Given the geopolitical importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, it's fair to say that Ziva has occupied a place of outsized importance among NCIS' expansive cast. She's been praised as an important Jewish figure in the television landscape, one who provides much-needed exposure to American audiences lacking positive images of Israel and Israeli society. The Jerusalem Post published an article that cheered Ziva as the most prominent Israeli character on American network TV, and quite a popular show at that. Over that respectable 194-episode tenure, Ziva earned a lot of fans - including prominent rabbis, journalists and political scientists.
