Chanan Lederman: From Stage Star to Torah-Focused Life

Chanan Lederman, a well-known Israeli actor, lives in Bnei Brak with his wife and five children. At 43, he continues to perform and create, but today he also dedicates his time to Torah study and a life rooted in emunah (faith). Speaking with him, you quickly realize you’re meeting a different kind of actor, one whose career choices are guided by a deep Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) worldview.

Lederman generally avoids interviews, but after some hesitation, he agreed to share his story. It’s hard to catch him, his schedule is packed with Torah learning, delivering messages and lessons, raising his children, and of course, performing. His latest project is a children’s TV series on the Hidabroot Channel called Children Talk About Themselves, based on the popular books by Chaim Walder. The series is edited by Tiki Vidas, created by Devora Perkash, with production by Yael Hatuel and Ohad Amzalag.

Many remember Chanan from the comedy group Platypus and other TV roles. But only after ten years of gradual spiritual growth did he fully identify as a religious Jew. Now, he's on a different mission, working not just as an artist, but as a person striving to improve his character.

“Before, I didn’t work on myself,” he says. “Now, we hold onto Torah books, work on our middot (personal traits), and try to be better people. I feel more refined.”

His professional approach has also transformed. “It’s like heaven and earth,” he says. “Today, I can’t get on stage unless the message aligns with Torah values. The performance must mean something.”

Would you say no to a great role if it didn’t have a deeper message?
“Yes. Even if it’s beautifully written. I used to perform just to look good. Today, I don’t do anything ‘just because.’”

Were you afraid that becoming religious meant giving up acting?
“At one point, I wrote to Amiram Gross, our producer, and told him it felt like I was binding myself like Yitzchak on the altar. Step by step, keeping Shabbat, avoiding performances with women, watching the content of texts, I felt I had to leave acting behind. I even told Haifa Theater I wasn’t renewing my contract.”

Not long after, he was offered a lead role in Neil Simon’s Brighton Beach Memoirs, described as a Jewish story. But reading the script, he realized it had little to do with authentic Jewish life. He went to consult Rabbi Uri Zohar, himself a famous Israeli actor who became religious.

“Rabbi Zohar told me: ‘You can’t skip steps. If entering Judaism feels like you’re losing everything, you’re not doing it right.’ He advised me to take the role but add more Torah classes. Still, I ended up turning it down. I compared the script to Rashi or Rashbam’s commentaries and I knew what had more meaning. Besides, if I agreed to this, I’d face more tests. I decided to avoid the cycle from the start.”

Is it even possible to be both religious and a successful artist?
“It might sound limiting, but it’s actually freeing. You’re more focused. A woman once told me, ‘Freedom is the biggest prison.’ That says it all. I don’t create art for art’s sake anymore. I try to bring kavod (honor) to Torah through it.”

Chanan’s shift wasn’t forced. “It’s not like Hashem dragged me off the stage. I came to Him and asked to serve. From the outside, people may say I gave up a career, but I chose this. It wasn’t easy, I even cried but it was like starting a spiritual diet. Painful, but cleansing.”

In the second season of Tzur Mishelanu, another program he hosts, Chanan asked to appear with his tzitzit (ritual fringes) showing. He also requested to wear a kippah instead of a hat, his way of publicly embracing his religious identity, even while performing.

How do your two worlds, yeshiva student and public actor fit together?
“Even during my Tel Aviv years, I wasn’t part of that scene. I just came, performed, and left. I never craved fame. I only did interviews when I needed to promote a show. Otherwise, I stay out of the spotlight. Even now, you had to convince me to talk.”

Why avoid interviews?
“Some major newspapers offered to interview me for holidays. I refused and not because journalists are bad people, but because they’re often not coming from the same worldview. A sentence taken out of context can cause a chillul Hashem (desecration of God's name). I could pour out my heart, quote Torah, speak about faith and the headline could be something misleading. That’s what I’m afraid of.”

Tell us about Children Talk About Themselves on Hidabroot.
“This series is beautiful. Tiki Vidas, the editor, does amazing work. I’ve always loved Chaim Walder’s stories. We read them as a family on Shabbat. My wife often tears up, and the kids really connect with the characters. These stories are wise, emotional, and real. And the show keeps evolving. We started in the studio and eventually moved outdoors, it’s grown in depth and quality.”

Is this your mission? When do you feel it’s fulfilled?
“I have a show with guitarist Barak Aaron called Segments, it’s funny, musical, and deeply meaningful. At one show, the organizer told me a Russian guy in the audience was about to marry a non-Jewish woman. After watching one of my characters speak about the Jewish people and responsibility, he cancelled the wedding. That’s my mission to reach hearts.”

What’s the show like?
“It has characters like Mendele the old man, Jean Jacques the Frenchman, Gamil the Arab, a Russian, and a traveler returning from the East. Each one is unique. With Barak’s music, it becomes a powerful experience, not just funny, but deeply moving.”

What do you want to be when you grow up?
“I don’t know. I want to find my unique service to Hashem, to be brave, and most of all, to be myself and not someone else.”

Do you ask your rabbi for guidance in your work?
“Definitely for halachic (Jewish law) questions, who I can perform for, what I can say. I don’t see him as an artistic advisor, but he’s like a spiritual father. Especially for baalei teshuvah (returnees to Judaism), the rabbi becomes a parent, a guide, even a kind of therapist. So the relationship is special.”

It’s clear that Chanan Lederman knows exactly where he’s headed. His Torah learning is central to his life, yet he still manages to touch thousands through performance and storytelling. He sees his path as a mission and he’s walking it with clarity, courage, and a deep sense of purpose.

Children Talk About Themselves is currently airing on the Hidabroot Channel.