Author and activist Noa Tishby has enlisted Gwyneth Paltrow to usher in the first night of Hanukkah as part of her #BringOnTheLight video series.
Tishby, who wrote two best-selling books, 2021’s Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth and 2024’s Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew (co-authored with Emmanuel Acho), and Paltrow, the Oscar-winning actress and Goop entrepreneur, bonded over their Jewish faith and traditions. Tishby’s eight-night-long campaign is centered on the message of Jewish resilience.
“When I approached Gwyneth with this campaign, she was thrilled and deeply moved to join, and I knew we had something truly special,” said Tishby.
For the first candle-lighting video, available now on YouTube along with Tishby’s social media handles, Paltrow recounts Hanukkah celebrations with her father, Bruce Paltrow, and her grandparents on Long Island, sharing that her own family tree contains 17 generations of Rabbis.
“I always felt an incredible pull to my Jewish family,” said Paltrow, who in 2022 funded an installation at the Jewish cemetery in her ancestral hometown in Poland honoring family members lost in the Holocaust. “I still do. And just the traditions and the warmth and the unconditional love, and the food, and the yelling, and the family and community. I’m so close to everybody on that side of my family. We’re all kind of interwoven and so important to each other and just show up for each other again and again and again.”
“It was inspiring to hear Gwyneth speak so passionately about her Jewish roots and the traditions she continues to share with her family,” said Tishby. I cannot wait for everyone to see what we have in store for the next seven nights as more incredible voices join us in spreading light and resiliency.”
This year, Hannukah’s start coincides with Christmas day. The Jewish holiday ends on Jan. 2.
