{"id":29240,"date":"2016-03-27T22:52:40","date_gmt":"2016-03-28T04:52:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=29240"},"modified":"2016-03-27T23:00:54","modified_gmt":"2016-03-28T05:00:54","slug":"why-gal-gadot-is-israels-real-life-wonder-woman","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/why-gal-gadot-is-israels-real-life-wonder-woman\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Gal Gadot is Israel&#8217;s real-life Wonder Woman"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By BEN SALES<\/p>\n<p>(JTA) &#8212; Israel&#8217;s famously partisan\u00a0papers have finally\u00a0found something to agree on: They all love Gal Gadot.<\/p>\n<p>Israel Hayom, the Sheldon Adelson-funded right-wing daily, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.israelhayom.co.il\/article\/365089\" target=\"_blank\">called her<\/a> a &#8220;woman of valor.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_29242\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-Superman.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29242\" class=\"wp-image-29242 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-Superman-300x210.jpg\" alt=\"LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 22:  Gal Gadot attends the European Premiere of 'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' at Odeon Leicester Square on March 22, 2016 in London, England.  (Photo by Anthony Harvey\/Getty Images)\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-Superman-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-Superman-1024x715.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/210;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29242\" class=\"wp-image-29242 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-Superman-300x210.jpg\" alt=\"LONDON, ENGLAND - MARCH 22:  Gal Gadot attends the European Premiere of 'Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice' at Odeon Leicester Square on March 22, 2016 in London, England.  (Photo by Anthony Harvey\/Getty Images)\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-Superman-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-Superman-1024x715.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-29242\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gal Gadot attending the European premiere of &#8220;Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice&#8221; in London, March 22, 2016. (Anthony Harvey\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Walla, a popular news website, <a href=\"http:\/\/celebs.walla.co.il\/item\/2946148\" target=\"_blank\">suggested<\/a>\u00a0that if Israelis were tired of her, they\u00a0might as well &#8220;move to another news item, site or planet.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>The City Mouse, an events website owned by the left-wing newspaper Haaretz,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mouse.co.il\/CM.articles_item,1727,209,80555,.aspx\" target=\"_blank\">celebrated<\/a>\u00a0&#8220;Festi-Gal&#8221; and proclaimed the actress to be &#8220;plowing through America.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>This month, the Israeli media was celebrating Gadot&#8217;s star turn as Wonder Woman in the blockbuster &#8220;Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice,&#8221; which opened Friday across the U.S. But she&#8217;s been an Israeli hero for much longer.<\/p>\n<p>While Gadot\u00a0isn&#8217;t the first sabra model to create an international splash, nor the first to co-star in an American blockbuster, she has risen to fame in uniquely Israel style.\u00a0Used to feeling\u00a0maligned by the international press, Israelis appreciate that she&#8217;s willing, and even proud, to represent their country.<\/p>\n<p>Prior to becoming Wonder Woman, Gadot&#8217;s most prominent role was as Gisele Yashar, an ex-Mossad agent in &#8220;The Fast and the Furious&#8221; franchise. That&#8217;s right:\u00a0an Israeli spy.<\/p>\n<p>And the Miss Israel 2004\u00a0isn&#8217;t afraid\u00a0to take a stand for Israel on social media. During the 2014 Gaza war, which rallied Israelis around their flag and much of the world against Israel, Gadot publicly\u00a0supported the Israel Defense Forces&#8217; campaign against Hamas. While lighting Shabbat candles with her daughter no less.<\/p>\n<div class=\"\">\n<div class=\"\">\n<blockquote cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GalGadot\/photos\/a.443954573925.242485.25616998925\/10152522016708926\/?type=3\"><p>I am sending my love and prayers to my fellow Israeli citizens. Especially to all the boys and girls who are risking &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GalGadot\/\" target=\"_blank\">Gal Gadot<\/a> on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/GalGadot\/photos\/a.443954573925.242485.25616998925\/10152522016708926\/?type=3\" target=\"_blank\">Friday, July 25, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Needless to say, the post caused a stir outside Israel.<\/p>\n<p>While American critics haven&#8217;t been kind to &#8220;Batman v. Superman&#8221; \u2014 The New Republic called the film a\u00a0&#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/newrepublic.com\/article\/131935\/batman-v-superman-battle-bores\" target=\"_blank\">joyless slog<\/a>&#8221; \u2014 they have eaten up Gadot like\u00a0hamantashen on Purim. And Israelis have noticed.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Come for the joyless man-boys who love their mommies pummeling each other, stay for one of the only things worth getting excited about,&#8221; said <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thedailybeast.com\/articles\/2016\/03\/24\/forget-batman-and-superman-gal-gadot-s-wonder-woman-is-the-badass-superhero-we-deserve.html\" target=\"_blank\">The Daily Beast<\/a>\u00a0in reference to Gadot.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_29244\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29244\" class=\"wp-image-29244 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-300x210.jpg\" alt=\"RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - APRIL 15: Gal Gadot poses for photographers during the premiere of the movie &quot;Fast and Furious 5&quot; at Cinepolis Lagoon on April 15, 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes\/LatinContent\/Getty Images)\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-1024x717.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/210;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-29244\" class=\"wp-image-29244 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-300x210.jpg\" alt=\"RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL - APRIL 15: Gal Gadot poses for photographers during the premiere of the movie &quot;Fast and Furious 5&quot; at Cinepolis Lagoon on April 15, 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Buda Mendes\/LatinContent\/Getty Images)\" width=\"300\" height=\"210\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-300x210.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/03\/Gal-Gadot-1024x717.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-29244\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Gal Gadot posing for photographers during the premiere of the movie &#8220;Fast and Furious 5&#8221; in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 15, 2011. (Buda Mendes\/LatinContent\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Best of all for her fellow citizens, Gadot is often portrayed in the U.S. as a &#8220;badass Israeli woman,&#8221; with special mention of her two years of service in Israel&#8217;s beloved army.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;All that fighting skill isn&#8217;t just acting,&#8221; noted\u00a0the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.santacruzsentinel.com\/article\/ZZ\/20160323\/NEWS\/160327838\" target=\"_blank\">Santa Cruz Sentinel<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>What sets Gadot apart from the other\u00a0Israelis who have &#8220;crossed over&#8221; to international stardom?<\/p>\n<p>Take Bar Refaeli. In Israel, she&#8217;s the face of practically everything \u2014\u00a0\u00a0it&#8217;s hard to walk a block in Tel Aviv without seeing her face plastered across billboards and\u00a0bus stops \u2014 and she hosts &#8220;The X-Factor Israel.&#8221; (In the United States, she&#8217;s probably most famous for her 2009 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover and for dating Leonardo DiCaprio.)<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Good morning! I am walking on water today &#8230; What r u doing? <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/qZAQ8UTD\" target=\"_blank\">pic.twitter.com\/qZAQ8UTD<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Bar Refaeli (@BarRefaeli) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BarRefaeli\/status\/239650032649924609\" target=\"_blank\">August 26, 2012<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>But Refaeli has also gotten her fair share of flak for adopting what some Israelis see as an entitled attitude. She&#8217;s been criticized for <a href=\"http:\/\/e.walla.co.il\/item\/450345\" target=\"_blank\">avoiding<\/a> Israel&#8217;s mandatory army draft, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.israelhayom.co.il\/article\/339661\" target=\"_blank\">evading<\/a> hundreds of thousands of dollars in taxes and requesting &#8212; and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.timesofisrael.com\/bar-refaeli-gets-no-fly-zone-wedding\/\" target=\"_blank\">receiving<\/a> &#8212; a no-fly zone for her wedding.<\/p>\n<p>During the Gaza war, she made\u00a0a\u00a0equanimous tweet, saying, &#8220;i prey [sic] for the safety of the citizens on both sides and for the day we will live in peace and harmony Amen&#8221; &#8212; for which she subsequently\u00a0came under fire at home.<\/p>\n<p>Then there&#8217;s Natalie Portman, who was born Neta-Lee Hershlag in Jerusalem, but moved to the U.S.\u00a0when she was 3 and anglicized her name. She&#8217;s come back into Israelis&#8217; orbits by writing, producing, directing and starring last year in a Hebrew film adaptation of &#8220;A Tale of Love and Darkness,&#8221; by acclaimed Israeli author Amos Oz. Still, it&#8217;s telling that she\u00a0makes <a href=\"http:\/\/bidur.nana10.co.il\/Article\/?ArticleID=1142818\" target=\"_blank\">headlines<\/a> in Israel just for speaking the local language.<\/p>\n<p>Not so with Gadot, whose Hebrew skills are not in question. Despite her international fame, she can sometimes still\u00a0be spotted on the streets of Tel Aviv with her husband, Israeli real estate developer Yaron Varsano, and her 4-year-old daughter, Alma.<\/p>\n<p>If you\u00a0don&#8217;t catch her there, just check any Israeli newspaper.<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Why%20Gal%20Gadot%20is%20Israel%27s%20real-life%20Wonder%20Woman\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7139],"tags":[4493,8781,8790,8795,8788,7736],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29240"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29240"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29240\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29245,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29240\/revisions\/29245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29240"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29240"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29240"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}