Antisemitism drove her from LA, but she chose Israel at war

Born in Jerusalem, raised in Colorado, building a creative career in LA, until October 7, and rising antisemitism sent Zoe Manor back to Israel, in the middle of a war. Manor grew up between two worlds: an American, Ashkenazi mother from Long Island and a Moroccan, Sephardic father, with Hebrew as her first language but no initial memory of the country she was born in. She spent years feeling she fit neither the "tourist" nor the "native Israeli" box. After October 7, working in Los Angeles news production, she says she felt her body was in one place while her heart and mind were in Israel, and that inside her own creative community, she suddenly "had to leave half of myself at the door." A two-week volunteer trip became a turning point. She joined a Masa Israel Journey program as a soft landing, and a spur-of-the-moment offer to edit audio grew into Talking Unfiltered, a podcast exploring dating, bureaucracy, community, faith and identity from both native-Israeli and diaspora perspectives. In this conversation she reflects on why she'd rather live under rockets than as "a shell" of herself, what native Israelis still don't understand about antisemitism abroad, and how she made peace with her accent, recalling her brother's line that everyone who built this country once spoke Hebrew with one. 00:00 – Opening 01:00 – Born in Jerusalem, raised in Denver, Colorado 06:51 – Where October 7 found her 09:52 – Choosing Masa over being "a tourist" 12:09 – How editing audio sparked "Talking Unfiltered" 23:35 – "I'd rather be here under rockets" 33:11 – "Everyone who built this country had an accent" 41:36 – Her advice: just take the leap ________________ More from The Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com Facebook:   / thejerusalempost   Twitter:   / jerusalem_post   Instagram:   / thejerusalem_post