Global Perspective: Erielle Reshef

Erielle Reshef is the nicest force of nature you’ll ever meet — in fact, you may already feel like you know her. Since 2017, she’s worked as a correspondent for ABC News, based in New York City with her husband Daniel and their young sons Mayr, six, and Mavryk, two.

She’ll quickly tell you that it’s her Oklahoma City niceness combined with her family’s strong values that keep her anchored as she jets around the globe covering the day’s leading stories. “My brothers and I were raised in a household steeped in Jewish values – where our parents instilled the importance of an unwavering work ethic, and where family was our North Star. We learned at a young age the spiritual responsibility of tikkun olam, or ‘repair of the world’. My parents fostered an environment where giving back was essential, and recognizing how very blessed we are was paramount,” she explains.

Reshef was born in Houston, and as her father — acclaimed fertility specialist Dr. Eli Reshef — began his medical career, the family lived in Birmingham, Alabama, and Louisville, Kentucky, before settling in Oklahoma City in 1990. She and her two brothers grew up in Oklahoma City’s Crown Heights neighborhood, where they attended Westminster School and Heritage Hall High School. She attended Indiana University Bloomington, where she majored in political science and Jewish studies, and Israel’s Reichman University, where she earned a master’s degree in diplomacy and conflict studies. Her mother, Edie Roodman, is the executive director of the Oklahoma Israel Exchange, and prior to that was the longtime executive director of the Jewish Federation of Greater OKC.

“My mom is one of a kind! I’ve been in awe my whole life of her uncanny ability to dedicate herself wholeheartedly to her demanding career in the non-profit world while somehow managing to make each of her kids, husband and now four grandsons feel like the center of the universe. She’s what we call an eshet chayil, a ‘woman of valor’. (Not to mention she has always been my fabulous fashion adviser!),” she says. And about her father? “My dad is my hero, quite simply. He has unmatched integrity and fierce devotion to his patients. In a medical field of heightened emotion and anxiety, he handles each case with the utmost sensitivity and compassion. He treats his patients as he would treat his family. And when it comes to his family – nothing is of higher priority. (He still watches – and critiques – each and every one of my reports!).”

Reshef is also quick to gush about her husband, Daniel Frankenstein: “Daniel is the definition of a Renaissance man. He can (and does) DO IT ALL. By day he is the co-founder of a venture capital firm, while seamlessly juggling bus drop off, laundry, logistics and grocery runs. By night, he is a top notch chef and the most devoted hands-on dad. He is my chief cheerleader and has been from the day we met in 2003. We have been married 13 years and we often stop to marvel at the life and family we have built together. Daniel’s kindness, empathy, humor and optimism are infectious…He is my match in every way – without a doubt – my soulmate.”

But how did a nice Jewish girl from Oklahoma City catapult to the highest echelons of television journalism? Really, journalism found her, in a classic “only in America” story with a global twist: She was living in Israel when her television news career began, and it happened one evening while she was in the shower.

“I call it my serendipitous twist of fate. I was living in Israel with Daniel while we were engaged. I had just completed my Master's in Diplomacy and Conflict Studies, and I was beginning to think about the next step. Did I want to go into the counterterrorism field? Did I want to try to pursue a career in diplomacy? I've always been interested in foreign policy,” she says.

“My parents happened to be in town to celebrate and we were watching the English news on Channel One. Randomly, as only probably would happen in Israel, at the end of the broadcast, the anchors start discussing how two of their female colleagues were out on maternity leave and they needed someone to fill in,” she says. This is when her family hatched a plan.“My parents and Daniel are sitting in the living room, taking notes. I get out of the shower and Daniel tells me they've had this grand epiphany about what my career is going to be. And they tell me, ‘We think you should try out to be an anchor.’”

Reshef, a consummate realist, said things like, “You don't just try out to be an anchor.’ … And I'm giving them all these reasons why I won’t apply. But somehow in the end they convinced me to submit my resume. I was rejected outright.”

So she did. The network wrote her back, and politely said thanks but no thanks. “And I said to my husband, ‘See, I did it.’ And he says, ‘Oh, no, no, you write back and tell them they can't say no, until they meet with you. What do you have to lose?’” She got an interview slot.

After Googling how to read a TelePrompTer, Reshef set off for Jerusalem for her audition. “Days later, I traveled to Jerusalem for a “screen test” having never seen a teleprompter or a news set before. They hand me a big stack of papers and they say, ‘These are your scripts. We’ll call you when we're ready for you.’” She thought to herself, “Okay, this is sink or swim. The worst that happens is I make a fool out of myself and I walk out of here the same person I am, ego a little bruised.’” But to her shock, a day later, she got the job.

Initially, she says, she was terrible. “Admittedly, even my family was worried they may have made a mistake recommending this bold career move. Though had always been a voracious news consumer, let’s just say my TV debut was more than a bit rocky.” But I'm a quick study and I worked day in and day out to learn. I carefully observed the anchors around me. I watched and read as much news as possible. I studied, and I made it to the anchor desk within several months.”

Eventually, Reshef hit a career ceiling in Israel, around the same time Daniel realized his career needed a shift.

“My agent put me in front of all the networks, including ABC where an executive said to me, ‘Listen, I really like you and I can see you working for us in the future. But I want you to go to a local market and get more reps here in the U.S. … and then come back to me when you're ready.’ I now realize that was golden advice.” After dusting off her slightly bruised ego, Reshef did just that.

She endured a spate of rejections — then one day, a news director from the Oklahoma City ABC affiliate, who had no idea Reshef had grown up here, said yes. And she was off to the races.

As an ABC correspondent, she contributes to multiple segments of Good Morning America (GMA), and files stories for World News Tonight with David Muir, Nightline and ABC News Live, the network’s streaming platform. This woman is operating at full throttle, all day and into the night, five or six days a week. Here’s how it works. If she has a story in the first hour of “GMA,” she back-times from the time her story appears in the show, building in travel time and other variables. If she has a story in the second hour, “I always say my days are filled with ‘predictable unpredictability’. They generally begin with GMA. Once we correspondents finish our stories for GMA, we have other responsibilities to tape reports for our local affiliates and for our live streaming channel ABC News Live.” Whew.

But that’s not even half of her day. “Generally I come home after GMA and have a little bit of a break. I dial into our daily newsroom editorial call at 9am and then wait to hear if I’m assigned for World News Tonight with David Muir. In between there are often podcasts, radio reports and research or shoots for stories I’m working on. I’m always on call!”

Her day at this point is still moving fast. “Once the ‘World News Tonight’ work cycle begins, I connect with my team of producers and we talk through our story. I love to write and am generally integrally involved in scripting my pieces. I get in position for the show 30 minutes before my live shot. Once I’m cleared from ‘World News Tonight,’ there are a series of reports we tape for other ABC News platforms before packing up.”

After that, Reshef heads home, hopefully arriving before the kids go to bed. “I try to tuck my boys in almost every night when I’m not traveling and read to them. This is a commitment I made to them and to myself. It’s important to carve out quality time. We catch up on the day and I sing them to sleep. The minute they’re down, Daniel and I have dinner, then I crack open my computer and turn back to managing the story (sometimes stories) I’m prepping for GMA for the next day. It’s a mix of writing, texting with producers, and getting my scripts in order and approved by our legal and standards department. Then it’s picking out my outfit for the next day and trying to force myself to get some sleep.”

The family recently moved house and are now happily ensconced in a roomy Upper West Side apartment they purchased during the pandemic. While many New York City denizens left the city to ride out the initial, terrible waves of COVID, Reshef, Daniel and the boys made the decision to stay. As the real estate market tumbled in the city, a silver lining appeared. They bought their new home, something they would never have been able to afford before, in a Prewar co-op, and began a full renovation.

“I was obsessed with combing through properties. I love real estate. I kept sending my husband this listing for a dilapidated apartment that seemed to have great potential. He kept sending it right back to me saying ‘Dream on’.’” It had been on the market for over a year, and needed a full glow up: baseboards, walls, tiles, everything. But for Reshef, that was perfect.

During the height of the pandemic, ABC was carefully staggering reporters’ work so Reshef had a lot of downtime. “I'm a mind in motion. I need to be “doing” and “creating”. Especially during the pandemic, our renovation was a really good creative outlet for me. Because we seized on an unprecedented market, we ended up with an amazing space. If we hadn’t taken a major leap in THAT moment, we would never have been able to do this. The place was a diamond in the rough and needed a TOTAL overhaul. We had to put in about a year of work getting permits, dealing with supply chain issues and constantly adjusting plans, but now we're settled in and it's been a dream to live in a space we’ve designed specifically for our family.”

When Reshef isn’t in the thick of world events, she’s a homebody. Weekends are spent visiting farmers markets, walking with the kids and attending their Little League games. She counts her blessings every single day. “It's kind of surreal for this Oklahoma girl to be raising my kids in the middle of Manhattan. I adore it! Daniel’s a big city guy – San Francisco born and raised – so he thrives in the action. For me, New York is the epicenter of network news. Doing what I love, watching my family thrive, in this city full of energy and vibrancy. It’s beyond my wildest dreams.”

Travel Tips from a Global Correspondent

What do you bring to make a hotel room feel more like home?

I am a chronic over-packer. There is often no return date when I travel for work. I try to bring an extra pillowcase, a warm wrap that can be used as a blanket (I’ve stayed in some interesting places), my sleep eye mask (sometimes our hours are all over the place and this forces me to get rest when possible) and I usually have lavender oil in my go-bag to try to relax before I go to bed. I also love finding my kids’ little toys stashed in my bags and the pockets of my coats. That always reminds me of home and keeps me smiling and centered amid the chaos.

How many chargers?

I always have a phone charger in my tote … which is incongruous because somehow my phone is always on the verge of dying. For travel, I carry an external charger in my purse. I pack an extra phone charger in my suitcase. I pack TWO boxes of assorted converters if I’m traveling abroad. Recently I was in London, then Tel Aviv — let’s just say I was glad I had an extra set after I sparked some smoke with my curling iron and had to throw away a smoldering adapter.

What about snacks?

I NEVER travel without snacks. I have learned that I can’t function on an empty stomach, though once my adrenaline is pumping I can forget to stop for meals. I generally take a ton of low-sugar, high-protein snacks with me. That means lots of almonds and pecans. If there’s time, my husband Daniel packs me berries, turkey, cheese and low-carb crackers for the plane, helping me stave off a hangry meltdown. I am notorious among my field producers for having snacks on hand — and I always share!

Is there one lipstick shade that never lets you down?

I wear my favorite tried and true trio every day. Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk pink nude lipstick, Bobbi Brown Lipstick in Pink Cloud and Fenty Gloss in FU$$Y. I do my own hair and makeup for TV — something that has become a daily norm during the pandemic — so routine is key.

What can we learn from you about how to travel smarter?

The biggest lesson my job has taught me in terms of travel is to be flexible. I try to make sure I’m organized in case the phone rings and I have to drop everything to head out of town. I keep an extra set of all of my on-air makeup and makeup brushes ready to go. I also make sure I have several clear plastic cosmetic bags with medicines and other travel essentials. I have been through some SERIOUS baggage fiascos! So much so that I always make sure to pack one outfit I could wear on air, an extra set of pajamas and workout clothes in my carry-on. I know it seems excessive, but I’ve never been sorry!