Israeli President Isaac Herzog in conversation with Gal Gadot during the “Voice of the People” virtual event. Photo: Screenshot
Israeli actress Gal Gadot discussed antisemitism, the Oct. 7 Hamas massacre, and the importance of Jewish unity during a live virtual event with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday to mark the launch of Herzog’s new initiative “Voice of the People.”
In conversation with Herzog during the online event, Gadot began by talking about the emotional impact the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attacks had on her life.
“I feel like there’s the life until Oct. 7 and the life after Oct. 7,” Gadot told Herzog while wearing on her shirt a pin of a yellow ribbon, which calls for the return of the remaining 101 hostages held captive by Hamas. “I am an Israeli, Jewish mother of four girls, all Jewish, who will have Jewish children. And I’ve always and forever will be proud of my heritage, [and] my Israeli and Jewish identity.”
“Oct. 7 was a turning point for the entire Jewish community around the world,” she added. “No one has ever expected or thought that such a horrific thing could happen to our people — could happen in general in the world in 2024. There’s not a day that goes by without me thinking about the hostages and the fact that we’re even here now talking [while] they’re there in Gaza in the tunnels surviving for almost a year in this hellish reality. That breaks my heart.”
The “Wonder Woman” star added that she can manage facing anti-Israel sentiments, and all she wants now is the return of the hostages held captive by Hamas since Oct. 7.
“Me being a Jewish and Israeli, a famous figure around the world, I can handle it. It’s fine. I want them to come home,” she said, referring to the remaining hostages.
Of the 101 hostages still in Gaza, 97 were kidnapped on Oct. 7. Over 250 people were abducted in total during the Hamas onslaught.
Herzog described the Oct. 7 attacks, in which 1,200 people were murdered and thousands more wounded, as an “earth-shattering event,” and encouraged listeners to remember that as Jews, “we always overcame when we are together.” He added, “We can argue and debate and we will be different. We are 12 tribes. But we must overcome together and this is one of the most — if not the most — challenging moments of the Jewish people and their nation state since the Holocaust.”
“We’ve been through these type of times before — challenging times,” added Gadot, who is the granddaughter of a Holocaust survivor. “And this is a very dark time — we must find a way to come together to be proud Jews.”
“Israel is the insurance policy of Jewish people around the world,” she noted. “Israel was born after the Holocaust, and we must make sure Israel will be strong and stable and hopefully one day, I hope soon enough, have peaceful times with all of its neighbors.”
“Voice of the People” is an initiative spearheaded by Herzog that is aimed at promoting Jewish unity. The initiative will convene a global Jewish council with rotating members who will work together on addressing challenges affecting Jews around the world. The initiative has 150 members — 50 from Israel, 50 from the United States and Canada, and 50 from around the world. The members are selected for a two-year term.
When Herzog asked if Gadot has experienced antisemitism in her personal life as a public figure in Hollywood, she said she has seen how sentiments have changed regarding Israel since the start of her career as an actress.
“Fifteen years ago, being Israeli was something people were impressed by and excited about — the strong women of Israel. Now, it’s charged. Now the discussion is different. It changed,” she explained. “And I find myself numerous times, over and over again, having very complicated and ‘uncomfortable’ conversations with people who have some idea about what’s happening, trying to give them the full picture of what’s going on.”
“Antisemitism has always been a part of the Jewish people, unfortunately,” she added. “I’m a big believer that we have the power of coming together and spreading light, and doing it even when it’s uncomfortable. It is what it is. We have to advocate for the hostages to come back home because this is just impossible to think that they are still there. And we will prevail. There is no other way. We will prevail. But the only way to do it, is by being united.”
Herzog concluded by telling viewers that it is the “highest priority” in Israel to secure the return of the hostages. “We must fight back, we must not give up, we must show our strengths and we must be together as much as we can,” he said.
