‘I’m not afraid of faith’ – Secular Israeli actor talks Tefillin and Talmud

‘Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are like brothers to me. Everyone is.’

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Guri Alfi, actor, comedian, and television host discussed national unity and Jewish identity in a Yedioth Ahronoth interview.

The son of famed Israeli storyteller Yossie Alfi, Guri says that he avoids having politicians as guests on his talk shows.

He said, “I’m not on Twitter or anything like that.  I want to build something and I think we have a chance.”

Alfi continued, “If you want to fix things, say what needs to be fixed and act to make the state a better place.”

“If you keep voting like idiots about what you think is the problem, and think that it will be solved by voting for or against one person, you’re wrong. ”

He concluded “It’s an illusion. There’s no practical application to that discussion.”

Regarding right-wing politicians Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s National Security Minister and Finance Minister respectively, Alfi said, “They’re like brothers to me. Everyone is.”

Even though Alfi has stated that he holds positions that are different from the ministers, he added, “So what? The world sees us as one piece. We have entered such a deep mindset of political identity for so many years that every side is certain that the other side is trying to take something from its identity. ”

Alfi concluded, “I am not part of any group, and don’t feel like anyone is taking my identity.”

On the subject of his Jewish faith, Guri answered, “I’m not afraid of faith.”

He continued, “When I made (the TV series) The New Jew they asked me if I would become religious.”

“The answer is ‘No,’ but I do learn the Talmud, I want to go to synagogue, I want to put on tefillin. It’s part of me and I am not giving up on it.”

He concluded, “If I were to see a massive ad of someone reciting the Shema prayer with tefillin on his forehead, why shouldn’t I be emotional about it? I’m a sucker for my Judaism.”

Among his many television and film credits, Alfi hosted The New Jew four-part miniseries that explored the differences between Israelis and American Jews.

In 2018, Alfi moved with his family to America and made an odyssey across North America to explore ways of being Jewish in various communities.

The series took Guri Alfi on various adventures encountering traditional Jews as well as Jews of color and Jewish practices across the spectrum.