Born in Brooklyn to European Jewish parents, Joe Weiss grew up attending an Orthodox synagogue and observing the major Jewish feasts, carrying a family history marked by relatives lost in the Holocaust. After moving west for graduate studies—eventually completing his M.A.—his life was transformed during the Jesus People Movement of the 1970s. Joe went on to serve as a Speech Therapist and school administrator in Oregon and Arizona. He has followed Jesus for more than forty‑seven years and writes about faith, identity, and the Jewish roots of Christianity.