List of Israelis
This is a list of prominent Israelis.
Academics
Archaeology
- Israel Finkelstein
- Amihai Mazar
- Benjamin Mazar
- Eilat Mazar
- Yigael Yadin
Biology and medicine
- Aaron Valero – Professor of Medicine, founder of Faculty of Medicine at the Technion, director of government hospital
- Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko – ubiquitin system; Lasker Award, Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Moshe Feldenkrais – invented Feldenkrais method used in movement therapy
- Hossam Haick – inventor of an electric nose for diagnosis of cancer
- Israel Hanukoglu – structures of cytoskeletal keratins, NADP binding proteins, steroidogenic enzymes, Epithelial Sodium Channels
- Gavriel Iddan – inventor of capsule endoscopy
- Benjamin Kahn – marine biologist, defender of the Red Sea reef
- Alexander Levitzki – cancer research; Wolf Prize in Medicine
- Yadin Dudai – memory research
- Gideon Mer – scientist, malaria control
- Saul Merin – ophthalmologist, author of Inherited Eye Diseases
- Raphael Mechoulam – chemist, discoverer of tetrahydrocannabinol and anandamide
- Leo Sachs – blood cell research; Wolf Prize in Medicine
- Asya Rolls - psychoneuroimmunologist
- Michael Sela and Ruth Arnon – developed Copaxone; Wolf Prize in Medicine
- Rahel Straus – German-Jewish medical doctor and feminist
- Joel Sussman – 3D structure of acetylcholinesterase, Elkeles Prize for Research in Medicine
- Meir Wilchek – affinity chromatography; Wolf Prize in Medicine
- Ada Yonath – structure of ribosome, Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Amotz Zahavi – Handicap Principle
- Abraham Zangen – psycholobiology
Computing and mathematics
- Ron Aharoni – mathematician
- Noga Alon – mathematician, computer scientist, winner of the Gödel Prize
- Shimshon Amitsur – mathematician ring theory abstract algebra
- Robert Aumann – mathematician game theory; Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
- Amir Ban and Shay Bushinsky – programmers of Junior
- Yehoshua Bar-Hillel – machine translation
- Joseph Bernstein – mathematician
- Eli Biham – differential cryptanalysis
- Yair Censor – mathematician
- Aryeh Dvoretzky – mathematician, eighth president of the Weizmann Institute of Science
- Uriel Feige – computer scientist, winner of the Gödel Prize
- Abraham Fraenkel – ZF set theory
- Hillel Furstenberg – mathematician; Wolf Prize in Mathematics
- Shafi Goldwasser – computer scientist, winner of the Gödel Prize
- David Harel – computer science; Israel Prize
- Abraham Lempel and Jacob Ziv – LZW compression; IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal
- Joram Lindenstrauss – mathematician Johnson–Lindenstrauss lemma
- Elon Lindenstrauss – mathematician
- Michel Loève – probabilist
- Joel Moses – MIT provost and writer of Macsyma
- Yoram Moses – computer scientist, winner of the Gödel Prize
- Judea Pearl – artificial intelligence, philosophy of action
- Ilya Piatetski-Shapiro – representation theory; Wolf Prize in Mathematics
- Amir Pnueli – temporal logic; Turing Award
- Michael O. Rabin – nondeterminism, primality testing; Turing Award
- Shmuel Safra – computer scientist, winner of the Gödel Prize
- Nir Shavit – computer scientist, winner of the Gödel Prize
- Adi Shamir – RSA encryption, differential cryptanalysis; Turing Award
- Saharon Shelah – logic; Wolf Prize in Mathematics
- Ehud Shapiro – Concurrent Prolog, DNA computing pioneer
- Moshe Y. Vardi – computer scientist, winner of the Gödel Prize
- Avi Wigderson – randomized algorithms; Nevanlinna Prize
- Doron Zeilberger – combinatorics
Engineering
- David Faiman – solar engineer and director of the National Solar Energy Center
- Liviu Librescu – Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics at Virginia Tech, killed in the Virginia Tech massacre
- Hagit Messer Yaron – professor of electrical engineering
- Moshe Zakai – electrical engineering
- Jacob Ziv – electrical engineering
Humanities
- Aharon Dolgopolsky – linguist: Nostratic
- Moshe Goshen-Gottstein – Biblical scholar
- Elias Khoury – law
- Hans Jakob Polotsky – linguist
- Chaim Rabin – Biblical scholar
- Alice Shalvi – English literature, educator
- Gershon Shaked – Hebrew literature
- Shemaryahu Talmon – Biblical scholar
- Emanuel Tov – Biblical scholar
- Ghil'ad Zuckermann – linguist, revivalist
Philosophy
- Martin Buber
- Berl Katznelson
- Yeshayahu Leibowitz
- Avishai Margalit
- Joseph Raz
- Gershom Scholem
Physics and chemistry
- Yakir Aharonov – Aharonov–Bohm effect; Wolf Prize in Physics
- Amiram Barkai – biochemist
- Jacob Bekenstein – black hole thermodynamics; Wolf Prize in Physics
- David Deutsch – quantum computing pioneer; Paul Dirac Prize
- Joshua Jortner and Rafi Levine – molecular energy; Wolf Prize in Chemistry
- Josef Imry – physicist
- Aaron Katzir – physical chemistry
- Ephraim Katzir – immobilized enzymes; Japan Prize The fourth President of Israel List of Presidents of Israel
- Michael Levitt – Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Zvi Lipkin – physicist
- Dan T. Major – professor of chemistry
- Boris Mavashev – seismologist
- Mordehai Milgrom – Modified Newtonian Dynamics
- Yuval Ne'eman – the "Eightfold way"
- Asher Peres – quantum theory
- Giulio Racah – spectroscopy
- Nathan Rosen – EPR paradox
- Nathan Seiberg – string theory
- Dan Shechtman – quasicrystals; Wolf Prize in Physics, Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Igal Talmi – nuclear physics
- Reshef Tenne – discovered inorganic fullerenes and inorganic nanotubes
- Arieh Warshel – Nobel Prize in Chemistry
- Chaim Weizmann – acetone production
- Uri Banin – chemist
Social sciences
- Yehuda Bauer – historian
- Daniel Elazar – political scientist
- Esther Farbstein – historian
- Haim Ginott – psychologist: child psychology
- Eliyahu Goldratt – business consultant: Theory of Constraints
- Louis Guttman – sociologist
- Michael Harris – scholar, academic leader
- Elhanan Helpman – economist: international trade
- Daniel Kahneman – behavioural scientist: prospect theory; Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences
- Smadar Lavie – anthropologist
- Benny Morris – historian
- Erich Neumann – analytical psychologist: development, consciousness
- Nurit Peled-Elhanan – educator
- Renee Rabinowitz – psychologist and lawyer
- Sheizaf Rafaeli – management, information, communication
- Anat Rafaeli – organisational behaviour
- Ariel Rubinstein – economist
- Moshe Sharon – historian
- Avi Shlaim – historian
- Amos Tversky – behavioral scientist: prospect theory with Daniel Kahneman
- Yuval Noah Harari - historian and author who wrote best selling book
Activists
- Uri Avnery – peace activist, Gush Shalom
- Yael Dayan – writer, politician, activist
- Esther Eillam – feminist activist
- Uzi Even – gay rights activist
- Yehuda Glick – activist for Jewish rights at the Temple Mount
- Shula Keshet – Mizrahi feminist, activist and artist
- Uri Savir – peace negotiator, Peres Center for Peace
- Israel Shahak – political activist
- Natan Sharansky – Soviet-era human rights activist
- Ronny Edry and Michal Tamir – originators of the Israel-Loves-Iran peace movement and its offshoots
Architects
- Michael Arad
- Ram Karmi
- Richard Kaufmann
- David Kroyanker
- David Resnick
- Moshe Safdie
- Arieh Sharon
Athletes
Association Football
- Ryan Adeleye – Israeli-American defender
- Eyal Ben Ami – midfielder various clubs, national team
- Yaniv Ben-Nissan – midfielder
- Dudu Aouate – goalkeeper
- Jonathan Assous – defensive midfielder, of French origin
- Gai Assulin – winger/attacking midfielder
- Pini Balili – striker
- Yossi Benayoun – attacking midfielder, national team captain, Hapoel Be'er Sheva, Maccabi Haifa, Racing Santander, West Ham United, Liverpool, Chelsea
- Gil Cain – defender, Hapoel Azor
- David "Dedi" Ben Dayan – left defender
- Tal Ben Haim – center back/right back, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, West Ham United
- Eyal Berkovic – midfielder, Maccabi Haifa, Southampton, West Ham United, Celtic, Manchester City, Portsmouth
- Daniel Brailovski – midfielder
- Roberto Colautti – Argentian born-striker
- Tomer Chencinski – goaltender
- Avi Cohen – defender, Liverpool and national team
- Tamir Cohen – midfielder
- Rami Gershon – centre back / left back
- Tvrtko Kale – Croatia/Israel, goalkeeper
- Yaniv Katan – forward/winger
- Eli Ohana – won UEFA Cup Winners' Cup and Bravo Award ; national team; manager
- Haim Revivo – attacking/side midfielder, Maccabi Haifa, Celta de Vigo, Fenerbahçe, Galatasaray
- Ronnie Rosenthal – left winger/striker, Maccabi Haifa, Liverpool, Tottenham, Watford
- Ben Sahar – striker/winger
- Mordechai Spiegler – striker, manager
- Idan Tal – midfielder
- Toto Tammuz – Nigerian born-forward
- Nicolás Tauber – goalkeeper of Argentine origin
- Salim Tuama – soccer player playing for Hapoel Tel Aviv who has in the past played for Standard Liège, Maccabi Petah Tikva, Kayserispor, Larissa and the youth club Gadna Tel Aviv Yehuda.
- Yochanan Vollach – defender ; current president of Maccabi Haifa
- Pini Zahavi – UK-based super-agent
- Itzik Zohar – attacking midfielder, Maccabi Jaffa, Maccabi Tel Aviv, Royal Antwerp, Beitar Jerusalem, Crystal Palace, Maccabi Haifa, Maccabi Herzliya, Maccabi Netanya, F.C. Ashdod, Hapoel Nazareth Illit
Basketball
- Miki Berkovich – Maccabi Tel Aviv
- David Blu –, Euroleague 6' 7" forward
- Tal Brody – Euroleague 6' 2" shooting guard, Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Tal Burstein – Maccabi Tel Aviv
- Omri Casspi – 6' 9" small forward, drafted in 1st round of 2009 NBA Draft
- Tanhum Cohen-Mintz – 6' 8" center; 2x Euroleague All-Star
- Shay Doron – WNBA 5' 9" guard, University of Maryland
- Lior Eliyahu – 6' 9" power forward, NBA draft 2006, but completed mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces and played in the Euroleague
- Tamir Goodman – U.S. and Israel, 6' 3" shooting guard
- Yotam Halperin – 6' 5" guard, drafted in 2006 NBA draft by Seattle SuperSonics
- T.J. Leaf – NBA basketball player
- Gal Mekel – NBA basketball player
- Yehoshua Rozin – Israeli basketball coach
- Derrick Sharp – American-Israeli basketball player
- Amit Tamir – 6' 10" center/forward, University of California, PAOK Thessaloniki
Bodybuilding
- Alana Shipp – American/Israeli IFBB professional bodybuilder
Boxing
- Salamo Arouch – middleweight champion of Greece, lightweight, welterweight, middleweight. He survived the Holocaust by boxing for the entertainment of Nazi officers in Auschwitz Concentration Camp. His story was portrayed in the 1989 film "Triumph of the Spirit"
- Sarah Avraham – kickboxer, 2014 Women's World Thai-Boxing Champion in 57–63 kilos
- Hagar Finer – WIBF bantamweight champion
- Yuri Foreman – U.S. middleweight and World Boxing Association super welterweight champion
- Roman Greenberg –, International Boxing Organization's Intercontinental heavyweight champion
- Pavlo Ishchenko – 2-time European Amateur Boxing Championships medalist, and European Games medalist
- Yulia Sachkov – world champion kickboxer
Fencing
- Boaz Ellis – foil, 5-time Israeli champion
- Yuval Freilich – épée, 2019 European Epee Champion
- Lydia Hatoel-Zuckerman – foil, 6-time Israeli champion
- Delila Hatuel – Olympic foil fencer
- Noam Mills – epee, junior female world champion, 4-time Israeli champion
- Ayelet Ohayon – foil, European champion
- Tomer Or – foil, junior world champion
- Andre Spitzer – killed by terrorists
Figure skating
- Alexei Beletski – ice dancer, Olympian
- Oleksii Bychenko – figure skater, Olympian, European silver medallist 2016
- Galit Chait – ice dancer, World Championship bronze 2002
- Natalia Gudina – figure skater, Olympian
- Tamar Katz – figure skater
- Lionel Rumi – ice dancer
- Sergei Sakhnovsky – ice dancer, World Championship Bronze medal 2002
- Daniel Samohin – figure skater, Olympian, 2016 World Junior Champion
- Michael Shmerkin – figure skater
- Alexandra Zaretski – ice dancer, Olympian
- Roman Zaretski – ice dancer, Olympian
Golf
- Laetitia Beck – golfer
Gymnastics
- Artem Dolgopyat – artistic gymnast,
- Alexander Shatilov – World bronze
- Veronika Vitenberg – rhythmic gymnast
Judo
- Yael Arad – judoka. First Israeli Olympic medalist; light-middleweight
- Yarden Gerbi – judoka
- Andrian Kordon – European Championship bronze; heavyweight
- Daniela Krukower – Israel/Argentina judoka, World Champion
- Yoel Razvozov – 2-time European Championship silver; lightweight
- Or Sasson – judoka
- Oren Smadja – judoka
- Ehud Vaks – judoka
- Gal Yekutiel – European championship bronze
- Ariel Zeevi – judoka
Motor racing
- Alon Day – racing driver
- Chanoch Nissany – Formula One racing test-driver
- Roy Nissany – World Series Formula V8 3.5 racing driver
Sailing
- Zefania Carmel – yachtsman, world champion
- Gal Fridman – windsurfer, bronze: 1996
- Lee Korzits – windsurfer
- Lydia Lazarov – yachting world champion
- Nimrod Mashiah – windsurfer; World Championship silver, ranked # 1 in world.
- Katy Spychakov – windsurfer; World Championship silver
- Shahar Tzuberi – windsurfer, Olympic bronze ; 2009 & 2010 European Windsurf champion
Swimming
- Vadim Alexeev – swimmer, breaststroke
- Adi Bichman – 400-m and 800-m freestyle, 400-m medley
- Yoav Bruck – 50-m freestyle and 100-m freestyle
- Anastasia Gorbenko – backstroke, breaststroke, and freestyle
- Eran Groumi – 100 and 200 m backstroke, 100-m butterfly
- Michael "Miki" Halika – 200-m butterfly, 200- and 400-m individual medley
- Judith Haspel –, of Austrian origin, held every Austrian women's middle and long distance freestyle record in 1935; refused to represent Austria in 1936 Summer Olympics along with Ruth Langer and Lucie Goldner, protesting Hitler, stating, "We do not boycott Olympia, but Berlin".
- Marc Hinawi – record holder in the European Games
- Amit Ivry – Maccabiah and Israeli records in Women's 100 m butterfly, Israeli record in Women's 200 m Individual Medley, bronze medal in 100 m butterfly at the European Swimming Championships.
- Dan Kutler – of U.S. origin; 100-m butterfly, 4×100-m medley relay
- Keren Leibovitch – Paralympic swimmer, 4x-gold-medal-winner, 100-m backstroke, 50- and 100-m freestyle, 200-m individual medley
- Tal Stricker – 100- and 200-m breaststroke, 4×100-m medley relay
- Eithan Urbach – backstroke swimmer, European championship silver and bronze; 100-m backstroke
Table Tennis
- Marina Kravchenko – table tennis player, Soviet and Israel national teams
- Angelica Rozeanu –, of Romanian origin, 17-time world table tennis champion, ITTFHoF
Track and field
- Alex Averbukh – pole vaulter
- Ayele Seteng – long distance runner, he was the oldest track and field athlete competing at the 2004 Olympics and 2008 Olympics.
- Danielle Frenkel – high jump champion
- Hanna Knyazyeva-Minenko – triple jumper and long jumper; participated in 2012 Summer Olympics
- Shaul Ladany – world-record-holding racewalker, Bergen-Belsen survivor, Munich Massacre survivor, Professor of Industrial Engineering
- Lonah Chemtai Salpeter – Kenyan-Israeli Olympic marathon runner
- Esther Roth-Shachamarov – track and field, hurdler and sprinter
Tennis
- Noam Behr
- Ilana Berger
- Gilad Bloom
- Jonathan Erlich – 6 doubles titles, 6 doubles finals; won 2008 Australian Open Men's Doubles, highest world doubles ranking #
5 - Shlomo Glickstein – highest world singles ranking #
22 , highest world doubles ranking #28 - Julia Glushko
- Amir Hadad
- Harel Levy – highest world singles ranking #
30 - Evgenia Linetskaya
- Amos Mansdorf – highest world singles ranking #
18 - Tzipora Obziler
- Noam Okun
- Yshai Oliel
- Shahar Pe'er –, highest world singles ranking #
11 , highest world doubles ranking #14 - Shahar Perkiss
- Andy Ram – 6 doubles titles, 6 doubles finals, 1 mixed double title, 2007 French Open Mixed Doubles, 2008 Australian Open Men's Doubles, highest world doubles ranking #
5 - Eyal Ran
- Dudi Sela – highest world singles ranking #
29 - Denis Shapovalov – Israeli-Canadian tennis player, born in Tel Aviv, highest world singles ranking #
29 - Anna Smashnova –, highest world singles ranking #
15 Other
- 1972 Olympic team – see Munich Massacre
- David Mark Berger – weightlifter originally from US, Maccabiah champion ; killed in the Munich Massacre
- Max Birbraer – ice hockey player drafted by NHL team
- Nili Block – world champion kickboxer and Muay Thai fighter
- Noam Dar – Israeli-born Scottish wrestler
- Oren Eizenman – ice hockey player, Israel national team; Connecticut Whale)
- Eli Elezra – professional poker player
- Boris Gelfand, Emil Sutovsky, Ilya Smirin – chess Grandmasters
- Baruch Hagai – wheelchair athlete
- Michael Kolganov – sprint canoer/kayak paddler, world champion, Olympic bronze 2000
- Dean Kremer – Israeli-American baseball pitcher
- Ido Pariente – mixed martial artist
- Eliezer Sherbatov – Israeli-Canadian ice hockey player
- Chagai Zamir – Israel, 4-time Paralympic Games champion
Chefs
- Yisrael Aharoni – chef and restaurateur
- Jamie Geller – American born-Israeli chef
- Erez Komarovsky – first artisanal bread baker in Israel
- Yotam Ottolenghi – Israeli-British chef
Entertainment
Artists
- Yaacov Agam – kinetic artist
- Ron Arad – designer
- Mordecai Ardon – painter
- David Ascalon – sculptor and synagogue designer
- Maurice Ascalon – sculptor and industrial designer
- Isidor Ascheim – painter and printmaker
- Mordechai Avniel – painter and sculptor
- Yigal Azrouel – fashion designer
- Ralph Bakshi – animation
- Eyal ben-Moshe – animator and director
- Tuvia Beeri – printmaker
- Alexander Bogen – painter
- Rhea Carmi – painter
- Yitzhak Danziger – sculptor
- Alber Elbaz – fashion designer
- Ohad Elimelech – artist, director, editor, photographer, animator, lecturer, and graphic designer
- Osnat Elkabir – dancer, artist and theatre direction
- Yitzhak Frenkel – painter
- Gideon Gechtman – sculptor
- Moshe Gershuni – painter
- Dudu Geva – artist and comic-strip illustrator
- Pinhas Golan – sculptor
- Nachum Gutman – painter
- Israel Hershberg – realist painter
- Shimshon Holzman – painter
- Leo Kahn – painter
- Shemuel Katz – illustrator
- Uri Katzenstein – visual artist
- Dani Karavan – sculptor
- Joseph Kossonogi – painter
- Elyasaf Kowner – video artist
- Sigalit Landau – video, installation, sculpture
- Alex Levac – photographer
- Ranan Lurie – political cartoonist
- Lea Nikel – painter
- Zvi Malnovitzer – painter
- Tamara Musakhanova – sculptor and ceramist
- Mushail Mushailov – painter
- Ilana Raviv – painter
- Leo Roth – painter
- Reuven Rubin – painter
- Hagit Shahal – painter
- David Tartakover – graphic designer
- Anna Ticho – painter
- Igael Tumarkin – sculptor
- Yemima Ergas Vroman - painter, sculpter, installation artist
- Sergey Zagraevsky – painter
- Moshe Ziffer – sculptor
Film, TV, radio, and stage
- Hiam Abbas – actress
- Avital Abergel – film and TV actress
- Gila Almagor – actress
- Aviv Alush – actor
- Lior Ashkenazi – actor
- Yvan Attal – actor, director
- Mili Avital – actress
- Aki Avni – actor
- Orna Banai – actress
- Theodore Bikel – actor
- Eddie Carmel, born Oded Ha-Carmeili - actor, singer, and circus sideshow act
- Jason Danino-Holt – television presenter
- Ronit Elkabetz – actress
- David Faitelson – Mexican television sports commentator, born in Israel
- Oded Fehr – actor
- Eytan Fox – director
- Tal Friedman – actor, comedian
- Gal Gadot – actress and model
- Uri Geller – TV personality, self-proclaimed psychic
- Amos Gitai – director
- Yasmeen Godder – choreographer and dancer
- Arnon Goldfinger – director
- Yael Grobglas – actress
- Tzachi Halevy – actor
- Moshe Ivgi – actor
- Dana Ivgy – actress
- Michael Karpin – broadcast journalist and author
- Daphna Kastner – actress; married to actor Harvey Keitel
- Juliano Mer-Khamis – actor
- Hila Klein – YouTuber
- Amos Kollek – director, writer
- Dover Kosashvili – director
- Hanna Laslo – actress
- Daliah Lavi – actress
- Inbar Lavi – actress
- Jonah Lotan – actor
- Rod Lurie – director, film critic
- Gad Lerner – journalist
- Arnon Milchan – producer
- Samuel Maoz – director
- Ohad Naharin – choreographer
- Eyal Podell – actor
- Orna Porat – actress
- Natalie Portman – actress
- Lior Raz – actor, screenwriter
- Ze'ev Revach – actor, comedian
- Agam Rodberg – actress
- Avner Strauss – musician
- Haim Saban – TV producer
- Elia Suleiman – director
- Alona Tal – actress
- Noa Tishby – actress, producer
- Chaim Topol – actor
- Yon Tumarkin – actor
- Raviv Ullman – actor
- Yaron London – TV interviewer
- Keren Yedaya – director
- Ayelet Zurer – actress
- Naor Zion – comedian, actor, director
Musicians
Classical composers
- Rami Bar-Niv
- Ofer Ben-Amots
- Paul Ben-Haim
- Avner Dorman
- Dror Elimelech
- Andre Hajdu
- Gilad Hochman
- Mark Kopytman
- Matti Kovler
- Betty Olivero
- Shulamit Ran
- Leon Schidlowsky
- Noam Sheriff
- Gil Shohat
- Josef Tal
- Yitzhak Yedid
Classical musicians
- Moshe Atzmon – conductor
- Daniel Barenboim – conductor and pianist
- Rami Bar-Niv – pianist and composer
- Bart Berman – pianist
- Gary Bertini – conductor
- Natan Brand – pianist
- Yefim Bronfman – pianist
- Giora Feidman – clarinetist
- Ivry Gitlis – violinist
- Matt Haimovitz – cellist
- Alice Herz-Sommer – pianist
- Ofra Harnoy – cellist
- Eliahu Inbal – conductor
- Sharon Kam – clarinetist
- Amir Katz – pianist
- Yoel Levi – conductor
- Mischa Maisky – cellist
- Shlomo Mintz – violinist
- Itzhak Perlman – violinist
- Inbal Segev – cellist
- Gil Shaham – violinist
- Hagai Shaham – violinist
- Michael Shani – conductor
- Edna Stern – pianist
- Yoav Talmi – conductor
- Arie Vardi – pianist
- Ilana Vered – pianist
- Pinchas Zukerman – violinist
Popular musicians
- Chava Alberstein – singer/songwriter
- Etti Ankri – singer/songwriter
- Yardena Arazi – singer and TV host
- Shlomo Artzi – singer/songwriter
- Ehud Banai – singer/songwriter
- Abatte Barihun – jazz saxophonist and composer
- Eef Barzelay – founder of Clem Snide
- Netta Barzilai – singer
- Miri Ben-Ari – jazz and hip hop violinist
- Mosh Ben-Ari – singer/songwriter
- Borgore – electronic dance music producer and DJ
- Mike Brant – French-language singer
- David Broza – singer/songwriter
- Matti Caspi – singer, multi-instrumentalist and composer
- Avishai Cohen – jazz bassist
- David D'Or – singer/songwriter
- Arkadi Duchin – singer/songwriter, musical producer
- Arik Einstein – singer, actor, writer
- Gad Elbaz – singer
- Ethnix – pop-rock band
- Rita Yahan-Farouz – singer, actress
- Uri Frost – rock guitarist, producer and director
- Aviv Geffen – singer/songwriter
- Eyal Golan – singer
- Gidi Gov – singer
- Dedi Graucher – Orthodox Jewish singer
- Shlomo Gronich – singer and composer
- Nadav Guedj – singer
- Sarit Hadad – Mizrahi singer
- Victoria Hanna – singer/songwriter
- Ofra Haza – singer
- Dana International – pop singer
- Ishtar – vocalist for Alabina
- Rami Kleinstein – singer/songwriter, composer
- Ehud Manor – songwriter and translator
- Amal Murkus – singer
- Infected Mushroom – musical duo
- Yael Naïm – solo singer/musician
- Ahinoam Nini – singer
- Esther Ofarim – singer
- Yehuda Poliker – singer
- Ester Rada – singer
- Idan Raichel – Ethiopian and Israeli music
- Yoni Rechter – composer and arranger
- Berry Sakharof – singer
- Naomi Shemer – songwriter
- Gene Simmons – lead member of KISS
- Hillel Slovak – original guitarist for Red Hot Chili Peppers
- Pe'er Tasi – singer/songwriter
- Ninet Tayeb – pop rock singer and actress
- Hagit Yaso – singer
- Rika Zaraï – singer
- Nir Zidkyahu – drummer, briefly in Genesis
- Zino and Tommy – popular duo, songs in U.S. films
News anchors
- Yonit Levi
- Haim Yavin
- Miki Haimovich
- Ya'akov Eilon
- Yigal Ravid
- Ya'akov Ahimeir
Poets
- Nathan Alterman
- Yehuda Amichai
- Sivan Beskin
- Erez Biton
- Leah Goldberg
- Uri Zvi Greenberg
- Vaan Nguyen
- Dahlia Ravikovich
- Naomi Shemer – songwriter and lyricist
- Avraham Shlonsky
- Avraham Stern
- Abraham Sutzkever
- Yona Wallach
- Nathan Zach
- Zelda
Writers
- Shmuel Yosef Agnon – author, Nobel Prize in Literature
- Aharon Appelfeld – Prix Médicis étranger
- Yoni Ben-Menachem – journalist
- Ron Ben-Yishai – journalist
- Nahum Benari – author and playwright
- Max Brod – author, composer and friend of Kafka
- Orly Castel-Bloom – author
- Yehonatan Geffen – author, poet and lyricist
- David Grossman – author
- Batya Gur – author
- Emile Habibi – author
- Amira Hass – journalist and author
- Sayed Kashua – author and journalist
- Shmuel Katz – author and journalist
- Etgar Keret – author
- Adi Keissar – poet
- Ephraim Kishon – satirist
- Hanoch Levin – playwright
- Julius Margolin – writer
- Aharon Megged – author
- Sami Michael – author
- Samir Naqqash – author
- Uri Orlev – author, Hans Christian Andersen Award
- Amos Oz – author and journalist, Goethe Prize
- Ruchoma Shain – author
- Meir Shalev – author and journalist
- Zeruya Shalev – author
- Moshe Shamir – author, poet
- Mati Shemoelof – poet, editor and journalist
- Chaim Walder – Haredi children's writer
- A.B. Yehoshua – author
- Benny Ziffer – author, journalist and translator
Entrepreneurs
High-tech
- Beny Alagem – founder of Packard Bell
- Moshe Bar – founder of XenSource, Qumranet
- Safra Catz – president of Oracle
- Yossi Gross – recipient of almost 600 patents, founder of 27 medical technology companies in Israel and the Chief Technology Office officer of Rainbow Medical.
- Itzik Kotler – founder and CTO of SafeBreach, Information Security Specialist
- Daniel M. Lewin – founder of Akamai Technologies
- Shai Reshef – educational entrepreneur, founder and president of University of the People
- Bob Rosenschein – founder of GuruNet, Answers.com
- Gil Schwed – founder of Check Point
- Zeev Suraski and Andi Gutmans – founders of Zend Technologies
- Arik and Yossi Vardi, Yair Goldfinger, Sefi Vigiser and Amnon Amir – founders of Mirabilis
- Zohar Zisapel – co-founder of the RAD Group
- Iftach Ian Amit – co-founder of BeeFence, prominent Hacker and Information Security Practitioner
Other
- Avi Arad and Isaac Perlmutter – owners of Marvel Comics
- Ted, Micky and Shari Arison – founder/owners of Carnival Corporation
- Yossi Dina – pawnbroker
- Dan Gertler – diamond tycoon
- Alec Gores – Israeli-American businessman and investor.
- Eli Hurvitz – head of Teva Pharmaceuticals
- Lev Leviev – diamond tycoon
- Mordecai Meirowitz – inventor of the Mastermind board game
- Dorrit Moussaieff – Israeli-British businesswoman, entrepreneur, philanthropist and the First Lady of Iceland
- Sammy Ofer – shipping magnate
- Guy Oseary – head of Maverick Records, manager of Madonna
- Beny Steinmetz – diamond tycoon
- Stef Wertheimer – industrialist
Fashion models
- Neta Alchimister
- Moran Atias
- Sendi Bar
- Nina Brosh
- Esti Ginzburg
- Becky Griffin
- Shlomit Malka
- Esti Mamo
- Yael Markovich
- Raz Meirman
- Michael Lewis
- Bar Paly
- Rana Raslan
- Bar Refaeli
- Pnina Rosenblum
- Odeya Rush
Military
- Ron Arad – MIA navigator
- Gabi Ashkenazi – Chief of the IDF General Staff
- Yohai Ben-Nun – sixth commander of the Israeli Navy
- Eli Cohen – spy
- Moshe Dayan – military leader
- Rafael Eitan – Chief of the IDF General Staff
- Gadi Eizenkot – Chief of the IDF General Staff
- David Elazar – Chief of the IDF General Staff
- Giora Epstein – combat pilot, modern-day "ace of aces"
- Hoshea Friedman – brigadier general in the IDF
- Uziel Gal – designer of the Uzi submachine gun
- Benny Gantz – Chief of the IDF General Staff
- Dan Halutz – Chief of the IDF General Staff
- Wolfgang Lotz – spy
- Tzvi Malkhin – Mossad agent, captured Adolf Eichmann
- Eli Marom, former commander of the Israeli Navy
- Yonatan Netanyahu – Sayeret Matkal commando, leader of Operation Entebbe
- Ilan Ramon – astronaut on Columbia flight STS-107
- Gilad Shalit – kidnapped soldier held in Gaza, released in 2011
- Avraham Stern – underground military leader
- Yoel Strick – general
- Israel Tal – general, father of Merkava tank
- Moshe Ya'alon – Chief of the IDF General Staff
- Yigael Yadin – Chief of the IDF General Staff
- Amos Yarkoni – Bedouin-Israeli military officer
Politicians
- Ehud Barak – prime minister
- Menachem Begin – prime minister ; Nobel Peace Prize
- Yossi Beilin – leader of the Meretz-Yachad party and peace negotiator
- David Ben-Gurion – first Prime Minister of Israel
- Yitzhak Ben-Zvi – first elected/second president President of Israel
- Naftali Bennett – leader of The Jewish Home party, minister of economy and minister of religious services
- Geula Cohen – politician, activist and "Israel Prize" recipient
- Abba Eban – diplomat and Foreign Affairs Minister of Israel
- Yuli-Yoel Edelstein – speaker of the Knesset
- Uzi Eilam – ex-director of Israel's Atomic Energy Commission
- Effie Eitam – former leader of the National Religious Party, now head of the Renewed Religious National Zionist party
- Levi Eshkol – prime minister
- Chaim Herzog – former president of Israel, first and only Irish-born Israeli President
- Moshe Katsav – president, and convicted rapist
- Teddy Kollek – former mayor of Jerusalem
- Yair Lapid – leader of the Yesh Atid party, minister of finance
- Yosef Lapid – former leader of the Shinui party
- Raleb Majadele – member of the Knesset for the Labor Party. Majadele became the country's first Muslim minister when appointed Minister without Portfolio on 28 January 2007.
- Golda Meir – prime minister
- Benjamin Netanyahu – prime minister, ; Likud party chairman
- Amir Ohana – first openly gay right-wing member of the Knesset
- Ehud Olmert – prime minister ; former mayor of Jerusalem
- Shimon Peres – President of Israel ; prime minister ; Nobel Peace Prize
- Yitzhak Rabin – prime minister ; Nobel Peace Prize
- Josh Reinstein – director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus
- Reuven Rivlin – President of Israel
- Ayelet Shaked – Knesset member
- Yitzhak Shamir – prime minister
- Yisrael Yeshayahu Sharabi – former speaker of the Knesset
- Moshe Sharett – prime minister
- Ariel Sharon – prime minister
- Chaim Weizmann – first President of Israel
- Rabbi Ovadia Yosef – spiritual leader of the Shas party
- Rehavam Zeevi – founder of the Moledet party
Criminals
- Yigal Amir – assassin of Yitzhak Rabin
- Baruch Goldstein – murderer
- Ami Popper – murderer
- Benny Sela – rapist
- Eden-Nathan Zada – murderer
Religious figures
Priests and Christian religious leaders
- Father Gabriel Naddaf – Greek Orthodox Church – priest and judge in religious courts. Spokesman for the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. He is one of the founders of the Forum for recruiting Christians in the Israel Defense Forces.
- Munib Younan – the elected president of the Lutheran World Federation since 2010 and the Evangelical Lutheran Church Bishop of Palestine and Jordan since 1998.
- Archbishop Theodosios of Sebastia – Bishop of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
- Elias Chacour – Archbishop of Akko, Haifa, Nazareth and Galilee of the Melkite Eastern Catholic Church.
- Riah Hanna Abu El-Assal – former Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem.
Haredi Rabbis
- Yaakov Aryeh Alter Gerrer – Rebbe
- Shlomo Zalman Auerbach
- Yaakov Blau
- Yisroel Moshe Dushinsky – Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem
- Yosef Tzvi Dushinsky – Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem
- Yosef Sholom Eliashiv
- Mordechai Eliyahu – Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel 1983–93,
- Chaim Kanievsky
- Avraham Yeshayeh Karelitz, Chazon Ish –
- Nissim Karelitz – Head Justice of Rabbinical Court of Bnei Brak
- Meir Kessler – Chief Rabbi of Modi'in Illit
- Zundel Kroizer – author of Ohr Hachamah
- Dov Landau – rosh yeshiva of Slabodka yeshiva of Bnei Brak
- Yissachar Dov Rokeach – the fifth Belzer rebbe
- Yitzchok Scheiner – rosh yeshiva of Kamenitz yeshiva of Jerusalem
- Elazar Menachem Shach, Rav Shach –
- Moshe Shmuel Shapira – rosh yeshiva of Beer Yaakov
- Dovid Shmidel – Chairman of Asra Kadisha
- Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld – Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem
- Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss – Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem
- Ovadia Yosef
- Amram Zaks – rosh yeshiva of the Slabodka yeshiva of Bnei Brak
Reform Rabbis
- Gilad Kariv
Religious-Zionist Rabbis
- Shlomo Amar – Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel
- David Hartman
- Avraham Yitzchak Kook – pre-state Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of the Land of Israel,
- Israel Meir Lau – Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel, Chief Rabbi of Netanya,
- Aharon Lichtenstein
- Yona Metzger – Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel
- Shlomo Riskin – Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Efrat
Related links