When Donna Jollay experienced a spiritual awakening in the mid-1990s while working at Hewlett-Packard, she never imagined it would lead her from Silicon Valley to Jerusalem, transforming her from a tech executive into a bridge-builder between Jewish and Christian communities.
In a recent interview with Rabbi Rami Goldberg on Biblical Money, Jollay shared her remarkable journey that began in artificial intelligence labs in the 1980s and led to her current role as owner of Jerusalem Tours, bringing Christians closer to modern Israel and its people.
“I worked on AI before it was cool,” Jollay recalled of her early career, which included developing networking technology at Hewlett-Packard. Her technical expertise culminated in founding a network storage startup in 1999 that sold for $30 million just two years later – notably, mere months before the dot-com crash.
But it was her growing spiritual connection to Israel that would define her next chapter. “God took my heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh,” Jollay explained, referencing Ezekiel 36. “His heart is all about Israel.”
After the successful exit from her tech company, Jollay devoted herself to various charitable causes, including founding Hawaii’s largest substance abuse recovery program. However, she found herself increasingly drawn to Israel and Jewish learning, spending hours studying Torah and biblical prophecy.
Her path crossed with Rabbi Tuly Weisz of Israel365 in 2013 through his daily Israel-focused emails, which she describes as “manna every day.” This connection would prove pivotal in her mission to strengthen Jewish-Christian relationships.
“I came to Israel twice on traditional Christian tours and never met a Jewish person other than my guide,” Jollay noted, explaining her motivation to acquire Jerusalem Tours in 2019. Her vision was to create deeper connections between Christian visitors and modern Israel, particularly in Judea and Samaria. “The greatest move of God on Earth today is happening in Israel with His people… A large amount of the church doesn’t even realize that.”
Despite facing significant challenges – including a global pandemic and regional conflicts shortly after acquiring the company – Jollay remains steadfast in her mission. She sees her work through the lens of biblical prophecy, particularly Zechariah 14:16, which speaks of all nations coming to Jerusalem to worship.
Rabbi Goldberg noted how Jollay’s story exemplifies the evolving relationship between Christians and Jews. “Everyone thought Rabbi Tuly was nuts when he started connecting Jews and Christians,” he reflected. “But he understood there was an opportunity and a longing on the side of Christians to learn Jewish text.”
Through Jerusalem Tours and her partnership with Israel365, Jollay continues to build bridges between communities, fostering understanding and support for Israel. Her journey from Silicon Valley executive to Christian advocate for Israel demonstrates how business acumen and spiritual calling can align to create meaningful impact in Jewish-Christian relations.
