Australian artist moves to Israel after rediscovering Jewish roots

Barbara Hines arrived in Israel with a specific artistic mission: to make the physical material of the Holy Land a component of her work. For a decade in the United States, she had mixed pigments with finely powdered soil from Jerusalem to create paintings of the city. Her recent move from Florida to a suburb of Jerusalem allows her to continue this practice in the place where the soil originates.

Hines, now 57, describes her relocation as a culmination of a personal journey that began with a surprise announcement from her son. In London, her 14-year-old son Trevor declared his desire to convert to Judaism. Hines supported the decision, focusing on her children’s connection to the divine rather than the change in religious identity. The decision led to a deeper family inquiry that reshaped Hines' understanding of her own heritage.

The revelation came when Trevor called his maternal grandmother, who revealed in German that her own mother and grandmother had been Jewish. Hines had not known that her parents, who survived World War II in Germany, had concealed their Jewish identity after moving to Australia. They hid this part of their history to protect their children from the dangers associated with being Jewish.

Upon learning this, Hines and her children began a process of return to their Jewish heritage. She made her home kosher and studied Shabbat and holidays with guidance from Chabad rabbis. Her husband at the time, an agnostic Christian, supported the transition. Hines has been a practicing Orthodox Jew for 25 years, describing her observance as Chabad without additional stringencies.

Her artistic focus shifted as her religious identity deepened. Before this period, she primarily painted light, color, and fleeting natural landscapes. After her return to Judaism, she felt compelled to depict Jerusalem. She first visited the city at age 22 while teaching in Germany and accompanied students on a trip to Israel. She recalled feeling a strong connection to the land and its people during that initial visit.

After her husband died in 2020, Hines moved to Florida. She decided to relocate to Israel permanently because her heart was already there through her art. She purchased an apartment in the German Colony neighborhood of Jerusalem with the support of her daughter’s Israeli husband and his family. This family connection introduced her to Natan Ophir, a rabbi and resident of Ma'aleh Adumim.

Hines and Ophir met in May 2025 at the Moshe Castel Museum of Art, the only fine arts museum in Judea and Samaria. They married last spring and plan to split their time between her Jerusalem apartment and a new home in Ma'aleh Adumim. That community houses the Castel Museum, where Hines is currently holding her first solo exhibition in Israel, titled "Jerusalem in My Soul," through January 15.

Hines signs her canvases with the initials B.H., which stand for her name and the Hebrew acronym baruch Hashem, meaning blessed is God. She views the signature as a prayer of thanks for the strength to create. She also brought a collection of her works to Israel from a hospitality facility in Houston, leaving framed copies in their place. Her signature now reflects her new name, Bracha, which means blessing.