{"id":571508,"date":"2026-08-02T08:42:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-02T08:42:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/571508\/"},"modified":"2026-08-02T08:42:11","modified_gmt":"2026-08-02T08:42:11","slug":"friends-in-france-called-october-7-the-liberation-yovel-lewkowski-starred-on-net","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/571508\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Friends in France called October 7 \u201cthe liberation\u201d\u2019: Yovel Lewkowski starred on Net"},"content":{"rendered":"

This August, Yovel Lewkowski will mark 10 years since the night her life nearly ended.<\/p>\n

She was 18, visiting London with her grandfather shortly before beginning her military service, when they were caught in a stabbing attack on their way back to their hotel. An American tourist standing nearby was killed, while Lewkowski was wounded in the hand after instinctively raising it to defend herself.<\/p>\n

\"\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc<\/a>\"\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc<\/p>\n

Yovel Lewkowski <\/p>\n

(Photo: Bat Shachar Nisan\u200f)<\/p>\n

The attacker, a Muslim man of Somali origin, was subdued and arrested. A court later ruled that he had acted during a psychotic episode. It was a terrifying experience, but Lewkowski, now 28, chooses to focus on what it gave her.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understood that life is short and unpredictable, and that everything can end at any moment,\u201d she says. \u201cI decided to do everything I could to make my days here on Earth fulfilling and happy, and to try to achieve everything I want and love.\u201d<\/p>\n

That determination led her to move to France after completing her military service as a shooting instructor in the Armored Corps. She followed a relationship there despite barely speaking French and decided that it was precisely in that unfamiliar country that she would pursue her childhood dream of becoming an actress.<\/p>\n

\"\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc<\/a>\"\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc<\/p>\n

(Photo: Bat Shachar Nisan\u200f)<\/p>\n

Six years later, with her career gaining momentum, she once again abandoned the safer path. She returned to Israel and began trying to establish herself in the local entertainment industry.<\/p>\n

Lewkowski\u2019s parents named her Yovel because she was born in the year Israel celebrated its jubilee. She spent most of her childhood in Tel Aviv. \u201cMy hobby was watching movies, writing down the scenes and then performing them in front of the mirror,\u201d she recalls.<\/p>\n

At 12, she joined the Israeli youth performance troupe The Neighbors of Chich, though her parents hoped acting would remain only a hobby. \u201cMy father called it \u2018the bug in my head,\u2019\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

At 18, Lewkowski met Anthony, a French Jewish lawyer 13 years her senior who was visiting relatives in Israel. \u201cWe managed to maintain a long-distance relationship throughout my military service, and the plan was for me to join him after I was discharged,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I told him I wanted to study acting, he said, \u2018I don\u2019t know how you\u2019ll become an actress in France when you don\u2019t even speak the language. I don\u2019t want to make you choose between your dream and me.\u2019 I thought, I\u2019m not giving him up, and I\u2019m not giving up on my dream. I\u2019ll study French day and night.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc<\/a>\"\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc<\/p>\n

The October 7 massacre forced Lewkowski to rethink her future <\/p>\n

(Photo: Bat Shachar Nisan\u200f)<\/p>\n

After her discharge, she moved in with Anthony, enrolled in French classes and, a year later, was accepted to the Cours Florent drama school in Paris. \u201cI worked so hard on the auditions because I was terrified I wouldn\u2019t get in,\u201d she says. \u201cThen they told me they were moving me straight into the second year.\u201d<\/p>\n

She went on to appear in several French productions, including the successful Netflix film \u201cYoung Millionaires,\u201d in which she played a leading role. \u201cPeople started recognizing me and stopping me in the street,\u201d she says. \u201cA lot of young people, and also many Jews who were excited to see an Israeli actress in a French film.\u201d<\/p>\n

The October 7 massacre forced Lewkowski to rethink her future. \u201cThe massacre happened shortly after Anthony and I broke up,\u201d she says. \u201cExperiencing October 7 abroad felt like the end of the world had arrived.<\/p>\n

\u201cWithin three weeks, I was already in Israel, and I stayed for a month. I had to be close to my family and friends. It reconnected me with my identity and my roots, and then I realized I also wanted to act in Israel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Initially, she planned to continue living in France while flying to Israel for acting projects. Eventually, she decided she preferred the opposite arrangement. \u201cThere were all kinds of unpleasant experiences in France,\u201d she says. \u201cI had many friends there who supported and encouraged me, but there were also people who called that terrible massacre \u2018the liberation.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you hear something like that from someone you consider close to you, it shakes you very, very deeply.\u201d<\/p>\n

Did you feel that you were also being offered fewer roles?
\n\u201cAntisemitism in Europe has clearly escalated, but I don\u2019t want to believe that every role I don\u2019t get is connected to that. I still continue to act in France.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc<\/a>\"\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc<\/p>\n

(Photo: Bat Shachar Nisan\u200f)<\/p>\n

In early 2025, Lewkowski filmed a French-Swiss series titled \u201cThe Deal,\u201d in which she played a Mossad agent. She said she received hostile treatment from one of the lead actresses. \u201cShe really attacked me,\u201d Lewkowski said in an interview with Mako. \u201cI was so shocked that I couldn\u2019t respond. I just started crying and walked away. Later, I saw that her Instagram was full of pro-Palestinian posts.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, Lewkowski stresses that the actress did not represent the entire production. \u201cEveryone except her was amazing and embracing,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Despite continuing to work in France, Lewkowski admits that acting in Israeli productions feels different. \u201cEveryone wants to be recognized at home,\u201d she says. \u201cThere are many projects I did in France that I have no way of even showing my family. Suddenly, we could sit together and watch me. It was incredible to see how excited and happy they were.\u201d<\/p>\n

The first Israeli series she filmed was \u201cMissing,\u201d which premiered on yes last summer. She played a young woman investigating the mysterious death of her best friend, portrayed by Israeli pop star Noa Kirel. She has since appeared in two films made for the ultra-Orthodox film industry. \u201cIt is an insane industry,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

But the project that made her widely recognizable in Israel was the successful web series \u201cIt\u2019s Not Over,\u201d created by Ray Solash. Each episode runs for about two and a half minutes and realistically portrays the emotional fallout of a chance encounter between two former partners. \u201cIt\u2019s funny,\u201d Lewkowski says. \u201cUsually, I work on a character for a long time and analyze every detail. Here, I received a scene, learned it and we simply did it for the art and the fun.<\/p>\n

\u201cI never imagined it would take such a meaningful place in viewers\u2019 lives. Today, people stop me in the street and tell me how deeply the series affected them, how much they identified with it and how it helped them through breakups and difficult periods.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc<\/a>\"\u05d9\u05d5\u05b9\u05d1\u05b5\u05dc<\/p>\n

(Photo: Bat Shachar Nisan\u200f)<\/p>\n

Lewkowski, who separated from her French partner three years ago, says the character she plays in \u201cIt\u2019s Not Over\u201d reminds her of herself. \u201cHe wanted a family, and for me it was too early,\u201d she says of the breakup. Asked about her current romantic life, she requests that the answer be written in English: \u201cIt\u2019s complicated.\u201d<\/p>\n

What remains of Paris in your wardrobe?
\n\u201cWhen I arrived in France, my suitcase was full of tank tops and flip-flops,\u201d she says. \u201cThen I discovered brands, button-down shirts under sweaters and, above all, that shoes could be something other than sneakers. I developed a very European style.\u201d<\/p>\n

And today?
\n\u201cThat\u2019s the thing. I don\u2019t really have anything to do with those clothes in Israel. Most of the sweaters are stuck in the closet, and the tank tops and flip-flops have completely returned.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This August, Yovel Lewkowski will mark 10 years since the night her life nearly ended. She was 18,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":571509,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[458,146,85,46],"class_list":["post-571508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=571508"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/571508\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/571509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=571508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=571508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=571508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}