Hollywood star Henry Winkler has spoken of his pride in being a Jew while on his first visit to Israel.

The American actor - best-known as the Fonz in Happy Days - was speaking as he takes a part in the comedy series Chanshi, about a young religious woman from Brooklyn who breaks off with her family and moves to Israel.

On a visit on Wednesday to students at the Sam Spiegel School For Film And Television in Jerusalem, he told the Jerusalem Post: “I love being a Jew.”

Chanshi is based loosely on the experiences of one its creators, Aleeza Chanowitz. Winkler is playing the girl’s father in the US-Israeli series.

The 76-year-old star explained why it was only now he and his wife of 44 years, Stacey, had come to Israel.

He said: “Here’s the truth. I was petrified. I thought I’m going to get off the plane, I’m going to step foot on terra firma Israel, a war will break out at that moment. Irrational? Maybe. Meshuggeh? Maybe.”

He added: “Then I got the script and I thought, ‘Well, no, I’m not ready yet.’ And then the government said, ‘We’re going to show you Israel and you’ll do the show.’ And I said to myself, from one minute of ‘No,’ to ‘If not now, when?’ And here I am.”

Winkler revealed he had enjoyed a lunch with director Quentin Tarantino in Tel Aviv earlier on Wednesday: "He was charming and smart and inspired and enthusiastic... I was in heaven.”

He added that he is a “huge fan” of Fauda and its star Lior Raz, saying also: “I love it that Israelis are so feisty... people are so direct and it knocks you to the floor.”

Winkler has enjoyed a career revival in recent years, winning an Emmy for his part in the HBO comedy Barry and last year appearing in the Wes Anderson film The French Dispatch.