Ofra Haza, 1957-2000 CIE+ members only
Born into a Yemeni family in Tel Aviv, singer Haza helped popularize Mizrahi culture. Her song “Ga’agu’im” (“Yearning”) launched her career in 1973. She was Israel’s Singer of the Year from 1980 to 1983 and…
Dana International, 1969- CIE+ members only
International, whose real name is Sharon Cohen, is a pop singer and former drag performer. She became Israel’s third Eurovision Song Contest winner with “Diva” in 1998. She released her first album in 1993, the…
Dalia Itzik, 1952- CIE+ members only
The first female speaker of the Knesset from 2006 to 2009, Itzik was a teacher who began her political career as the chair of the Jerusalem Teachers Union for five years. She was elected to…
Gadeer Kamal-Mreeh, 1984- CIE+ members only
A lifelong resident of the Druze village of Daliyat al-Karmel, Kamal-Mreeh in 2017 became the first non-Jewish woman to anchor a Hebrew-language news program on Israeli television. In 2019, as part of Blue and White,…
Noa Kirel, 2001- CIE+ members only
Kirel is a pop star and actress of Mizrahi and Ashkenazi ancestry who is Israel’s 2023 Eurovision contestant. She released her first songs at 14. She won the MTV Europe Music Award for best Israeli…
Sigalit Landau, 1969- CIE+ members only
Landau is a Jerusalem-born artist who studied at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, then worked in the United States and United Kingdom. Her pieces are multimedia, including drawing, sculpture, video and performance. She…
Sarah Levy-Tanai, 1910-2005 CIE+ members only
One of Israel’s foremost choreographers and a 1973 Israel Prize winner, Levy-Tanai also produced plays and drew inspiration from her Mizrahi roots in her art. A Jerusalem native who was largely raised in orphanages, she…
Shahar Pe’er, 1987- CIE+ members only
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…
Edis De Philippe, 1912-1979 CIE+ members only
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…
Natalie Portman, 1981- CIE+ members only
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…
Prominent Women in Israel’s Past and Present CIE+ members only
Below is a list of women who have made significant contributions to Israel in politics, culture, business and science. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but one that is meant to represent the vast contributions…
Hanna Rovina, 1888-1980 CIE+ members only
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…
Noa Sattath, 1977- CIE+ members only
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…
CIE’s Leadership Series CIE+ members only
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.
Anita Shapira, 1940- CIE+ members only
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…
Naomi Shemer, 1930-2004 CIE+ members only
Singer-songwriter Shemer was considered the “first lady of Israeli song.” She wrote “Jerusalem of Gold” (“Yerushalayim Shel Zahav”) for the 1967 Israel Song Festival, and it became the anthem for a united Jerusalem after the…
Pnina Tamano-Shata, 1981- CIE+ members only
A lawyer and TV journalist, Tamano-Shata in 2013 became the first Ethiopian-born woman in the Knesset. She also is the first Ethiopian-born Cabinet member, serving as immigrant absorption minister since May 2020 under three prime…
Noa Wertheim, 1965- CIE+ members only
A dancer and choreographer, Wertheim is the artistic director of Vertigo Dance Company, founded with partner Adi Shaal in Jerusalem in 1992. They added a dance school in 1997 and in 2007 established the Vertigo…
Ada Yonath, 1939- CIE+ members only
Yonath is the first Israeli woman to receive a Nobel Prize, sharing the chemistry prize in 2009 for work on ribosomes, which are crucial proteins in cells. She used X-ray crystallography to map ribosomes’ structure,…
Ghaida Rinawie Zoabi, 1972- CIE+ members only
Zoabi serves as an Arab member of the Knesset for Meretz and deputy speaker and is an activist for Arab rights. Forbes named her one of Israel’s 50 most influential women in 2018. She was…
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