”I thank Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, (Jesus Christ) who led me out of religious bondage and back to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and His Truth.”
That is how Aviad Cohen expressed his joy and thankfulness that he found the Messiah. Aviad was born in Tel Aviv in 1975. Two years later he moved with the Cohen family to Brooklyn, New York. He was raised in New York and New Jersey and attended Jewish private school until high school. Later he majored in Communications with a concentration in film production and minored in Fine Arts photography at Hofstra University. Aviad’s family were conservative Jews and from an early age he was taught in Judaism by Rabbis and orthodox Jews.

Descendant of Aaron
Aviad Cohen in not an ordinary Jewish name, it has a special significance. Aviad is the Hebrew name for ”Everlasting Father.”
- It is one of the names of Messiah mentioned in Isaiah 9:6 in the Bible, Aviad says.
- It’s rather interesting that my parents who were not believers in Yeshua Ha’Mashiach at the time of my birth named me after the true Jew Messiah, he says.
Aviad’s surname Cohen originates from the ”Kohan title”. A Kohen or Cohen is a Hebrew priest, is assumed to be a direct male descendant of the Biblical Aaron. Aviad Cohen is therefore a Kohen.
- Because Aaron was a member of the Tribe of Levi, all Kohanim are Levites, as tribal membership passes via patrilineal descent. However, not all Levites are Kohanim. Non-Kohen Levites are Korbanots, siger Aviad.

Worked in Hollywood
Before Aviad was known as 50 Shekel, he worked in Hollywood in TV, film and music video production. He also had a background in working at a company in New York’s SoHo district, that composes music and sound design for commercials like Mercedes, Audi, Jaguar, etc. Aviad was so talented that he won an award for ”Best Music Composition for Television” while at university.
- During this time I was also a “wandering Jew” who was looking for truth, but in all the wrong places. Traditional Judaism had left my stomach empty and so I tried many other ways to fill that empty hole in my heart that only Yeshua would eventually fill, Aviad says.

The rapper 50 Shekel
Before Aviad ever heard about ”50 Cent”, he was one day sitting in his room wondering why none of the rich Jews working in Hollywood would think enough of the young Jewish kids to give them some positive entertainment. So he decided that he would give them some cool Jewish entertainment.
- Shortly after I heard about ”50 Cent” and his ”In Da Club” song, I ended up making a parody of it, called ”In Da Shul” (shul means temple) and the song got out there. It was a fun, current, positive message and to many Jewish kids and adults around the world, they looked to me as the voice of the new Jew generation, Aviad says, who became famous within few days.
- But what is really interesting is that God had a plan to elevate me for His glory, so that at the right time I would be saved by Yeshua and then proclaim His Truth to all those who visited my website around the world, Aviad says.

Searching for truth
When Aviad became aware that he as 50 Shekel represented the Jews, he decided to become as Jewish as he could. So he attended the synagogue on the Sabbath and tried to keep the traditions until he couldn’t stand it anymore. - There were Christians who were ministering to me and told me about Jesus, then I went online and began to read the Old and New Testament on the web, Aviad says. When he heard of Mel Gibson’s movie ”The Passion of The Christ” the rabbis warned him and told him not to have anything to do with it, they thought it was anti-Semitic.
- Every time I asked the Rabbis or orthodox Jews about Yeshua, they forbid me to mention His name again. So I concluded there had to be something about this Yeshua. But who was he? One day I decided to go to ”Best Buy” and get ”The Passion” - even though it was Shabbos (Sabbath) and I was in my traditional Shabbat suit, Aviad says. When he arrived at the store, he was afraid to be seen by the orthodox Jews, went inside and quickly grabbed ”The Passion of The Christ” and hid it under another DVD and went to pay for it.
- I felt I was like an agent on a top-secret mission. I gave the register lady the money, looked around to make sure that no Jews could see that I purchased ”The Passion” and hurried home, Aviad says.

Yeshua Ha’Mashiach
When Aviad arrived at his home he slipped the DVD into his Mac computer and watched the movie.
- What first intrigued me was that they called Jesus by His real name, Yeshua. Also, the story just seemed like a typical Jewish quarrel. It was like a family matter. There was nothing gentile about any of this. Seeing the Pharisees attack Yeshua, they reminded me of the rabbis I had to deal with - They wanted to “play God” instead of “obey God.” For some reason, I just did not feel that rabbis were telling me the whole Truth about God’s Word. I was right. They were keeping me from my Mashiach, Aviad says and continues:
- At the end of Mel Gibson’s movie, the Romans crucified Yeshua and my mouth dropped. ’Oh my! That’s my Messiah! They crucified Him! He died for me! For me?’ I think I was a little teary-eyed and moved like I’ve never been moved before. Moved by the Holy Spirit, Aviad says.

Problems in the air
The media soon discovered that Aviad had converted to Christianity, and the news spread like fire.
- I wanted to tell my family and friends about my faith in Yeshua, when the right timing came. But that was not how things came to pass. Someone in New York wanted to cause me grief and called my parents, who freaked out, Aviad says and adds:
- Jewish anti-missionaries are scared of Jewish celebrities and rabbis who come to faith. Why? Because people will listen to what they have to say. But the same goes for any Jew who comes to faith. So, I was Jewish Enemy #1 because I believe the Bible is the truth. I’m not surprised that this is how they treat me and others who tell them to drop man-made religion and return to God and His righteousness, Aviad says. His faith in Jesus cost a lot of friends and a great deal of fans, who were shocked and sent him evil e-mails.
- Many emailed me malicious, threatening, evil hate mail that made Hitler look like a birthday clown. But there were other fans who began to think about my transition from a Jewish rapper, to a man after God’s heart. To this day, there are still fans that follow up to see what’s going on. I believe many of them have and will accept Yeshua as their Mashiach. After all, that would be the True Jew thing to do, Aviad says.

Jews and faith in Jesus
Why is it hard for Jews to believe that Yeshua is the Messiah?
- Because they don’t bother to investigate. Some “rabbinic reporters” tell the Jewish masses that it’s not true about Jesus being the Jewish Messiah and so they follow the rabbinic lies like cattle being led blindly off of a cliff. The other issue is that most Jews are Bible illiterate. They don’t bother to read God’s Word; hence they do not know Him, or His Word. I pray for them. Surprisingly it seems that Jews are more open to hear the Gospel when it comes from a non-Jew who is a Christian. It’s not easy for them to take in the Good News when it comes from a Jew. It’s just something I have learned through experience, Aviad says.
How can Christians tell Jewish people that Yeshua is the Messiah?
- First off, they need to learn about the Hebraic roots of their faith. Jesus’ real name is Yeshua. Christmas and Easter are pagan and Jews do not celebrate what God abhors. Jews are delicate. They need to be handled with care, Aviad says and continues.
- When I was first witnessed to, it dawned on me that this was in fact truth. I never trusted rabbis as a kid. They always seemed to have something they were hiding. It was like they were putting on a show. When I found out the Truth, I thought to myself, “How could we be so stupid? We have some of the most brilliant minds. Albert Einstein, Steven Spielberg, Ben Stein and so on, and none of these Jews have even figured out the truth about Yeshua yet. I had to drop my pride and get right with God, even if it would end up costing me everything, Aviad says.

Music for Yeshua
Aviad’s music career didn’t stop at 50 Shekel. Today he has his own record label, (Hebrew Homie Records), studio and has published his debut album: ”Hooked on the Truth”.
- ’Hooked On The Truth’ is my testimony. It’s for the new believer, the backslider, and the non-believer who is challenged. But most of all, it’s for Yeshua. I give Him all the glory, Aviad says and adds during the interview:
- Did you know that Yeshua came to me in my room when I was 50 Shekel? He spoke with me late one night. He said: ’Make music for me!’, I replied, ’But people won’t get it!’ Yeshua answered, ’Don’t worry, they’ll get it!’ Yeshua spoke to me for 15 minutes. After that, I got up from my bed and began to learn this impossible music software that I was trying to figure out. After Yeshua visited me I got it. I was shocked. From there on, I began to compose on my Mac computer, Aviad says, who’s coming to Denmark in November. He’s touring across the country giving concerts and sharing his testimony.

As a student he made music for commercials in New York and Los Angeles. In 2003 he became known in Jewish circles worldwide as the hip-hop and rap-musician 50 Shekel. Aviad Cohen is 32 years-old and was born in a Jewish family in Tel Aviv. When he was two, the family moved to New York. Here he was brought up in a Jewish way and went to religious private schools. “But the Judaism, I was taught, was only traditions and oral legends. I was never told that I could have a personal relationship with God. On the contrary, I was told that he was too busy to deal with individuals,” he says.

Exalt the name of Jesus

However, in 2004 Aviad Cohen came to believe in Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, and now he uses his music to proclaim the gospel. “I have been playing since I was a child. To play and to create music is a gift which God has given me. I am not able to read or write music, but use the computer. I like to make contemporary music for the young people. Now performing is worshipping God. Before I became a Christian I did not know why I did it,” he says. “I do not want to be a super star, but to exalt the name of Jesus.”

More about Jesus

Aviad Cohen first met Christianity through some morning devotions in the radio. “Where I lived, the radio waves were somewhat unstable. Often I was not woken up by the buzz of the clock radio, but by a pastor speaking about Jesus,” he tells. “I did not understand a word of it, but everything he said was about Jesus. It was very clear and made sense, and it was so very different from the way the rabbis used to speak. Their sermons are full of arguments and reminds me a lot of court trials,”
Aviad Cohen began to read the Bible secretly on the internet. He discovered that everything in the New Testament builds on the Old Testament, and it all started to make sense. Aviad Cohen simply had to find out more about Jesus. He bought a DVD with Mel Gibson’s film ‘The Passion of the Christ’ even though it was a controversial film in Jewish circles. He saw the film at home and through the film he was convinced that Jesus was a Jewish man, and that all surroundings and ways to do things were totally Jewish. “When Jesus was crucified, it became alive to me that it was for me. God used to film to glorify Himself,” he says.

Music for Jesus

A late night shortly after, Jesus came to Aviad Cohen. “I could not see Him nor touch Him, but I could feel His presence. It was really nice. He said that I should make music for Him,” he tells.
“I hope that he can use my CDs to reach other people – just as He used the (Mel Gibson) DVD to reach me. When I accepted Jesus as my Saviour, the Word came alive. The Bible was no longer just a book about religion, but about my relationship with my Heavenly Father.”

Go2007

From November 5th to 16th Aviad Cohen was touring to a number of schools in Denmark. He was invited by Joffi – Unge i Ordet og Israel. The tour concluded with a concert on the Mission Conference Go2007 in Tilst on Århus.

Translated on December 10th 2007 by Kaja Lauterbach