How an Arizona pastor parted with Jesus and led his congregation to Judaism
From Messianic leader to Jewish convert, Richard Cortes marks a decades-long spiritual journey with a ‘Torah-based homestead community’ in a remote corner of the Grand Canyon State. In August, Cortes and 20 of his followers became Jews, completing a transition that began years ago.
The Turning Point at Holy Land Experience
Richard Cortes can trace his spiritual development to a class field trip at a Florida theme park. It was 2008 and Cortes was taking classes at a Pentecostal megachurch, on a path toward seminary and eventually leading a congregation, when his group spent the day at Orlando’s Holy Land Experience.
He explored the Second Temple-era replica of Jerusalem and strolled through a scriptorium that displayed Torah scrolls. But when he encountered a park employee playing the character of Aaron, the biblical priest and brother of Moses, and heard the blast of the shofar Aaron carried, something broke open deep inside Cortes. He realized he wanted to experience religion the way Aaron did.
A Shift in Faith and Practice
Cortes couldn’t sleep that night, staying up in a fervor of weeping and prayer. His soul had been stirred by the encounter, and the feeling was so intense he would later liken it to being reunited with a long-lost parent. Traditional Christianity was now so clearly in his eyes a false religion that he kicked himself for not having realized it sooner.
When the sun came up, he woke up his wife, Alpha, and told her he could no longer return to the church. He was determined to find a synagogue, he told her. A Christian herself, Alpha resisted for months as her husband charted a path toward what is known as Messianic Judaism, a religion that combines the practice of Jewish rituals with the worship of Jesus as the messiah. But she ultimately came along, and over time, so did more and more people.
Leadership in Arizona and Final Conversion
By last year, Cortes was leading a thriving Messianic community in a remote mountain town in Arizona. Drawing from the area’s heavily Mormon and evangelical population, Cortes’s congregation was seen as a successful outpost in the wider Messianic movement. However, the journey eventually led them to formal conversion.
The formerly Messianic congregation led by Richard Cortes converted to Judaism at Beth Israel where there is a Mikveh. On August 17, 2023, Richard Cortes cheered after his immersion in the ritual bath in Paradise Valley, Arizona.
Congregation Members at the Mikveh Ceremony
| Name | Age / Details |
|---|---|
| Richard Cortes | Leader of the formerly Messianic congregation |
| Jubal Most | 3 years old |
| Joel Israel | 7 years old |
| Merily | 13 years old |
| Fiona | 10 years old |
| Stefani Most | Mother of Jubal and Joel Israel |
During the ceremony, Or Tzion Rabbi Andy Green held the hand of young Jubal Most as the rabbi explained the mikveh ritual bath to the family and fellow congregants. This event marked the final step for the community as they officially joined the Jewish faith.