Yitzhak Rabin, 1922-1995
Rabin was a two-time prime minister whose assassination shattered hopes for peace under the Oslo Accords, for which he shared the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize with Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat. He also signed a…
Itamar Rabinovich, 1942-
Diplomat and historian Rabinovich is a former ambassador to the United States and former president of Tel Aviv University. A former IDF lieutenant colonel, he was Israel’s chief negotiator with Syria in the 1990s. His…
Gideon Rafael, 1913-1999
Berlin-born Rafael made a career in diplomacy after time as a soldier with the Haganah and the British. He was part of the Jewish Agency‘s U.N. delegation in 1947, was a founder of the Foreign…
Ilan Ramon, 1954-2003
Israel’s first astronaut, Ramon was an air force colonel and pilot who flew in Operation Opera, which destroyed Iraq’s nuclear reactor in 1981. He was one of the seven crew members aboard the space shuttle…
Ronald Reagan, 1911-2004
Although considered pro-Israel, Reagan, the 40th U.S. president, acted to balance U.S. policy toward Israel and Arab states. Under Reagan, the United States halted F-16 sales to Israel after its raid on Iraq’s nuclear reactor…
Miri Regev, 1965-
Regev has served in the Knesset since 2013 as a member of Likud. During a 25-year military career in IDF public relations, she rose to the rank of brigadier general in the reserves. Her roles…
Reuven Rivlin, 1939-
The 10th president of Israel from 2014 to 2021, Rivlin was a Likud politician who served as the speaker of the Knesset from 2003 to 2006 and 2009 to 2013. As president, he pushed for…
Russell Robinson, 1956-
The CEO of the Jewish National Fund (JNF-USA) since 1997, Robinson has led programs to raise billions of dollars for Israeli infrastructure beyond trees, including reservoirs, the revival of Be’er Sheva, and the sustainable development…
Dennis Ross, 1948-
Working in the Defense Department, with the National Security Council or in the State Department under every president from Jimmy Carter to Barack Obama, Ross helped shape U.S. Middle East policy. He helped get Israel…
Hanna Rovina, 1888-1980
Called “the high priestess of the Hebrew theater” by a fellow actor, Belarus-born Rovina got her start onstage in Moscow with what became Israel’s national theater, Habimah. She was best known for playing Leah in…
John Ruskay, 1946-
Ruskay was the executive vice president and CEO of UJA-Federation of New York from 1999 to 2014, giving him influence over millions of dollars a year allocated within Israel. He remains a consultant to nonprofits…
