Noa Tishby enlists Gwyneth Paltrow for the ‘Bring on the Light’ campaign

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 as of 2021 Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth and the 2024s Unpleasant conversations with a Jew (co-written with Emmanuel Acho), and Paltrow, the Oscar-winning actress and Goop entrepreneur, bonded over their Jewish faith and traditions. Tishby’s eight-night campaign is centered on the message of Jewish resilience.

“When I approached Gwyneth about this campaign, she was excited and deeply moved to participate and I knew we had something very special,” said Tishby.

For the first candlelit video available now on YouTube along with Tishby’s handles the social mediaPaltrow talks about celebrating Hanukkah with her father, Bruce Paltrow, and her grandparents on Long Island, and says that her own family tree includes 17 generations of rabbis.

“I’ve always felt an incredible attraction 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 the community. I’m so close to everyone on that side of my family. We’re all kind of intertwined and so important to each other and just show up for each other over and over and over.”

“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 can’t 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 resilience.”

This year, the start of Hannukah coincides with Christmas Day. The Jewish holiday ends on January 2.