Dana Varon: Personal Reflections on Faith, Growth, and Meaning

A food or sound that takes you back to childhood:
“My grandmother’s cholent cake. She used to make a kind of sweet cake and put it inside the cholent.”

Three items you would take to a deserted island:
“Wow, that sounds like a simple question, but it’s actually critical (laughs). Chitat — which includes a siddur, Chumash, Tehillim, and Tanya. I would also take Shabbat candles. And one more thing — a phone, to keep some connection with the outside world while I’m on the island.”

Your guilty pleasure:
“Ice cream.”

What helps you recharge after a difficult day?
“Going for a walk, to clear my head.”

Something people don’t know about you:
“That I’m allergic to nuts. It actually developed in recent years.”

What scares you the most?
“Fooling myself. My work involves critiquing others — I sit in a car and film, and from there everything looks much easier. I’m afraid that from that perspective I might make a mistake.

Another thing: when someone is busy criticizing others, they often fail to see their own flaws. As the saying goes, a person is biased toward themselves. I don’t want to be in that place. If I’m tough on others, I expect myself to be just as honest and critical with myself.”

When was the last time you cried?
“Honestly, I’m not someone who cries easily. But recently I worked on a series called ‘Raising a Hero’, which is currently airing, and I spoke with bereaved families. One meeting with such a family brought me to tears. It was very hard.”

Something you would like to improve about yourself:
“My ability to be consistent — especially in things I know are right and good for me, and in maintaining positive habits in general.”

The most sincere moment you had in speaking with God:
“The first time I visited the resting place of the Alter Rebbe. I came to thank him for, in a way, saving my life by introducing me to the book Tanya. It was a very powerful and meaningful moment.”

A dream you haven’t given up on:
“I haven’t given up on any dream (laughs). Mainly, I want to keep advancing in the field I’m already in — my mission in the media, and reach even higher goals. I feel I haven’t fully refined my mission yet.

Even though presenting the news is something I do well, it can be directed more toward holiness and brought into broader platforms. Judaism has so much to offer and it provides answers to many things. It took me time to realize that there’s no reason to present Judaism apologetically or to be a ‘token’ religious figure.”

A trait you admire in others:
“Perseverance, of course. Also integrity and courage.”

A person who is no longer alive that you would want to speak with:
“The Lubavitcher Rebbe. I would bring up personal matters and ask for clear guidance, and of course discuss my mission.”

What would you like to leave behind after 120 years?
“Mitzvot and good deeds, and to leave this world with true repentance. Teshuvah is a daily, ongoing process, with ups and downs.”

The creation you are most proud of:
“My children.”