Gal Gadot votes in Israel, calls for high turnout

Gal Gadot cast her ballot in the Knesset election on Tuesday morning. She posted a video to her Instagram story showing herself entering a standard polling station in Israel. In the clip, she spoke in Hebrew while holding her ballot envelope. She told her followers to use what she called their most basic democratic right. She asked them to vote for the candidate they believed in. She ended the message by blowing a kiss to the camera. A subsequent post showed her placing the envelope into the ballot box.

Gadot joined an estimated 70,000 Israeli citizens living abroad who returned home to vote. She lives most of the year in Los Angeles with her husband, Jaron Varsano, and their four daughters. She is originally from Rosh HaAyin. The election day coincided with her appearance at a gala for Bar Ilan University. The event marked the university’s 70th anniversary. Gadot received an honorary doctorate during the ceremony. US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff also received an honorary doctorate at the same event.

While accepting the award, Gadot addressed the current political climate. She noted that Israel and Jewish communities worldwide have faced loss and fear. She stated that antisemitism remains a persistent challenge. As an Israeli and Jewish woman working internationally, she described feeling a distance between her home and how it is portrayed abroad. She affirmed that no matter where she travels, Israel remains her home and her people are her family.

Gadot emphasized the weight of the upcoming vote. She described the election as potentially the most momentous in the country’s history. She urged citizens to show up and exercise their civic responsibility. She said voters should cast their ballots according to their beliefs for the men and women who call the country home. She expressed hope that the result would be a double blessing for everyone.

After the polls closed on Tuesday, Gadot appeared on the comedy show Eretz Nehederet. She is currently starring in the thriller The Runner on Prime Video. She will also appear in the next film in the Fast and Furious franchise, titled Fast Forever.

The voting took place on the third day of the week in Israel. Gadot referenced this timing with the Hebrew phrase pa'amim ki tov. This expression cites the biblical creation story, where the word good appears twice on the third day. It has come to mean a double blessing.

The Knesset election is the central political event in Israel for this year. Citizens voted to select members of the Knesset. The turnout included both domestic residents and citizens returning from overseas.