Ayelet Zurer was born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, to an Ashkenazi Jewish family.
Her mother was born in Czechoslovakia and immigrated to Israel at 16 years old.
Her mother was saved during The Holocaust by hiding in a convent in Slovakia.
Her Israeli-born father was of Russian-Jewish descent.
She has described her parents as "working-class people".

During her service in the Israel Defense Forces, Zurer was a soldier in the military band of the Northern Command.

After finishing her service, Zurer studied acting for three years in Yoram Levinstein Academy.
She moved to the United States and studied with George Morison at the Actor's Workshop in New York City.
She was invited to play the lead in Florentine, one of Israel's iconic television shows.
She returned to Israel, developed a career on stage, in films, and in television and became one of Israel's most acclaimed actresses.
In 2004 when Ayelet was cast in Steven Spielberg's Munich, she moved with her family to California where she resides today.
Ayelet Zurer was born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel, to an Ashkenazi Jewish family. Her mother was born in Czechoslovakia and immigrated to Israel at 16 years old. Her mother was saved during The Holocaust by hiding in a convent in Slovakia. Her Israeli-born father was of Russian-Jewish descent. She has described her parents as "working-class people".
During her service in the Israel Defense Forces, Zurer was a soldier in the military band of the Northern Command.
After finishing her service, Zurer studied acting for three years in Yoram Levinstein Academy. She moved to the United States and studied with George Morison at the Actor's Workshop in New York City. She was invited to play the lead in Florentine, one of Israel's iconic television shows. She returned to Israel, developed a career on stage, in films, and in television and became one of Israel's most acclaimed actresses. In 2004 when Ayelet was cast in Steven Spielberg's Munich, she moved with her family to California where she resides today.
Ayelet Zurer