German artist Barbara Hines unveils first solo exhibit in Israel after discovering Jewish roots

German-born artist Barbara Hines will debut her first solo exhibition in Israel, Jerusalem In My Soul, at the Moshe Castel Museum of Jewish Israeli Art.

The exhibition, which runs October 15 to December 31, is the culmination of a profound spiritual and personal journey that began when Hines discovered her family’s hidden Holocaust history.

Raised as a Christian in Australia, Hines spent years exploring various faiths, including Hinduism and Buddhism. Her life took a dramatic turn following a phone call between her son and her mother. When her son called his grandmother to share his decision to convert to Judaism, she casually revealed that her own mother and grandmother were Jewish.

Unbeknownst to Hines, both of her parents were Jewish survivors who hid in plain sight as German Christians to evade the Nazis. Her father had been dismissed from the Luftwaffe after his Jewish lineage was discovered, and her mother hid him throughout World War II.

Traumatized by the war and fearing another Holocaust, they immigrated to Australia and kept their true identity a secret.

Artist Barbara Hines debuts first solo Israel exhibition

This revelation deeply transformed Hines’s life and art. Her work shifted from depicting nature to exploring biblical, Zionist, and Israeli themes.

As her religious observance grew, she even began mixing physical earth from Israel into her paint to imbue her artwork with deeper meaning. Her art has since been featured in prominent global institutions, including the Holocaust Museum Houston and the Jerusalem Biennale.

Following the passing of her husband, Gerald Hines, in 2020, Barbara fulfilled a lifelong dream of moving to Israel. She later met and married Rabbi Dr. Natan Ophir on May 29, 2026. Fittingly, they had their first date at the Castel Museum, the exact location where she was offered this milestone exhibition.