Drawn to Judaism but not converting: Noahide confab seeks to create a new global identity

The First International Congress of Noahides, held by Brit Olam in Jerusalem, brought together about 50 non-Jews committed to the seven Noahide laws to discuss forming a global community. Participants from Bolivia, Spain, Cuba and elsewhere shared personal journeys of being drawn to Judaism without converting.

The First International Congress of Noahides, organized by the Brit Olam organization, convened on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem in early November 2026, bringing together about 50 self-identified Noahides from around the world. Participants gathered at the Seven Arches Hotel to discuss creating a global Noahide community with common practices and identity. Noahides are non-Jews who commit to living by the seven Noahide laws — ethical monotheistic principles derived from Jewish tradition — without converting to Judaism. Attendees included Solia Centeno de Baglivo, a lawyer from Bolivia who discovered Noahidism during the pandemic; Francisco Gil-White, an anthropologist from Spain who became convinced of Jewish truth through research; and Eliezer Vicente Yarid, a Cuban descendant of Bene Anusim. The conference included signing a joint statement affirming Jerusalem as a sacred site and ceremonial declarations before a beit din. Brit Olam, established 12 years ago, currently teaches about 10,000 people weekly online and has published prayer books and codes of conduct for Noahides. Organizers acknowledged the movement is small and often not taken seriously by the Jewish world, but compared their effort to the First Zionist Congress of 1897.