The highly-anticipated “Captain America: New World Order” is set to be released February 14 in cinemas worldwide. The film stars Israeli actress Shira Haas as the latest in the long line of superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The 29-year-old actor portrays the character of Sabra, the alter ego of Ruth Bat-Seraph, a trained Mossad agent in the original Marvel comics. The studio, however, caved in to anti-Israel protests sparked by the Gaza war, and turned the character into a former Black Widow, a Soviet-Russian spy program.

Regardless of the controversies behind the screen, Haas is definitely a rising star in the world of acting, gaining international fame for her roles in productions including the Israeli TV series Shtisel, in the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox, and 2023’s Netflix science fiction series, Bodies.

Here are 14 fascinating facts about this fast-rising star.

1. Haas is the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors from Eastern Europe. During World War II, one of her grandfathers was interned at Auschwitz, the infamous Nazi concentration camp. Haas has a very close relationship with her 86-year-old grandmother.

2. Haas’s professional career began at age 14, when she earned herself two theatrical roles at the Cameri, Tel Aviv’s prime theater. She appeared in Shakespeare’s Richard III as well as in Joshua Sonbol’s Ghetto, while still attending the Thelma Yellin Arts High School in Givatayim, east of Tel Aviv.

3. In 2014, Haas received a surprise Facebook message from Israeli casting director Esther Kling, urging her to audition for the lead role in the Israeli film Princess. Haas took the advice, and her acting won her Best Actress at the Jerusalem Film Festival. Princess also got her noticed in the US by The New York Times and The Hollywood Reporter.

4. Haas’s first international movie, in 2015, A Tale of Love and Darkness, was also a director’s premiere for Israeli American actress Natalie Portman. Haas told Ynet that she found Portman to be a role model, “impressive and humble and real.”

5. In 2017, Haas auditioned and was hired over Skype for her role in the American-made The Zookeeper’s Wife. Ahead of the film’s release, she appeared on The Today Show, another first for her.

6. She made the Israeli Forbes list of 30 under 30 in February 2019.

7. In order to make sure that her Yiddish was perfect for the dialogue in Unorthodox, Haas arrived in Berlin two months before the shooting to take language classes. She also took piano and singing lessons to prepare for her role in the series.

8. In 2020, she was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award for the role of Esty in the Netflix miniseries Unorthodox. She made history by becoming the first Israeli actor nominated for a primetime acting Emmy. For the Israeli film, Asia, in 2020, she won Best International Actress at the Tribeca Film Festival Award, and in Israel received the coveted Ophir for Best Supporting Actress.

9. Haas and her parents are all sabras, meaning native-born Israelis. These are compared to the cactus fruit sabra, (“tzabar” in Hebrew), which is prickly on the outside yet soft on the inside, as Israelis are reputed to be. This is also the reason why Marvel’s character was named “Sabra” in the original comics, she’s a native-born Israeli.

10. She keeps her private life very private. As far as we know, Haas has never been married, and has never publicly announced a relationship. The Israeli media, however, recently reported that earlier this year Haas ended her four-year relationship with film director Ido Weisman.

11. Haas was diagnosed with kidney cancer at the age of two. Within three years, treatment had saved her life, but stunted her growth, which is one of the reasons behind her petite appearance. In fact, the actress is barely 5 feet (1.5 meters) tall.

12. Despite having gotten a medical exemption from military service for the above reason, Haas enlisted voluntarily in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Military Band and theater unit.

13. Family is very important to her. Haas always thanks her parents publicly for their encouragement and support in enabling her to become the best artist she can be. Haas is also the youngest of three siblings. Her sister Dotan Haas is a high-profile marketing professional in Tel Aviv.

14. After outcry from Jewish groups following the changes made by the studio to Sabra in Captain America: New World Order, producers recently clarified the character played by Shira Haas in the film is still Israeli. According to producer Nate Moore, the Black Widow spy program is supposed to be international, and not exclusively Soviet.

The controversy surrounding the character of Sabra is not the only one plaguing the film, with many Marvel fans threatening to boycott the release. Nevertheless, we’re sure Haas will rise to the challenge and offer a memorable performance.