Actress Emmanuelle Chriqui has been a staunch advocate for Israel since the Oct. 7th attacks. Proud of her Jewish heritage, Chriqui has worked hard to counter attempts to boycott Israel and campaigned for the release of the hostages still being held by Hamas.
Here’s everything to know about her Jewish background.
The Basics
Emmanuelle Chriqui was born to Moroccan Jewish immigrants in Montreal, Canada. Her mother, Liliane, was born in Casablanca, while her dad, Albert, was born in Rabat and moved to Casablanca as a kid.
Chriqui lost her mother to cancer when she was just 16. “It was awful. I had to deal with death at a really young age,” she told People in 2006. “But I feel like her passing is part of my story. When I look up and see a star, I know my mom is there. She’s with me all the time. It’s a powerful connection.”
Chriqui started acting at just 7 years old at her local community theater. By age 16, she was working professionally as an actress, and in her early 20s, she moved to Vancouver and New York before settling down in Los Angeles.
Since her days at her local theater, Chriqui has guest-starred and starred in series and films such as “Entourage,” “The Borgias,” “The Mentalist,” and “Superman & Lois.”
In 2008, she starred as Dalia, the Palestinian love interest of Zohan, played by Adam Sandler, in the hit comedy “You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.”
Since 2020, Chriqui has been in a relationship with actor Sam Trammell.
Standing by Israel since Oct. 7
On Oct. 7, 2023, Chriqui immediately expressed her solidarity with Israel, writing on Instagram, “My heart and prayers are with my family, my friends and the people. I stand with Israel when she defends herself against Hamas, a terrorist organization whose mission it is to seek the destruction of the Jewish state. I stand with Israel today and always.”
Less than a week later, she signed an open letter by the Creative Community for Peace condemning Hamas’s attack against Israel and calling for the return of the hostages.
In February, Chriqui signed another letter by the Creative Community for Peace rejecting efforts by some artists to get Israel banned from the Eurovision Song Contest.
Chriqui has used her social media presence to advocate for the release of the hostages and to fight against antisemitism.
Staying connected to her roots
Chriqui, who grew up in a modern Orthodox home, strongly connects to her Jewish roots.
In her acting contracts, Chriqui includes a clause ensuring she’s not working on the High Holidays. “I never work Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur,” she told the Atlanta Jewish Times.
“I also think that the journey of spirituality ebbs and flows and I feel like I strayed very far away before coming back to what was in my own backyard,” Chriqui added. “I think at this point in my journey, Rosh Hashanah is the new year, it’s seasonally and symbolically all the things that Judaism incorporates. I think in my quest for spirituality, I found a lot of answers in it. I really just have a deep appreciation for it.”
For Chriqui, observing holidays is a way to honor the memory of her parents, who have both passed away. She also lights Shabbat candles every Friday evening.
