Shabbat Shalom (NCIS)

"Shabbat Shalom"
NCIS episode
Ziva cries over her father's body
Episode no.	Season 10 Episode 11
Directed by	Dennis Smith
Written by	Christopher J. Waild
Original air date	January 8, 2013 (2013-01-08)
Guest appearance(s)
Michael Nouri as Mossad Director Eli David Paula Newsome as Jackie Vance Nasser Faris as Arash Kazmi Scott MacArthur as Navy Petty Officer Second Class Luke Grismer Cameron Watson as Randy Joe Martin Thomas as Navy Petty Officer Third Class Dion Kelso Mateus Ward as Austin Ryan Locke as Roland Ames Bryan Lugo as Navy Petty Officer Third Class Bruce Smith Russell Pitts as Navy Petty Officer Third Class Judd Norwood Brent Chase as Navy Petty Officer Third Class Nathan Thomas Jack Axelrod as Shmeil Pinkhas
Episode chronology
← Previous "You Better Watch Out" Next → "Shiva"
NCIS (season 10) List of NCIS episodes

"Shabbat Shalom" is the eleventh episode of the tenth season of the American police procedural drama NCIS, and the 221st episode overall. It originally aired on CBS in the United States on January 8, 2013. The episode is written by Christopher J. Waild and directed by Dennis Smith, and was seen by 21.11 million viewers.

The episode centers on the return of Ziva's father, Mossad Director Eli David, whom she has not seen in more than two years. Eli claims to be repentant for some of his past choices and that his motives are pure, though Ziva expresses doubt over his sincerity. Meanwhile, the team investigates the death of a man dressed in a petty officer's uniform whose body was found in a lake.

"Shabbat Shalom" is part of a two-episode story arc, followed by "Shiva", in which two recurring characters (Eli David and Jackie Vance) were killed off in a single shootout. It also sets in motion a long-term storyline leading up to the NCIS season finale. "Shabbat Shalom" was the first NCIS episode of 2013 and was received with mostly positive reviews.

Shabbat shalom (שַׁבָּת שָׁלוֹם), which literally means "a peaceful Sabbath" in Hebrew, is a common greeting used in Israel on the Jewish Sabbath. Several characters in the episode — Ziva and Eli David, Jackie and Leon Vance — are shown observing the Shabbat shortly before the fatal shootout at the end.

NCIS follows a team of government agents who work for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. The main cast includes Mark Harmon as team leader Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Michael Weatherly as Senior Agent Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo, Cote de Pablo as Mossad Liaison Officer turned NCIS Agent Ziva David, Pauley Perrette as Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto, Sean Murray as Special Agent Timothy McGee, David McCallum as Autopsy Technician Donald "Ducky" Mallard, Rocky Carroll as NCIS Director Leon Vance, and Brian Dietzen as Medical Assistant Jimmy Palmer.