Mordechai (Mark) Halawa was born and raised in Kuwait to mixed Muslim and Jewish parents. After the first gulf war, Mordechai and his family moved to Amman, Jordan, where he attended high school. From Jordan, Mordechai moved to Latakia, Syria, to attend University for two years at Tishreen University, and then went to Canada to continue his university education. He discovered his matrilineal Jewish roots while studying at the University of Western Ontario in Canada, and subsequently began to learn more about Judaism. After an impactful journey to Poland and Israel trip, Mordechai made the decision to return to Jerusalem, the birthplace of his grandmother, to study in Yeshiva. Currently, Mordechai is studying part time in Jerusalem, combining Torah study with various business projects in the Middle East, acting as a liaison for Israeli companies in this region as well as promoting shared values between Israel and Arabia, where favorable media about Israel is strictly forbidden. For the past few years, Mordechai has been importing Lulavim from the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan, as the recent political turbulence's in Egypt have disrupted supply. Although he learnt at Aish, It was Chabad that initially helped him find his way back to Judaism via Dr. Yitzchok Block from London Ontario. Various Israeli news agencies have featured Mordechai’s story, including: Yedidot Achranot, Maariv, Times of Israel, Jerusalem Post, Mishpacha magazine, Aish.com, Chabad.org as well as other local religious publications, TV interviews, and Arab news articles.