Liraz Charhi Opens Up About Divorce, Guilt, and Feeling Alien in Israel

Israeli actress and singer Liraz Charhi has spoken candidly about her recent divorce from Tom Avni after 16 years of marriage and two daughters, revealing feelings of guilt over breaking up her family.

In a new interview, Charhi shared that while the separation was amicable and a result of long consideration, the reality of entering their shared home alone is difficult. She expressed significant guilt not only over the divorce but more profoundly over raising her children in a country she feels is "broken" and may never recover. "My biggest guilt is that my children are growing up in a broken country, which I don't know if it can be fixed," she stated.

Charhi also discussed her complex relationship with her Persian heritage, stemming from her parents' immigration from Tehran. She recalled feeling ashamed of her background as a child, experiencing bullying and exclusion, and feeling like she had two identities. She found acceptance later in life, particularly in Los Angeles, where her international acting career flourished, filling a "hole in her heart" she felt in Israel. "I feel very alien in Israel," she admitted.

Following the October 7th attacks, Charhi's decision to continue performing internationally with her musical project featuring Iranian women became challenging. She revealed that she now requires security for travel and experienced a severe panic attack at an airport before her first performance after the war. "I realized I need to take care of myself, that I have too much weight on my shoulders," she said, referring to the guilt of raising children in a volatile country and potentially sacrificing her career.