Gal Gadot: Shining Light on Israel
By: Rebeccah Ohayon, High School Intern
Born on April 30, 1985, in Petah Tikva, Israel, Gal Gadot is an Israeli actress, producer, and model. She was born to Jewish parents and was raised in a typical Jewish family setting. She served two years in the Israeli defense forces as a combat trainer. After the army, she studied law at IDC Herzliya college before she began her modeling and acting career.
After starring in multiple movies from The Fast and the Furious franchise and receiving the leading role in Wonder Women, Gal’s fame skyrocketed and she became a household name. However, it wasn’t as glamorous and smooth as it seemed. Many anti-Israel groups demanded that the movie be banned since it starred Gal Gadot, an Israeli citizen and former IDF soldier. These groups that wanted to boycott the movie due to its Israeli connection succeeded in numerous countries such as Lebanon, Tunisia, and Qatar. It was also pulled from being screened at a music festival in Algeria and was initially banned in Jordan, which later allowed it to be shown in the country.
Gal Gadot is a strong advocate and supporter of the Israeli army. She has even stated that her military training has helped her in Hollywood to land her roles. Gal also received harsh criticism when she revealed that she was praying for the safety of Israeli soldiers during a conflict with Gaza.
Despite everything, Gal does her best to focus on showing the world the amazing side of Israel and the beauty of the country, which is too often overlooked. In an interview, she stated that some of her favorite things about Israel are the people, the hand to hand combat training, and the hummus! Gal believes it is her duty as a public figure to speak out in support of Israel, because Israel is so important to her. During a video shown at the 2019 Eurovision competition in Tel-Aviv, Gal Gadot outlined some of her favorite things about Tel-Aviv which include the food, the music and the perfect tan (full video here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=120&v=lAAqAZNnJXw&feature=emb_title). Gal even has an Israeli flag hanging up in the gym in which she trains to remind her of her home country Israel, which she holds so dear to her heart.
