Actor Danny Steg Recounts Spitting Attack After Revealing Voting Choice

Israeli actor Danny Steg has spoken about a difficult experience he endured years ago when his colleagues at a theater discovered he had become religious. In an interview with Oded HaRosh for 'Sihah,' Steg recounted that the situation escalated after he revealed his political leanings during an election period.

Steg explained that during rehearsals for a play, the playwright gathered the actors and asked each about their intended vote. While most declared support for Ehud Barak, Steg stated he did not believe he would vote for Barak, implying he might vote for Ariel Sharon. This statement was met with a hostile reaction, with one actor asking if he wanted a "state of halakha" (Jewish law).

Following this exchange, Steg said two actresses approached him. "One spat in my face and one kicked me in the testicles," he recalled. He noted that these were colleagues he had been rehearsing with for months, and the incident made him consider leaving the theater profession.

Steg, who began his religious observance around 2006, had to hide his growing religiosity from his theater colleagues. He described feeling that there was "no place for a person who returned to religion to remain in Tel Aviv, and in this profession." He also mentioned that he was studying with Rabbi Yaakov Ades at the time, who encouraged him to return to the theater, predicting he would be respected. Steg returned the next day, and surprisingly, the same actors who had attacked him greeted him warmly, which he saw as a lesson in forgiveness.

Steg currently serves as the gabbai (sexton) of the Gra Synagogue in Tel Aviv and teaches acting at "Torat HaChaim," a Jewish film school. He reflected on the changes in religious observance, noting that 30 years ago, synagogues sought worshipers, whereas today they are full.