Israeli news anchor Yonit Levi co-authors children’s book on antisemitism

Israel's Channel 12 news anchor Yonit Levi has co-authored a children’s book about antisemitism with CNN anchor and journalist Bianna Golodryga.

The book, "Don’t Feed the Lion," is scheduled for release on Nov. 11. Written in English, it is aimed at children aged 8 to 12.

The story is about three children in Chicago who have to deal with two antisemitic incidents: a soccer star says something antisemitic, and a swastika is found on a school locker.

“With the sharp rise in explicit antisemitism and hate around the world, our goal was to write a book for all readers who want to feel less alone in their identity, and for those who want to stand up against bias and discrimination with empathy and awareness,” Levi and Golodryga said about the book.

Several well-known figures have endorsed the book, including Israeli Hollywood actress Gal Gadot, Jewish comedian and actor Sacha Baron Cohen, and Robert Kraft, the Jewish owner of the New England Patriots.

“This book is so needed right now,” said Gadot, “This book is so needed right now,” said Gadot, who in March received the Anti-Defamation League’s International Leadership Award for her efforts to combat antisemitism.

Cohen said the book “is a fierce and necessary reminder that silence is never the answer” in the face of hatred.

Yonit Levi, who was born and raised in Israel, “has anchored Israel’s most-watched primetime news program and has interviewed world leaders, such as US presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and George W. Bush, and important newsmakers including Bill Gates and former US secretary of state Hillary Clinton,” the Jerusalem Post noted.

Golodryga, born to Bessarabian Jews in Moldova during the Soviet era, is a co-anchor on the CNN program, “One World with Zain Asher and Bianna Golodryga.”