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Tracy-Ann Oberman: activism against hate has enhanced my career
Merchant of Venice actress says: 'We’ve just got to be able to dig deep and accept political differences and get on with making fabulous work'
Actress Tracy-Ann Oberman feels that her activist work to help tackle antisemitism has “given me a voice and enhanced my career”.
The soap star, 59, best known for playing Chrissie Watts in EastEnders and Auntie Val in Friday Night Dinner, is a vocal advocate for the Jewish community.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the actress reflected on how her outspoken political views have affected her career.
Oberman said: “The acting industry is a herd mentality. What I noticed is that what people would say publicly and what they would say privately are very different things.
“And it’s not a very cool or fashionable cause to support.”
Recounting an anecdote from her great-grandmother, she said: “I remember her saying in her broken Yiddish, ‘When they’re burning down your village and you look around for the neighbours and they’re not there, you’ve got to save yourself’.
“And I think it’s been quite traumatic for the Jewish community in the last few years because I think we’ve suddenly realised: where are the neighbours?”
The London-born actress continued: “I did have a lot to lose, but I do think that courage calls to courage everywhere, and authenticity brings its own rewards. In many ways, I feel it has given me a voice and enhanced my career.”
The TV star added: “I never want another actor to think they’ve got to hide their Star of David because they’re going to be pinned up against a wall and given a political purity test.
“We’ve just got to be able to dig deep and accept political differences and get on with making fabulous work.”
Oberman is also a keen advocate against antisemitism in the arts, and recently staged a reimagined Shakespeare adaptation called The Merchant Of Venice 1936.
The actress co-created, co-wrote and starred in the production as a gender-switched Shylock, an East End Jewish matriarch standing up to British fascists in the 1930s.
She told the newspaper: “I’ll tell you something that was really powerful to me: the actors all came to this piece with very different political views.
“We are now living in such a binary world where you can’t even be in a rehearsal room any more without it turning into a battlefield.
“There was a lot of debate about the text.
“And it turned out to be the most incredible experience for all of us because there was a little foursome of us with very diverse political views, and we just fell in love.”
Oberman was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 2025 for her work in Holocaust education and combating antisemitism.
Beyond her political activism, she is known for her extensive TV work, including Ridley Road, Plebs, It’s A Sin and Siblings, and a successful theatre career.
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