Let’s say you’re the mayor of a small town in Israel, Nazareth Illit, just up the block from you-know-who’s hometown. And let’s say that you have an unimprovable name like Ronen Plot. What do you do? It’s easy: Inaugurate a new movie theater and name it after the most famous Israeli actress of all time, Gal Gadot.
When Mayor Plot read a story in the Israeli press a few months ago about his constituents having to drive up to an hour to neighboring cities to watch fine films like Wonder Woman or Justice League, he decided to rectify the situation by giving his town a movie palace of its own. He applied for grants, renovated a local community center, installed high-end audiovisual equipment, and, earlier this week, cut the ribbon off the new theater, named the Gal.
“By naming the theater after Gal Gadot,” he said, “I wish to send a message to thousands of Israeli youths and tell them not to hesitate to dream big because dreams do come true.”
But it would not be a true week in Gal Gadot without a bit of controversy to tamper the joy. Also earlier this week, Amani Al-Khatahtbeh, the editor and founder of the popular online magazine MuslimGirl, declined a prestigious award from Revlon because the makeup giant also employees Gadot as a brand ambassador.
“I cannot accept this award from Revlon with Gal Gadot as the ambassador,” Al-Khatahtbeh wrote on that hallowed platform dedicated for serious and high-minded idealism, Instagram. “Her vocal support of the Israeli Defense Forces’ actions in Palestine goes against MuslimGirl.com’s morals and values. I can’t, in good conscience, accept this award from the brand and celebrate Gal’s ambassadorship after the IDF imprisoned a 16-year-old girl named Ahed Tamimi last month, an activist who is currently still incarcerated.” That Tamimi (whose fans, ironically, often refer to her as “the Palestinian Gal Gadot”) is a serial provocateur whose family members have often enthusiastically supported—or perpetrated—murderous terror attacks seems to pose no problem for the young and passionate blogger. Maybe a trip to the Gal Theater will help her come up with a more nuanced perspective.
Liel Leibovitz is editor-at-large for Tablet Magazine and a host of its weekly culture podcast Unorthodox and daily Talmud podcast Take One. He is the editor of Zionism: The Tablet Guide.