.

I didn’t become part of Israel through halachic approval or ritual entry. I became part of it through a deeper promise — not written by men, but spoken by G-d. Through blood, through love, through the life growing inside me.

When the rabbis said no, G-d said not this way — but My way.

This is the story of how I was woven into the land of my dreams — not by conversion, but by creation. Not by law, but by love.

This is Born of Us.

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Why I Created “Israeli Goy” — A Voice from the Margins

In this introductory episode, I explain why I started the “Israeli Goy” podcast — to share stories of non-Jews living in Israel who rarely get to speak about their experiences. Join me to learn about my journey and what to expect from future episodes.

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In this deeply personal and inspiring episode, we explore the mysterious and awe-filled journey of spiritual awakening. Join me as I reflect on a moment during my fourth time in the Land of Israel—an experience that seemed to carry a sacred invitation from the G-d of Israel Himself. What does it mean to feel called into a people, a faith, and a destiny greater than yourself?

Through raw storytelling and spiritual insight, this episode dives into how the seemingly ordinary can become a vessel for the divine, and how one’s soul can awaken to something ancient, eternal, and profoundly transformative.

If you’ve ever felt the pull of something beyond, or questioned what it truly means to be chosen or called, this episode is for you.

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