EL AL | Atmosphere

Magazine I Interview

Noa Tishby: "My life is very intense, but also extremely gratifying” I Photo: Alon Shafransky

from Tishby’s Instagram account @noatishby

Our quick questionnaire

"I’m not going to stay silent in front of the delegitimization we are being confronted with. And I’ll keep being proud of my identity"

What makes you angry? “The stupidity of pro-Hamas

university students”. What makes you sad?

bases? What were your impressions? “Along the years, many people spoke out against the incorporation of women to combat units. Well, they can all eat their hats now. I’ve always been proud of women and of their achievements and have always been vocal about it. On my recent visit to Israel I interviewed one of the members of the all-female tank crew who made military history, killing dozens of terrorists on October 7 th ”. Aren’t you afraid to speak out as a Jewish Israeli woman nowadays? “No. I’m not going to stay silent in front of the delegitimization we are being confronted with. And I’ll keep being proud of my identity. I will not bow down”. On the personal front, once married to Jewish Australian TV presenter Andrew Ginsburg, Tishby then had a seven-year relationship with American investor Ross Hinkle, with whom she had her son Ari, now eight. The couple separated three years ago and are on good terms, sharing custody of Ari. Her

senators. “I will tell them about the sexual violence exacted by Hamas terrorists on October 7 th ”, she says. “We have to shout out to the world about this abomination on every platform possible”. When did you realize you had such a passion for hasbara? “When I was writing my first book. I realized then that everything I had done up to that point had led me to this, to doing my part in advocating for Israel”. Antisemitism is surging. How do you explain this? “There are many factors, and none of them are new. There’s been 30 years of wild incitement against Israel, Zionism, and Jews in schools and universities around the world. There are those who regard colonialism as the root of all evil and conflate Zionism with colonialism, and of course, there’s antisemitism for its own sake as well”. International Women’s Day takes place this month. Did you meet female soldiers on your visits to IDF

“Incitement within Israeli society and the families of the hostages”. What makes you laugh? “The Israeli TV show Eretz Nehederet, and comedian Eddie Izzard” What do people not know about you? “That I absolutely hate coriander”. How do you relax? “I do yoga. But there’s nothing I love more than snuggling in bed with my son on Saturday mornings”.

current partner is Israeli Hi-Tech entrepreneur Oded Barak. How do you juggle work and motherhood? “When Ari is with me, I’m a full-time mom. The second he’s back with his father, I get back to my hasbara work, jump on flights, go to Congress, universities, and have meetings with various Jewish communities who are aware of the danger of the current climate and eager to talk about the way ahead. My life is very intense, but also extremely gratifying”.

22 ATMOSPHERE MARCH 2024