‘I looked for answers and found them in the Bible’: Hungarian Jew shares journey to Jesus, Israel, and service in Gaza

Balint Dent Dossé came from a Jewish family in Hungary that did not believe in God, but after a five-year search during his teens, he decided to put his faith in Jesus. It was that decision which then led him to emigrate to Israel where he would be sent into Gaza, knowing he might never return.

“At 14, I started asking myself questions,” he shared in an interview with YNet. “I realized that in this world, if there is no purpose or hope, it’s not healthy…. I was searching for answers, and I found them in the Bible. It was a process of five years,” he says, culminating in the most significant decision of all when he was 19: “I discovered Jesus. I realized he is the Messiah.” 

Dossé, now 27, then made another huge decision: to leave his home in Hungary, his passion for playing handball, and everything he knew to go to Israel. He explained that it was his strong faith in Jesus and life after death which led him to make the move. “Without that, I wouldn’t have immigrated to Israel or joined the army.”

“They thought I was crazy,” he says, speaking of the reaction from friends and family. “Maybe they were right, because since I came to Israel, I joined the army and went into Gaza.” He told YNet frankly, “I knew there was a chance I was going to die.”

“It was hard for them in terms of my immigration, but as for the connection to Jesus, they cared less—they had the approach that everyone should believe whatever they want,” he added.

Four years ago, at the age of 23, Dossé arrived alone in Israel but found help at Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael where a family adopted him and helped him settle into his new life. “I didn’t speak Hebrew, I didn’t understand the bureaucracy, I knew nothing, and they helped me wholeheartedly, until today,” he says.

A year later he volunteered for combat service in the Paratroopers. He shares how hard it was for him at first, with shaky Hebrew and being older than most of the others who were with him in basic training. “I suddenly felt like I was back at 16. I had so many questions like, ‘God, why did you send me here?’ Especially when the war broke out and we entered Gaza, I asked, ‘Is this what you want from me? Are you sure? Show me it’s right.’”

When asked if he was afraid, he responded by sharing that a Bible verse had particularly helped him in his battle to overcome fear: ”There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18).

Dossé admits he wrestled with fear from the moment he enlisted, saying, “When the war broke out, I realized this was it, now it’s real – people are going to die here, and I could be one of them,” adding that it was a reality that had to be faced.

“I understood that whoever wants to come out of the war whole must accept that we could die, and deal with that…I told myself I had to kill the fear, go in, and do what had to be done.”

Once in active duty, he felt that all the preparation paid off. “My body began to adapt to the situation. I realized that no matter that everything was exploding around me, I had to cope with reality and I was going to stay alive no matter what,” he said. “There were many prayers, talks with the guys to strengthen myself and them, and also many arguments. It’s hard being there.”

Dossé was eventually wounded in Shejaiya in the northern part of the Gaza Strip. An RPG hit the building where he and another soldier were providing cover for others, and he was taken to hospital in Beersheva.

“It could have ended differently. I had heavy bleeding, they put on a tourniquet and evacuated us to Soroka. I was discharged after a few days, I didn’t need surgery, but I needed rehabilitation,” he explained. 

“For the first three months I couldn’t walk. It took me ten months to return to myself,” he continued. “I wanted to come back already, but on the other hand I had to deal with the injury and also with signs of PTSD. After everything I went through, I thanked God, I said thank you for saving me, that my mother still has her son.”

He said that he didn’t see himself as a strong person, admitting, “I was afraid, at times I wanted to run away from the war. What held me was Jesus. He gave me the strength to cope – in the army, in Gaza, and in rehabilitation.”

He also shared that it had been very difficult for his family. “There were moments they told me to leave everything and come back – that they couldn’t accept it,” he said.

Now that Dossé has recovered from his injury and is well on the road to rehabilitation he is turning his sights back to his past passion: handball. He started playing at age 13, but his hobby was placed on hold after he came to Israel and enlisted. In Hungary he played competitively, even at the national level, and now he has joined Maccabi Ra’anana in Israel’s National League.

With the support of Erez Gorland, the club’s chairman, Dossé who is 1.88 meters tall (almost 6’2”) is becoming a valuable member of the team. He has become known as a fighter due to his strength and determination, both in body and mind. 

“Until the game is over, it’s not over. You need to play and fight until the end,” he says. “In the army, if we give up it’s a matter of life and death. Giving up should not be an option, no matter how much the other side is leading.” 

To his delight, Dossé has now been signed to Maccabi Bnei Sheva in the Premier League. “I didn’t expect to be in the Premier League,” he shares, with his usual humility. “It’s another level, and it’s tough. I hope I’m ready for it physically.”

He sees handball as “a great opportunity to meet people and grow in this country… to become Israeli and connect with the people,” adding that he notices greater passion to play the game in Israel: “People come because they love it and want to play.”

Reflecting on the values he has noticed in Israel, Dossé spoke about the way Israelis cherish life, in contrast to Hamas’ glorification of death.. “Maybe we disagree about religion, but if we choose life, that comes from God, and here there is love of life.”

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