Tamar, a young woman who is half Israeli and half Iranian, has become a globally recognized character in recent years through the successful series Tehran, much of which was filmed in Athens. That is the television reality.

In real life, Efrat is also a woman who was born, raised, and started a family in Israel, although her roots are from Iran. Having just survived—with her husband and two children—a missile attack from Tehran on the city of Beersheba, she spoke to us about her life after October 2023. She expressed confidence in what the Israeli government and military are doing to protect citizens, discussed the difficulties Israelis face traveling abroad, and even shared her prediction for Israel’s elections scheduled for October.

“I feel that the Israeli government and the IDF protect everyone, it doesn’t matter if they are Muslims or Christians—they protect everyone, they protect all ten million people in Israel. Here” (she points to a crater caused by an Iranian missile near her home) “God helped us. We were lucky no one was seriously injured. I thought this was the end. Now, I have more confidence with the Israeli forces on our side,” she said, speaking about the sense of trust Israelis have in their government and military.

Referring to how life in Israel has changed after October 2023, Efrat, who works as a teacher, emphasized that reality is different from what the media may portray:

“First, I feel that the reality in Israel, on the streets and among the people, is not what most people think. Everyone says we hit Gaza, we hit Iran. But we do it to protect ourselves. Of course, we don’t want war, but what our government does is protect Israeli citizens. This war is very hard for us. I don’t even have a safe spot in my own home. I’m afraid—for myself and my children. We are waiting for this war to end. I don’t want another October 7 in Israel. We fear something similar might happen again from the Iranians’ side.”

“We don’t feel safe anywhere outside Israel”

Efrat also spoke about how Israelis are treated around the world after October 7 and the response of the government and military with strikes in Gaza:

“It’s very difficult after 2023. No Jew can feel safe anywhere in the world except in Israel. Across the world, they hate us, just because we are Jewish. So only here do we feel safe. I cannot live in Australia, Canada, Europe… only here,” she said.

She also spoke about her roots: although she was born and raised in Israel, her mother’s family comes from Iran:

“My father’s family came from Tunisia, my mother’s family came from Iran, at a time when people from North Africa came here. They settled here… I really want to go to Tunisia with my father, I really want to go to Iran with my mother one day. I believe it will happen. People from Iran send me messages. They really hope it too. My students ask me, if my father is from Tunisia and my mother from Iran, then why are you here? I tell them this is my country,” she said.

When asked how she feels about what people living in Iran are going through now, she added:

“When I see citizens in Iran being injured, it hurts me. But the Iranian government is also attacking its own citizens. I expected the U.S. and Israel to unite and do something—we all expected it—to help them.”

“Bibi will come out again”

Finally, when asked to predict the next elections in Israel, she said:

“Bibi will come out again because he struck Iran. I never voted for him, but all the citizens in Israel feel good about him because he protects us from Iran. I’m still afraid of their nuclear weapons. I don’t know if we can handle it.”