Star of the hit Netflix show "Jewish Matchmaking," Cindy Seni isn’t single anymore, but still talks to renowned matchmaker Aleeza Ben Shalom and lives in Israel.
From serving in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) during COVID to living in Jerusalem through Oct. 7 and now the launch of Operation Rising Lion, Seni has seen a slew of historic events firsthand.
"It’s been a whirlwind," Seni told Fox News Digital. "It feels like it's a never-ending wound that we just keep trying to patch up and then it gets reopened again and it's very, very difficult."
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Since the operation in Iran began, Israel has directed civilians to stay in bomb shelters or protected spaces for longer periods of time. Seni says it can be "anxiety-inducing" as one never knows how long the shelter-in-place order will last.
"It's a question sometimes of an entire night or a few hours," she said. "And thank God I have a safe room in my apartment, but a lot of people don't, so they have to run and literally go out on the street at night in the middle with their kids and that's very stressful."
While she said that life in Israel right now is anxiety-inducing and scary, Seni also spoke about the resilience of the Israeli people, something she admires about the culture. Seni told Fox News Digital that people in Israel are living their lives not because they aren’t afraid or stressed, but rather in spite of that because they don’t have a choice. As Seni said, "they can’t stop."
One resilient Israeli who has had a major impact on Seni’s life amid the chaos of war and conflict is her husband, Eldad Cohen.
"He’s a very, very resilient Israeli. He's been through a lot of things," she said. "He was injured as well in the army, and he has his own kind of, you grew up here during the Second Intifada in Jerusalem, and so he has this own resilience that really grounds me."
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Seni’s other love is spreading joy online through her Instagram account, "Israel with Cindy," where she posts skits, photos and personal stories.
"So, ‘Israel with Cindy’ was really created as a way to spread joy within the community —the Jewish community — and it kind of really grew from there," Seni said. "When situations like these happen, and the same thing with October 7th, I was faced with an extreme amount of hatred or just antisemitism. And I decided that my platform was going to be used in times of need to show antisemitism and expose hatred and trying to really find peace and a solution in the long-term. Humanizing Israelis, humanizing Jews, which I think is often lost in today's society, sometimes in this polarized world."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said that as of Wednesday 24 people had been killed and more than 800 injured in Iran’s retaliatory strikes. Additionally, 3,800 people have been evacuated from their homes.
While the numbers may be daunting, Seni says she has faith in the Israeli security forces and in God.
"I'm a believer in God, so, I believe that we have divine protection. I think that, God willing, everything will be okay."
