Lucy Aharish
Encyclopedia
Lucy Aharish is an Israeli news presenter, reporter, and television host. She currently co-hosts a late-night show and a current events program for teenagers on Channel One
. Aharish is notable for being the first Arab news presenter on mainstream Israeli television.
, to Muslim parents originally from Nazareth
in the north. Growing up, she was the only Arab student at her school. On Purim
she dressed up as Queen Esther
, and on Israeli Independence Day she wore blue and white. When she was six years old, she was slightly injured by a Molotov cocktail
thrown at her family's car while driving in the Gaza Strip.
The idea of pursuing a career in media developed after she moved to Jerusalem to study social sciences and theater at the Hebrew University. "[O]n Highway 1 I saw Arabs being taken off a van and made to face the wall, with rifles aimed at them. I felt that no human being deserves that, and then the penny dropped. But it's also impossible to ignore what the Palestinians are doing." After graduating from Hebrew U, she studied journalism at the Koteret school in Tel Aviv and then interned for a year and a half at a school in Germany.
, in 2007 she became the first Arab to present the news on mainstream Israeli television when she was hired by Channel 10. After leaving that job in 2008, owing to professional differences, she went on to report for Channel 10's Erev Tov ("Good Evening") with Guy Pines and to co-host a morning radio show with Emmanuel Rosen and Maya Bengal.
Aharish currently co-hosts Channel One
's late-night show, Nivheret ha-Halomot ("The Dream Team"), as well as Hamahadura ("The Edition"), a current events program for teens. She will appear in the role of a Palestinian woman in the upcoming film adaptation of World War Z
, starring Brad Pitt
.
Channel 1 (Israel)
Channel 1 is one of the oldest television channels in Israel and one of five terrestrial channels in the country...
. Aharish is notable for being the first Arab news presenter on mainstream Israeli television.
Background
Aharish was born in 1981 in the southern Israeli town of DimonaDimona
Dimona is an Israeli city in the Negev desert, to the south of Beersheba and west of the Dead Sea above the Arava valley in the Southern District of Israel. Its population at the end of 2007 was 33,600.-History:...
, to Muslim parents originally from Nazareth
Nazareth
Nazareth is the largest city in the North District of Israel. Known as "the Arab capital of Israel," the population is made up predominantly of Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel...
in the north. Growing up, she was the only Arab student at her school. On Purim
Purim
Purim is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people in the ancient Persian Empire from destruction in the wake of a plot by Haman, a story recorded in the Biblical Book of Esther .Purim is celebrated annually according to the Hebrew calendar on the 14th...
she dressed up as Queen Esther
Esther
Esther , born Hadassah, is the eponymous heroine of the Biblical Book of Esther.According to the Bible, she was a Jewish queen of the Persian king Ahasuerus...
, and on Israeli Independence Day she wore blue and white. When she was six years old, she was slightly injured by a Molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
thrown at her family's car while driving in the Gaza Strip.
The idea of pursuing a career in media developed after she moved to Jerusalem to study social sciences and theater at the Hebrew University. "[O]n Highway 1 I saw Arabs being taken off a van and made to face the wall, with rifles aimed at them. I felt that no human being deserves that, and then the penny dropped. But it's also impossible to ignore what the Palestinians are doing." After graduating from Hebrew U, she studied journalism at the Koteret school in Tel Aviv and then interned for a year and a half at a school in Germany.
Career
Upon returning from Germany, Aharish moved to Tel Aviv. Following a two-week stint as an Arab affairs reporter for Yedioth AhronothYedioth Ahronoth
Yedioth Ahronoth is a daily newspaper published in Tel Aviv, Israel. Since the 1970s, it has been the most widely circulated paper in Israel. In a TGI survey comparing the last half of 2009 with the same period in 2008, Yedioth Ahronoth retained the title of most widely read newspaper in Israel...
, in 2007 she became the first Arab to present the news on mainstream Israeli television when she was hired by Channel 10. After leaving that job in 2008, owing to professional differences, she went on to report for Channel 10's Erev Tov ("Good Evening") with Guy Pines and to co-host a morning radio show with Emmanuel Rosen and Maya Bengal.
Aharish currently co-hosts Channel One
Channel 1 (Israel)
Channel 1 is one of the oldest television channels in Israel and one of five terrestrial channels in the country...
's late-night show, Nivheret ha-Halomot ("The Dream Team"), as well as Hamahadura ("The Edition"), a current events program for teens. She will appear in the role of a Palestinian woman in the upcoming film adaptation of World War Z
World War Z (film)
World War Z is an upcoming post-apocalyptic horror film based on the novel of the same name by Max Brooks. The film is directed by Marc Forster and stars Brad Pitt, with a script written by J. Michael Straczynski and Matthew Michael Carnahan. The film is scheduled to be released on December 21,...
, starring Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt
William Bradley "Brad" Pitt is an American actor and film producer. Pitt has received two Academy Award nominations and four Golden Globe Award nominations, winning one...
.
See also
- Arab citizens of IsraelArab citizens of IsraelArab citizens of Israel refers to citizens of Israel who are not Jewish, and whose cultural and linguistic heritage or ethnic identity is Arab....
- Media of Israel
- Women in journalism and media professionsWomen in journalism and media professionsAs journalism became a profession, women were restricted by custom and law from access to journalism occupations, and faced significant discrimination within the profession...
External links
- ashamsTV – interview with Lucy Aharish
- The Hebrew University of Jerusalem – English website
- "Respect for the Sector" , – 15 February 2011 (video)