| Aleeza Chanowitz | |
| Native Name Lang: | Hebrew |
| Birth Date: | 1990 6, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Brooklyn, New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Film director, screenwriter, actress |
| Notable Works: | Chanshi |
| Education: | Sam Spiegel Film and Television School, Jerusalem |
Aleeza Chanowitz (Hebrew: עליזה חנוביץ'; born 16 June 1990) is an Israeli-American director, screenwriter and actress. She is best known for creating and starring in the hit comedy series, Chanshi (2022 - present) on HOT 3.[1]
She was born and raised in the New York borough of Brooklyn to a Modern Orthodox mother and Chabad Hasidic father. Her parents divorced when she was four years old and she attended a Modern Orthodox high school. After graduating from high school, she studied for a year at Bar-Ilan University, and then returned to New York to study Judaic Studies at Brooklyn College.
She emigrated to Israel in 2011, after completing her studies. She studied film at the Sam Spiegel Film and Television School in Jerusalem from 2012 to 2017.
Mushkie a short student film she wrote and directed in 2015 was included in the Jerusalem Film Festival and the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2017, she created, directed and starred in the short film Shabbos Kallah. The film was included in the lineup of the Jerusalem Film Festival and several international Jewish film festivals. It won the Best Short Film award at the Jerusalem Film Festival.[2]
In 2022, she starred and created in the HOT 3 comedy series, Chanshi. She stars as the titular character, a young ultra orthodox woman that leaves New York and embarks on a series of reckless adventures in Israel when she emigrates there.[3] The series is partly autobiographical, inspired by Chanowitz' own experiences of aliyah.[4]