Ilan Ramon, 1954-2003CIE+
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, 1911-2004CIE+
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-CIE+
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-CIE+
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-CIE+
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-CIE+
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, 1888-1980CIE+
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-CIE+
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…
Haim Saban, 1944-
Saban is a multibillionaire music, film and TV producer who founded Saban Entertainment, creator of “Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.” A native of Egypt, he immigrated to Israel in 1956. He started a tour promotion business…
Anwar Sadat, 1918-1981CIE+
Sadat was elevated from Egypt’s vice president to president after Gamal Abdel Nasser died in 1970. With Syria, he launched the October 1973 war against Israel. He flew to Israel four years later in pursuit…
Pinhas Sapir, 1906-1975CIE+
Labor Party politician Sapir played a vital role in the development of the Israeli economy. Born in Poland as Pinhas Kozlowski, he immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1929. He served in the Cabinet…
Noa Sattath, 1977-CIE+
Sattath became the executive director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel in November 2021 after 11 years leading the Reform movement’s Israel Religious Action Center. The rabbi also served as the executive director…
Alexander Schindler, 1925-2000CIE+
Serving from 1973 to 1996 as the president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, Schindler aligned the Reform movement with Zionism. Going back to the mid-19th century, Reform had emphasized Jewish religion over peoplehood….
Gershom Scholem, 1897-1982CIE+
A brilliant scholar of Jewish mysticism and messianism, Berlin-born Scholem arrived in the Land of Israel in 1923 after completing his doctorate and taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he was the first…
Charles and Lynn Schusterman, 1935-2000 and 1939-CIE+
Charles Schusterman, born in the Soviet Union, and wife Lynn, a Missouri native, used their Oklahoma oil wealth to launch the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. The foundation is deeply involved in Israeli and…
CIE’s Leadership SeriesCIE+
The Leadership series is a biographical collection of ebooks on a diverse set of individuals who have influenced Israel’s history, politics, and culture. The first six ebooks in this series are: David Ben-Gurion, Shimon Peres, Golda Meir, Ilan Ramon, Netta Barzilai, and Naomi Shemer.
Stav Shaffir, 1985-CIE+
Shaffir was the youngest-ever female member of the Knesset when she was elected with the Labor Party in 2013. She remained in the Knesset until 2020. She leads the Green Party. She rose to prominence…
Nachman Shai, 1946-CIE+
Shai, a Labor Party member who served in the Knesset from 2009 to 2019, became the Diaspora affairs minister under Naftali Bennett in 2021. He was the IDF’s chief spokesman during the 1991 Persian Gulf…
Ayelet Shaked, 1976-CIE+
An electrical engineer, Shaked in June 2021 became the interior minister under Naftali Bennett, her close ally as they have moved from the Jewish Home to the New Right and Yamina. She served in the…
Shimon Shamir, 1933-CIE+
Shimon Shamir was Israel’s first ambassador to Jordan and its second to Egypt. A scholar of the Middle East, he is a professor emeritus in the faculty of humanities at Tel Aviv University. He was…
Yitzhak Shamir, 1915-2012CIE+
Belarus-born Shamir was the seventh prime minister, serving two terms between 1983 and 1992. He was a Lehi leader during the British Mandate. As a Likud prime minister, he approved Operation Solomon to airlift in…
Anita Shapira, 1940-CIE+
Shapira is a historian of Zionism and modern Israel and a professor emerita at Tel Aviv University. Her books include 2012 National Jewish Book Award winner Israel: A History and biographies of Berl Katznelson, David…
Natan Sharansky, 1948-CIE+
One of the most famous Jewish refuseniks in the Soviet Union, Natan Sharansky survived Siberian imprisonment to make it to Israel, where he became a politician, author and Jewish Agency chairman.
Moshe Sharett, 1894-1965CIE+
The first foreign minister and second prime minister of Israel, Ukraine-born Sharett (originally Shertok) was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and one of the key negotiators of cease-fire agreements that ended the War…
