Family photo: From left to right: Israel, Hylan, Rita, Natanel and Eliza, Hahnna and Evan.

Hylan Slobodkin is the Beit Tikvah Congregational Leader. He and his family moved to the Pacific Northwest from Phoenix, Arizona in August 1996. His wife, Rita, is the Director of Children's Education and also leads the Sisterhood/Women's Ministry. Hylan and Rita have three children, Eliza, Hahnna, and Israel.

Hahnna and Evan were married in October 2001. Hahnna is a 5th grade teacher and Evan is a project manager in commercial construction.

Israel has a Masters of Science degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering. He is currently working as a consultant with an international computer firm.

Eliza and Natanel were married in April 2006. Eliza works as a public health nurse in Seattle and Natanel works in the field of structural radar imaging. We are proud of our children, all serving the LORD.

Hylan's Story

I grew up in a conservative Jewish home in Los Angeles during the 50's and 60's. My family was not religious, although we faithfully attended High Holiday services, celebrated Passover and Chanukah and thoroughly enjoyed dressing up for Purim. We were, and are, Zionists, believing in the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel. My father and mother were both presidents of the local chapters of B'nai Brith and Pioneer Women, respectively. I loved going to Habonim camp during the summer months as a pre-teen. Some of my fondest childhood memories are living a kibbutz-type lifestyle in the mountains of Saugas, CA. I had my bar mitzvah at the age of thirteen, and really didn't think I was a man yet. My bar mitzvah training was secular. We learned Bible stories, but didn't talk about God, the One who inspired the Book.

Rita and I were married for two years when we started on a search for Universal Truth. We saw hypocrisy in the Judaism of our parents' generation, so we experimented with drugs in the late 60's, then studied Hinduism and yoga. We both wanted to become yoga instructors. I wore white clothes and a white turban and thought this made me holy. Rita and I were initiated into Transcendental Meditation in 1967. We sold our cars, bought backpacks and headed off for India via Europe. Our plan was to find a guru and meditate for the rest of our lives. We "ended up" at a Bible believing community in Switzerland called L'Abri, the home of Dr. and Mrs. Francis Schaeffer. It was here that we were confronted with the truth of the Bible for the first time.

We were challenged by the words of the Jewish prophets and the apologetics of the L'Abri community. They talked about a Jewish Jesus and honored our heritage. After much discussion, debate, study, prayer and soul searching, we both accepted Yeshua as our Messiah on Thanksgiving night 1970. I burned my turban, we renounced Hinduism and received forgiveness for our sins. God's love flooded our lives and the truth of the Bible became real to us. We were changed forever. "The person who comes to Messiah is a new creature. The old things have passed away. Behold new things have come".

We thought we were the only Jewish people to accept their Messiah. We would soon find out otherwise, as God began to bring Messianic Jews into our lives. We weren't alone. Little did we know that a modern day revival had begun in Israel in 1967 and was spreading throughout the earth. Today there continues to be a growing number of Jews who believe Yeshua is the Messiah, as evidenced by almost 100 messianic congregations in Israel, and over 500 congregations in other countries. Today I enjoy leading Beit Tikvah in Newcastle, WA.

You can reach Hylan via email at :

See also Rita's Testimony.