Stephen Carver grew up on a ranch in western Nebraska, where his grandfather raised horses and cattle. Stephen left the ranch in his mid-twenties to pursue his education, eventually earning his Ph.D. in Scripture from a Christian Seminary. After he earned his doctorate, he taught at a small college in the USA for over 20 years. The classes he taught included: Hebrew Scripture, Biblical Hebrew, Christian Scripture, Biblical Greek, Religious and Philosophical Foundations for Ethical Practice, and Introduction to Peace Studies. During the latter part of his graduate studies and early years of teaching at the college, he had several profound spiritual experiences (including some that occurred on a trip to Israel), which prompted him to begin studying Judaism and to attend regularly at a synagogue. After much study and contemplation, he decided to convert to Judaism in 2001. He and his wife Esther made Aliyah in November 2019, and currently, they live in Jerusalem.