Avri Gilad Discusses Spiritual Awakening and Shabbat Digital Detox

Avri Gilad, a prominent Israeli media personality, recently opened up about his fascinating spiritual journey in an episode of the show "Shirat David," hosted by singer David D'Or. Gilad discussed his transition from an explicitly atheist upbringing to embracing Jewish traditions and the constant struggle with modern media addiction in a world that never stops.

From Secular Childhood to Jewish Heritage

Growing up in a fiercely secular household with a Holocaust survivor father who claimed that "God died in Auschwitz," Gilad nonetheless retained powerful childhood memories around Jewish holidays, such as Yom Kippur meals and secret trips to buy leavened bread during Passover. Yet, as a teenager, he even participated in riots against ultra-Orthodox residents in Jerusalem's Ramot neighborhood. The major turning point came 22 years ago, at the age of forty, when Gilad realized that everything he needed was already waiting for him in the Jewish bookshelf. He describes this as discovering an asset he always owned but ignored.

"There is a day when you discover you have an asset, and you haven't been paying attention to it," Gilad reflected during the emotional conversation.

Breaking the Digital Addiction

Today, as a veteran media figure, Gilad struggles heavily with the relentless stream of news and information, comparing it to regular self-poisoning. To combat this, Shabbat has become a sacred boundary in his life, allowing him to enforce a total cellular blackout. His daughters are notably raised without mobile phones, preserving a simple human connection that he believes is vanishing among modern children. Discussing the broader societal importance of Shabbat, Gilad emphasized that it serves as a vital mental necessity rather than religious coercion: the human soul, much like a stretched string, will inevitably snap if it never pauses to rest.