“I was already involved in the arts back in Tashkent, working as a DJ,” Vova recalls. “I wanted a stage name — something that reflected my Jewish identity but also sounded cool. I thought, what do I love? Money. So I called myself Vova Sheqel — and it’s been my name for the past 20 years.”
It’s no coincidence that Vova makes a living through humor. Throughout his story — even the harder parts — he weaves jokes that cross language barriers and make people laugh regardless.
“Unlike many kids who grew up in the Soviet environment, I always knew I was Jewish. No one hid it. It actually helped me in life — I used it to my advantage: ‘Look at me, the poor Jewish kid.’”
Vova’s father left for Israel when he was only four years old. In 2008, Vova decided to come to Israel himself.
“I hadn’t heard from my father in 20 years until I found him on a Russian-language social network. I told him I was flying to Israel — and that’s how we met for the first time. We reconnected, and I wanted to keep that connection alive. Someone suggested I come back through a Masa program in communications and public relations at Ariel University.”
During the program, he met his future wife, Aya, originally from Odessa.
“After the program, I realized I wanted to marry her and make Aliyah. I proposed to her at the Western Wall,” he smiles.
The young couple settled in Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael. Both are proud Masa alumni and remain in close contact with their coordinators and friends from the program.
“Our families became friends — we celebrate Shabbat together. Masa really changed my life: I got married, had two kids (the younger is just a month old), completed a master’s degree, and made Aliyah.”
After working for a while at Israel’s Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, Vova realized that a government office job wasn’t for him.
“I started looking for something different. I tried doing stand-up comedy in Russian, and at one of the shows I met Pinhas, a musician from Ukraine. We clicked right away, and I told him I had an idea — to combine Jewish values and holidays with modern music that speaks to young people.”
Their first music video went viral among young Jews in Russian-speaking countries. Today, Vova is one of the lead performers in the popular musical project PINHAS & SHEQEL, which combines Jewish tradition and humor through modern sounds and visuals.
In parallel, Vova runs a highly popular Instagram blog showcasing life in Israel and a Russian-language Telegram channel with over 20,000 followers. As a blogger, he hosts festivals, appears on podcasts, and is a frequent guest on Israeli radio and television.
“We realized there’s a real niche — kids and teens who crave Jewish content that feels cool and relatable. Today we perform all over the world. We recently performed in Germany, and this Hanukkah we’re touring Georgia, Kazakhstan, and maybe even the U.S.”
But his work goes beyond humor.
“When the war started, I was invited by the World Jewish Congress to a private screening of the atrocities footage. A week later, we filmed in Kfar Aza and Be’eri, interviewing survivors and evacuees. We started a Russian-language documentary. I said to myself — if I can’t help as a soldier, I’ll help as a blogger. On the musical side, we donated concert proceeds to initiatives cooking meals for soldiers, and we performed for IDF troops ourselves.”
Today, Vova reaches tens of thousands of followers across platforms, with over one to one and a half million monthly views.
“Our content is in Russian, but even Hebrew speakers love it. On TikTok I see comments like, ‘I don’t understand a word, but I love the vibe.’ We don’t talk about Judaism as a religion — I’m not religious — but tradition matters to me. And I want to show what life in Israel really looks like.”
“After the war with Iran, my wife was heavily pregnant. It wasn’t easy — but we have no other country. I’m not saying everything’s perfect, but this is our home. Left, right, religious, secular — in the end, we’re all sitting together in the same bomb shelter.”