In Israel's entertainment industry, Saturday is typically just another workday filled with performances and filming. But for actor and comedian Guri Alfi, it represents a non-negotiable boundary.
In an interview with the "Shabbat for Every Reason" project, Alfi revealed that his decision began when he became a father for the first time in 2003. "From the moment I became a dad, I stopped working on Shabbat... from the moment Ama was born," he recalled. His motivation was straightforward and personal: "I calculated that this would be our time together, and I simply want to have that time."
The choice wasn't always met with understanding in his professional circles. Alfi recounts that colleagues questioned how this decision aligned with his secular lifestyle. "I remember people saying, 'Wait, but what about performances? What about this?'... They asked me, 'Wait, but do you drive on Shabbat?'" he described the confusion around him. His response was unequivocal: "Yes... I chose this."
He clarified that he doesn't view it as religious coercion, but rather as leveraging a deep cultural value: "I'm taking advantage of the fact that there's something in our Jewish genome that says on Shabbat I can do this."
Maintaining this principle has frequently required him to decline significant projects. Alfi described challenges with productions that demanded Saturday work: "So what? Then I won't do it," he stated his position clearly. When asked if the reason was religious, he replied: "No, because I chose this. I chose that Shabbat would be something I do with my family."
Though his environment didn't always understand his reasoning, Alfi didn't back down. "They raised their eyebrows at me many times, really many times," he admitted, but added that change came gradually: "Each time a few more people understood." To simplify lengthy explanations with those who still struggled to accept his choice, he found a simple solution: "Sometimes I just told them, 'Yes, I keep Shabbat.'"
