The balance between business success and enjoying every day
Sahar Haluzy, enterprise consultant at Bringg
When we think of e-commerce and shipping, we typically think of Amazon. Then there’s Bringg, a promising Israeli start-up that built last-mile logistics and other delivery features, enabling businesses to offer efficient, tech-fueled delivery services of their own. Bringg raised $55 million from strategic investors, including Coca-Cola, Salesforce, and Siemens, and works with large enterprise customers, such as Walmart.
Born and raised in Munich, Germany, Sahar speaks five languages and played professional soccer. He moved to Los Angeles in his early twenties to pursue his music career, then made aliyah to Israel after becoming a baal teshuvah. He and his wife and baby boy live in Be’er Yaakov.
Sahar’s story is super unique and inspiring. With a rare talent for music, over a million views on YouTube, and invitations to perform at large music festivals across the US, Sahar was “living the American dream.” But philosophical questions gnawed at him, and when he experienced Torah and Shabbos, he made the life-altering choice to become fully observant. Now, in addition to his learning schedule, Jewish music, and kiruv, he leverages that same creativity, passion, and interpersonal skills in the business world, helping land massive deals for one of Israel’s promising start-ups. Wow!
Growing up in a secular home in Munich, Germany, I had tremendous passion for music. I composed my own music and did some small gigs during my teenage years. My big break came when I was 17: I was invited to participate in the largest music competition in Germany, watched by more than five million people!
Though I was one of the youngest contestants, I was confident. I introduced myself: “Hi, my name is Sahar, I’m 17 years old, and I’m a proud Jew.” Can you imagine the feedback that triggered, especially in Germany? I was inundated with messages, some very offensive — just because of my religion … which I knew very little about. And that bothered me.
Nevertheless, I put those feelings aside and relocated to Los Angeles to build my music career. It was a very successful transition: My band and I performed at well-known venues and I started recording with one of the best music producers in the world.
At the same time, I occasionally spent weekends with my observant uncle and his family in San Diego. Out of respect, I observed Shabbat while I was there. It was absolutely beautiful; it began to bring me closer to Judaism.
Miraculously, I also found that the more I committed to Shabbat and kashrus, the more positive changes I started seeing in my life, such as with health and finances. It was all making more sense… but there was still a blatant incongruity: my newfound passion for religious growth and my lifelong ambition for a secular music career.
I then received a message from my agent, a message I was waiting for and working toward my whole life: “You’re opening a massive music festival in September!” I couldn’t believe my ears! I was over the moon for a couple of days… until the questions began to overtake me.
A “random” search on the Internet led me to a video of Rabbi Amnon Yitzchak in Bnei Brak. Secular Jews were asking difficult questions (the same questions I had!) about Hashem, and Rabbi Amnon had a brilliant answer to every question. I began to binge-watch all of his shiurim, and after a month or two, all my burning questions were resolved.
The most inspiring sentence he said was: “When somebody knows the truth, it becomes impossible for him to live a lie.” It was really like he was talking to me through the screen.
Now what? I asked myself.
Suddenly, the music project became less important to me. Inexplicably, I didn’t feel this burning urge anymore to perform at the music festival, to open for some of the most famous secular performers. I just wanted to be close to Hashem.
It was one of the hardest decisions in my life.
This experience led me to Israel, where together with my wife and baby, I now lead a fully religious life. What did I do with my passion for creating music and performing on stage? First, I began an a cappella group where I sing Jewish songs; and second, I serve as a senior consultant to one of the most promising Israeli start-ups, where I lead sales and business development to the German market. I find that crafting sales pitches and closing deals gives me a similar adrenaline rush (and feeling of accomplishment) to singing onstage!
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