Yosef Daniel

"Yosef Daniel" was born, Jose Daniel Villarreal, in Reynosa, Tamaulipas Mexico on the 8th of Tammuz, [5741]urlblank:tel:5741 (July 10, 1981), to Daniel and Juana Maria. Yosef grew up with his family in a small beach town in south Texas.  His love for music and life was evident at a very young age, his childhood dream, to become a professional musician.  Another evident trait that carried his voice was a deep longing for friendship with his creator.  As a child Yosef was taught by his parents that the best friend he could ever have would be the G-d of King David, the best musician that ever lived.  Although his parents did not practice Judaism their advice was mostly according to Judaic text and philosophy.

Yosef grew up in a small, close-knit community of self-professed christians that believed whole-heartedly in the sanctity of the Jewish people, the Holy Land and the Judaic scriptures.  Within that group he began playing guitar and singing at the Friday night and Saturday services at the age of fourteen.  He developed his skills on guitar and quickly moved to other instruments such as piano, bass, drums and other percussion instruments.  His participation was frequently invited at local churches as well as conferences, annual retreats and summer camps across the United States and Mexico.  At the age of seventeen Yosef was invited to attend Spring Vale Academy, his church's boarding school in Michigan.  There he spent his last year of high school learning the bible and playing music on a daily basis.

By the age of twenty-one Yosef had traveled through the United States and Mexico with several musical ministry groups singing and playing several instruments.  He had begun to pen his own lyrics and created a personal style of interpretation through the classical guitar.  Yosef got the taste of recording with his first demo at the age of eighteen at Hacienda Records in Corpus Christi, Texas.  His first official album was a product of a collaboration with a musical genius and artist in Reno, Nevada named Joel Roberts.  Together they dazzled the music scene in Reno as an acoustic duo under the name "Ember Society."  At the verge of breaking into their music careers professionally, Yosef was faced with one of the most difficult choices of his life and was forced to walk away from it all.

After the Ember Society's record was cut, Yosef moved to Austin, Texas with hopes to settle down and marry his best friend Jezliah, a daughter of strong and faithful leaders of the church.  Yosef was sure his life would be what he dreamed of, full of church activity and a great music career.  Life took a slow but sharp turn when his future mother in law initiated a study of the Jewish festivals at their local church.  Every week after, was a step closer to judaism, church life began to resemble Jewish life.  During this time, the year [2005]urlblank:tel:2005 , the Evacuations of Gush Katif were in effect.  In the spirit of charity Yosef spent three weeks in Jerusalem, Israel with his future father in law volunteering and touring the Holy Land.

During this time his future mother in law had been researching the many variations and discrepancies of the christian bible and came to a conclusion that christianity was not only not as true as Judaism but that christianity was not valid at all.  When Yosef's future wife gave him the news, he looked up to the sky and said, "I knew it!"  See, although Yosef was raised with strong convictions about his christian faith he was always taken back at some of the facts that incriminated christianity such as the spanish inquisition.  Yosef confronted his pastor (spiritual leader) about the facts that discredited the christian text, but was not given a straight answer.

After researching and questioning christianity Yosef decided to search the truth in Judaism.  He married and later moved into the local orthodox jewish community where he began his conversion process at Congregation Tiferet Israel, Austin, Texas with Rav Eliezer Langer.  In the community he learned with local Rabbis for over two years before his conversion to Orthodox Judaism was finalized.  Yosef found inspiration listening to lectures by Rabbi Eli J. Mansour of the Brooklyn Syrian Community.  Yosef has since created several musical tributes to his journey and transition into his life as a jew.  He has currently teamed up with local producer Aharon Mendlowitz on a well awaited debut album and teaches guitar and drums in Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel.  His music speaks of a soul that came out of the darkness and into the light.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        [www.soundcloud.com/yosefdaniel5770]urlblank:http://www.soundcloud.com/yosefdaniel5770