Golda Meir, 1898-1978CIE+
Born in Ukraine and raised in Wisconsin, Meir rose in Labor Zionism with the Histadrut and engaged in diplomacy for the Jewish Agency and Israel, including trying to keep Transjordan out of the 1948 war…
Merav Michaeli, 1966-CIE+
A Petah Tikvah native and Tel Aviv resident, Michaeli became the transportation minister in the governing coalition formed in June 2021. She is credited with reinvigorating the Labor Party since becoming its leader at the…
Mayer “Bubba” Mitchell, 1933-2007CIE+
A longtime resident of Alabama, Mitchell was the president of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee from 1990 to 1992 and AIPAC’s chairman from 1993 to 1996. As an activist and philanthropist for Jewish and…
Daniel Patrick Moynihan, 1927-2003CIE+
Moynihan was the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations in 1975 when the U.N. General Assembly passed Resolution 3379, equating Zionism with racism. He delivered a passionate speech lambasting the resolution and its supporters and…
Sheik Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, 1961-CIE+
Bin Zayed, known as MBZ, is the president of the United Arab Emirates and the ruler of Abu Dhabi. In August 2020 he signed the Abraham Accords to normalize relations between the UAE and Israel….
Adi Nes, 1966-CIE+
Kiryat Gat native Nes is one of Israel’s most prominent photographers. He stages art photos to convey themes of masculinity and identity, often reflecting the influence of iconic artworks and his experiences growing up gay…
Benjamin Netanyahu, 1949-CIE+
Netanyahu has served as the Likud leader for all but six years since 1993. He is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, holding the office from 1996 to 1999, 2009 to June 2021, and December 2022 to…
Yoni Netanyahu, 1946-1976CIE+
The older brother of Benjamin, Netanyahu was a military legend and the assault commander of the elite Sayeret Matkal commandos. A New York native who fought in the June 1967 war, he joined Sayeret Matkal…
Richard Nixon, 1913-1994CIE+
Though he expressed antisemitic views in private, Nixon as the 37th U.S. president authorized the airlift that replenished Israel’s arms during the October 1973 war, providing the means for Israel to end the war with…
Barack Obama, 1961-CIE+
The 44th U.S. president, Obama was less active in seeking Middle East peace than his three immediate predecessors and tried to strengthen relations with Israel’s neighbors. He split with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over…
Ayman Odeh, 1975-CIE+
An Arab politician and lawyer from Haifa, Odeh has led the far-left Hadash party since 2015 and headed the Joint List, a coalition of Arab-majority parties, in elections in 2019, 2020 and 2021. He served…
Ehud Olmert, 1945-CIE+
Olmert, a 10-year Jerusalem mayor, served as Israel’s 12th prime minister from 2006 to 2009, taking office for Kadima after Ariel Sharon’s stroke and resigning amid charges of bribery and obstruction of justice, for which…
Shaike Ophir, 1928-1987CIE+
A Palmach veteran of the War of Independence, Ophir was a comedian, actor and singer for whom the Israeli Film Academy Award was named. He starred in almost 30 films, including the Hebrew version of…
Amos Oz, 1939-2018CIE+
Oz was a journalist, a novelist and one of the first Israeli intellectuals to endorse a two-state solution through his 1967 article “Land of Our Forefathers.” He was a frequent critic of Israel’s military policies…
Shahar Pe’er, 1987-CIE+
Israel’s most successful tennis player, Pe’er won five singles and three doubles titles on the Women’s Tennis Association tour. Her highest world ranking was No. 11 in 2011. She reached the singles quarterfinals of two…
Shimon Peres, 1923-2016
Peres is the only Israeli to serve as prime minister and president. Born in Belarus, he arrived in Palestine in 1934. He helped establish and arm the initial IDF in the 1940s and launched a…
Itzhak Perlman, 1945-CIE+
Perlman is an acclaimed violinist and conductor who was born in Tel Aviv, survived polio at age 4, and lives and teaches in New York. He has performed for U.S. presidents and British Queen Elizabeth…
Edis De Philippe, 1912-1979CIE+
A New York-born opera singer, De Philippe founded the Israel National Opera Company in 1947. She settled in Palestine after World War II and performed with the Palestine Folk Opera in 1945 and for the…
Yohanan Plesner, 1972-CIE+
London-born Plesner has served since 2014 as the president of the nonpartisan Israel Democracy Institute, which conducts polling and advocates for government reforms to strengthen democracy. He was in the Knesset from 2007 to 2013…
Yehoshua Porath, 1938-2019CIE+
Porath specialized in the history of Palestinian nationalism as a professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His books include “Palestine Jewry and the Arab Question, 1917-1925” and “In…
Natalie Portman, 1981-CIE+
Jerusalem-born actress Portman made her film debut as the star of 1994’s “Leon: The Professional.” She won an Oscar for 2010’s “Black Swan” and was nominated for two others. Her directorial debut was the 2015…
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-CIE+
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, 1913-1999CIE+
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…
