An Israeli of Moroccan descent from Ashdod, Eyal Karoutchi displays the disparate hallmarks of a budding Torah scholar and an aspiring Hindu guru. He sports a bushy black beard and a crocheted pink skullcap over an embroidered flowery Kashmiri shirt and pajama-like Indian cotton pants. Karoutchi who begins his emails with "Dear soul” and concludes them with "May you find divinity", was on a decade-long spiritual quest, which took him from Hinduism back to the threshold of Judaism. A certified yogi who studied under several Indian gurus, a self-professed expert in the tenets of sacred living based on the Vedic scriptures, and a therapist in the ancient alternative Ayurveda medicine, Karoutchi ran a secluded yoga retreat on a remote island in southern Thailand until last summer.
Alternating yoga with Jewish studies at Chabad, he also found time to indulge in his passion: jewelry design. He's an inspired artist. "Following my meditation, I'm tranquil enough to hold a single thought for minutes," he says. "I like to reflect on religious themes, or else rework natural shapes, say patterns on coconut tree bark. Butterflies taught me a lot about color coordination." Karoutchi's designs are as eclectic as his spiritual interests, or vice versa.
In 2006 Eyal joined the staff at Acsent, a year-round visitors' center, Jewish youth hostel, and religious retreat located in the most picturesque part of the old section of Safed. The program includes everything from hikes through a scenic, fruit-tree lined wadi (a dry riverbed) in the Galilee, to genuine Kabbalistic studies and meditation, and the Safed mystical Shabbat experience.
The journey takes us from the Israeli Paratroopers to India, Japan, Thailand and Australia. Eyal Karoutchi gives a dramatic rendition of his life quest for truth and happiness. The not so random people that he connects with and the spiritual truth he searches for decide his life's path. This is a fun video with depth and humor.
Mr. Eyal Karoutchi (1)