A Peek Behind the Persona: A Chat with Galit Distel-Atbaryan

A food or sound that takes you back to childhood

“Rooster-shaped lollipops, Zip juice powder — the fluorescent chemical concoction parents used to give kids back then, Krembo cones and rosemary chocolate. I could give an endless list.”

Three items you would take with you to a deserted island

“The Bible, the Tanya, and photos of my children.”

Your guilty pleasure

“Strawberry-flavored Argaliot cookies, lemon wafers, mocha Krembo — anything loaded with sugar and empty carbs.”

What helps you recharge after a hard day

“Shoshana, my cat.”

Something people don’t know about you

“That I don’t know how to ride a bicycle. It’s not that I didn’t try — many people tried to teach me, at every age, including over the past decade. It just never worked.”

What scares you the most

“The new wave of antisemitism that is rising and spreading. In my eyes it’s becoming even scarier than the Third Reich, because it’s no longer half the world — it’s the whole world. You can see American 18-year-olds who know that the video that will get the most likes is one where they say how much they hate Jews, Zionism, and Israel.”

When was the last time you cried

“When I heard the eulogy given by Hadar Goldin’s brother. When I heard his mother’s eulogy, I cried even more. But in general, I cry a lot — especially over the past two years, which haven’t been easy for any Israeli.

“This morning I was thinking about how, when Americans went through the Twin Towers disaster, the entire world stood with them and comforted them. Here, people didn’t die because a brick fell on them from a building, but in especially brutal ways. And yet, instead of being allowed a moment to breathe — of the world holding and embracing us, we went straight into a war on seven fronts, and instead of the world understanding what this country and its citizens are going through, it hates us even more.

“I’m one of those who believe that everything is from Heaven and nothing is random. The only explanation that can encompass all these phenomena is a spiritual one. People can keep fighting for what they believe in, but alongside that we also need to know how to love, forgive, and embrace one another.”

Something you’d like to improve in yourself

“Impulsiveness. I’m doing serious inner work on it. As part of the process, I often impose silence on myself, and I’m much less active on social media and in interviews, because I still haven’t found the right tone that allows me to convey a message properly.

“I have a very sharp tongue, and I can fight back, but I’m no longer interested in that. Today I mainly try — though not always successfully, to simply convey messages: to help the other side begin to understand what drives the religious-right camp to act as it does, feel as it does, and do what it does. In the end, we will learn to talk to each other. No one is acting out of spite, and we are all going through very difficult things here.

“I still don’t trust myself to say I’ve reached the destination. Every so often, impulsive Galit pops up — especially now, with everything happening around the judicial system and the opposition. These are things that can really drive me crazy. So sometimes it slips out, and many times I simply prefer to stay quiet. I’m not convinced I’ve found the right balance yet — one that can truly speak to the other side and explain, without poking a finger in their eye.”

The most honest moment you’ve had in conversation with God

“I talk to God every day, and if I don’t manage in the evening, then in the morning. In my home there’s a window I love that offers an incredible view of the clouds and the sky. There isn’t a day when I don’t sit there and review what I did over the past 24 hours. I try to find blind spots — where I was wrong, where I lacked awareness, and where I acted out of pride or ego.

“God doesn’t answer me in words, but I feel Him and the guidance He gives me. To me, the wisdom is speaking to Him simply. There’s something strange about believing that God examines hearts and kidneys and is present in every thought, and yet we still try to impress Him instead of telling Him the full truth. The work is to be with God simply and with complete honesty. It’s incredibly hard, and I train for it like going to the gym — literally every single day.”

A dream you haven’t given up on

“To write the books I’m meant to write — at least 20 of them.”

A trait you value in people

“Honesty, freedom, and courage.”

A person who is no longer alive you’d like to sit and talk with

“Menachem Begin. He’s someone I grew up on, and who truly understood ‘the second Israel’ even before it understood itself. I’d also ask him some tough questions — he could have led a real revolution in Israel’s power structures, and he chose not to. I’d like to ask him why, because I know it didn’t come from fear; he wasn’t afraid of anything.

“I’d also like to meet King David — a combination of a formidable warrior and a great poet, of judgment, strength, and kindness. It’s an extraordinary and fascinating blend.”

What would you like to leave behind in this world after 120 years

“Children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren — a happy, joyful Jewish tribe.”