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Top 20 Famous Israeli people

*Originally published by Philipp A in April 2023 and Updated by Vanessa R in March 2024

The Israelis are not only popular at home but also abroad. They have made a name for themselves in Hollywood, the sports world, technology, and the arts.

Some of the well-known Israelis include Gal Gadot famous for her role as Wonder Woman, Benjamin Netanyahu the Prime Minister among others.  

Other fields that the Israelis have dominated include technology, medical research, innovation, literature, science, sports, fashion, religious leadership and humanitarian aid.

These innovative people have made their mark in Israel and the world at large.

On our list today of the top 110 famous Israeli people, we will look at prominent personalities who have exerted amazing influence in Israel and the world stage.

Check out the top 20 list below.

1.  Benjamin Netanyahu – Prime Minister

Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia

Benjamin Netanyahu currently serves as Leader of the Opposition (2021) as well as the chairman of the Likud (National Liberal Movement).

Netanyahu has served in the office of the Prime Minister for a total of 15 years, making him the longest-serving Israeli prime minister in history.

He became popular with the rest of the world due to his political agility and eloquence in the English language.

Currently, Israel has a coalition government led by Benjamin Netanyahu and Naftali Bennet.

Netanyahu supports the rights of LGBTQ persons in Israel. He was quoted saying that every person was created in the image of God.

2. Ariel Sharon – Former Prime Minister

Ariel Sharon was an Israeli general and politician who served as the 11th Prime Minister of Israel. He ruled from March 2001 until April 2006.

Sharon was a commander in the Israeli Army from its creation in 1948. He was the leader of Likud in 2000. A year later he beat Ehud Barak to become the Prime Minister in 2001.

From the 1970s to the 1990s, Ariel Sharon championed the construction of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

Sharon suffered a haemorrhagic stroke in 2006. He remained in a long-term care facility until 2014 when he died.

3. Omri Casspi – Athlete

Photo by Pkantz – Wikimedia

Omri is the only Israeli currently in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He has been representing Israel in the championships for a while.

Casspi, who is 29 years old, plays for the Golden State Warriors together with Stephen Curry. This is his 6^th team in his 9-year career in Basketball.

His shirt is number 18, which he considers to be his lucky number. It is also a symbol of life in Hebrew.

Omri Casspi is a proud Israeli who always considers his impression back home.  He is indeed a good Israeli brand ambassador.

4. Aharon Aharon – Techie

Aharon Aharon is an Israeli who is the CEO of the Israeli Innovation Authority, formerly known as the Office of the Chief Scientist of the Economy Ministry.

He owns several start-ups that have greatly influenced Israel’s economy. His new role as the head of Israel’s central agency involves managing innovations.

Aharon ensures that innovations help foster development in Israel. Before taking the government job, Aharon was Apple Israel’s CEO in 2011.

He has also worked in the private sector including tech firms like IBM. Through his experience, he is able to analyse data that helps Israel position itself in the high-tech scene of the rest of the world.

5. Oron Yacoby-Zeevi – Scientist

Oron Yacoby-Zeevi is Neuroderm Chief Scientist Officer. The company is Israel’s clinical-stage pharmaceutical firm that develops next-generation treatments for disorders of the central nervous system.

The firm was sold to Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma for $1.1 billion in what is said to be Israel’s largest Pharma exit earlier this year.

Yacoby-Zeevi was part of the team that brokered the sale of the form. She is also the head of its technological solution.

This firm has developed a liquid version of a drug already in existence to treat Parkinson’s Disease.

It is considered to be a trailblazing achievement that will improve the lives of patients around the world.

6. Esther Hayut – Supreme Court President

Photo Courtesy of The Judiciary of Israel – Wikimedia

After Esther graduated from high school, she was enlisted into the Israel Defense Forces. She served in the military music band of Central Command.

Esther then attended law school after she was discharged from the military. In1977, Esther graduated from Tel Aviv University with a law degree.

It was at the university that she met her husband, David Hayut. They have two sons.

Hayut was an intern at the law firm of Haim Yosef Zadok, a former Israeli Minister of Justice. She was employed in the same firm where she worked as an associate lawyer from 1977 to 1985.

Years later, she left the firm and opened her independent law firm together with her husband.

In 2017, she was appointed as the Supreme Court president, her main responsibility being restoring the public’s faith in the court system.    

7. Sivan Ya’ari – Social Entrepreneur

Sivan is a humanitarian who runs the Innovation: Africa, Israeli Heart and Mind. The organization that has branches in Africa has been able to transform the lives of 1 Million people.

This non-profit organization brings solar power, water and other agricultural innovations to rural African villages.

Ya’ari was touched to help African families after she visited the continent at a very young age. Today, more than 1.8 million people can access water in more than 10 African countries.  

She established the organization in 2008. Her work in the continent has been ongoing for more than two decades.

8. Natalie Portman – Actress

Photo by Gage Skidmore – Wikimedia

The super talented Natalie Portman was born in Jerusalem as Natalie Hershlag. Her family later moved to the United States when she was young.

She is currently an actor, director, and producer. Natalie has won an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.

These awards were for her role in the film Black Swan (2010). Other popular movies that Natalie has featured in include A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015) and Jackie (2016).

While not acting, Natalie is busy producing films. Here are some that she has directed; Eve (2008) and A Tale of Love and Darkness (2015).

9. Elie Tahari – Fashion Designer

Elie Tahari is a fashion designer whose name is on the label of clothing, shoes, sunglasses and accessories sold in more than 600 stores in 40-plus countries. The headquarters of the fashion company is based in New York.

Tahari was born near Jerusalem in 1952. His parents are Iranians who migrated to Israel.

He emigrated to the United States where he worked in clothing factories. In 1973, Tahari launched his eponymous label.

His apparel has been featured in popular television shows like Ally McBeal, The X Files and Will n Grace.

Tahari was honoured in 2014 with the Ellis Island Medal of Honour for his significant contribution to the United States.

10. Noa Tohar Tishby – Actress & Activist

Photo by Moshe Milner – Wikimedia

Noa Tishby was born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel. Her family is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent. She served for two years in the Israel Defense Forces as a singer in a military band.

After her time in the army, Tishby received a drama scholarship to the Tel Aviv National Museum of Arts.

While in college, she played the lead in the Israeli soap opera Ramat Aviv Gimmel.

In 2018 she acted in the Showtime drama The Affair.

11. Gal Gadot – Famous Actress

Gal Gadot is a very famous actress most known recently for playing the superhero Wonder Woman in popular modern movies. She became extremely famous around the world when she starred as Wonder Woman in the first stand-alone film about the character in 2017.

Before Gal was an actress, she served in the Israeli military and also worked as a fashion model. Many fans really like her performance as Wonder Woman, saying she displays the character’s strength, compassion, and grace very well. Since Wonder Woman, Gal Gadot’s fame has made her one of Israel’s most recognizable cultural celebrities.

12. Amos Oz – Prominent Author and Intellectual

, , via Wikimedia Commons

Amos Oz was a very well-regarded Israeli writer and thinker who wrote over 30 books and was considered by many as a top choice for the Nobel Prize in Literature. He authored famous fiction novels and non-fiction works about Israel’s society and politics.

Amos Oz was also a public intellectual who advocated loudly for peace between Israel and Palestine based around the two-state solution. He frequently made bold political statements and was seen as an influential national writer as well as a moral voice in Israel. Many Israelis mourned his death in 2018.

13. Shimon Peres – Veteran Political Leader and Peace Prize Winner

Shimon Peres was one of the most famous Israeli political leaders of the 20th century. He held nearly every major political office in the country during his long career, including Prime Minister and President.

Shimon Peres is most acclaimed and beloved for dedicating decades of work to trying to make peace between Israel and Arab nations, particularly the Oslo Accords in the 1990s – this is why he won the esteemed Nobel Peace Prize in 1994. Peres worked in Israeli politics and government until his death at age 93 in 2016, leaving a towering legacy of leadership and attempts to make peace.

14. Yityish “Titi” Aynaw – First Ethiopian-Born Miss Israel

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Yityish “Titi” Aynaw made history in 2013 when she became the first Ethiopian-born woman to be crowned Miss Israel. Her win was celebrated nationally as significant for Ethiopian-Israelis.

Titi herself moved to Israel from Ethiopia with her Jewish Ethiopian family when she was 12 years old. Before winning the historic pageant title, she served as an officer in the Israeli Defense Forces. Since her barrier-breaking achievement as the first Black Miss Israel, Titi Aynaw remains an influential public figure, model, and activist promoting greater diversity and inclusion in Israeli society.

15. Gilad Shalit – IDF Soldier Freed after Years in Hamas Captivity

Gilad Shalit became an internationally famous Israeli figure in 2011 when he was released from 5 years of captivity by Hamas militants in Gaza. He was only 19 years old in 2006 when he was captured near the Gaza border while serving as an IDF soldier.

Shalit’s lengthy capture and release prompted one of the largest prisoner exchanges in Israel’s history. His youth and the sympathy he garnered made him a household name representing the high personal costs of the conflict with Palestine. Footage of Shalit finally returning home to his family following years of campaigning generated massive media attention and relief in Israel.

16. Bar Refaeli – Famed Model and TV Host

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Bar Refaeli is considered Israel’s most famous supermodel on the international stage. She gained widespread recognition in 2007 when she appeared in Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit edition.

This launched a successful modeling career with her image appearing on the covers of magazines like Cosmopolitan, Elle, Esquire, and more over the years. Refaeli has been the highest paid model in Israel’s history. Beyond print modeling, she hosted Israel’s version of The X Factor talent competition. Bar Refaeli’s high profile name and photogenic image have made her one of modern Israel’s most iconic exports in fashion and media.

17. Omri Katz – Actor Known for Major 90s Roles

Omri Katz is an Israeli-American actor most famous for major roles he played as a child star in the 1990s. He reached the height of his fame for starring in the Disney Channel series Eerie, Indiana as a kid leading a town of strange occurrences.

Katz also played a memorable role as one of the main children in the beloved supernatural film Hocus Pocus. While his acting career slowed down after the 90s, Omri Katz’s performances in these popular shows made him one of Israel’s most famous entertainers of that decade, especially among young viewers at the time.

18. David Blatt – Israeli Basketball Coach in NBA Finals

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David Blatt achieved renown in Israeli sports and global basketball when he coached the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA team to the championship Finals in 2015. This made him the first Israeli coach to reach the Finals in the NBA’s history.

While Cleveland lost, making it there sparked immense pride among Israelis and fans. Blatt also coached Israel’s national basketball team in the Olympics. His high-profile position directing one of the NBA’s top teams brought Blatt more fame than any Israeli basketball figure prior.

19. Yitzhak Rabin – Slain Prime Minister and Peace Prize Winner

Yitzhak Rabin was the Israeli Prime Minister in the 1990s most known for the peace accords he architected with Palestinian leaders, for which he won the 1994 Nobel Peace Prize jointly with Shimon Peres.

Tragically, Rabin was assassinated by an extremist Israeli in 1995 for concessions made to Palestinians in the deals. This shocking murder made him a martyr in the eyes of many seeking reconciliation with Palestine. Yitzhak Rabin remains one of the most revered, respected, and mourned leaders in all of Israel’s history decades later.

20. Gal Hertz – Noted Fashion Model and TV Personality

While less famous globally than Bar Refaeli, Gal Hertz stands as Israel’s top supermodel domestically in recent times. She has appeared widely in Israeli fashion magazines and tabloids.

Hertz has gained more fame nationally by also being a television presenter and media personality beyond the runway and fashion shoots. She has hosted various televised singing contests, award ceremonies, and entertainment programs popular in Israel. This diversity of modeling along with an on-screen TV presence has made Gal Hertz a foremost celebrity in Israeli pop culture.