List of Israelis

Lists of Israelis are generally selective compilations rather than registers with a shared definition. The Center for Israel Education’s “75 Israelis From History” selects people for recognition for what they did after Israel’s Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948. It separates people who were deceased or largely retired from public life from active figures in a companion list, and directs readers to separate lists for Zionist founders and non-Israelis who contributed to Israel.[1]

The companion “75 Current Israelis” presents people from a range of fields, while stating that “It’s impossible to pick 75 people to represent all aspects” of Israel. It also cautions that its subjects are not necessarily the country’s 75 most important or influential figures. Its purpose is illustrative, not comprehensive or a definitive ranking.[2] The contrast between these lists shows how selection can depend on period and editorial purpose.

Reference works can use historical categories that extend far beyond citizenship in the modern state. The National Library of Israel’s account of Zionist leadership includes people from different countries and backgrounds who helped shape the movement before Israel’s establishment. It identifies Theodor Herzl as a journalist who convened the First Zionist Congress in 1897, establishing the Zionist Organization, and describes him as a founder of political Zionism; such a collection of Zionist leaders should not automatically be treated as a list of Israeli citizens.[3]

Encyclopedia.com’s “Famous Israelites and Israelis” spans ancient and modern history, naming biblical and ancient figures alongside modern Zionist leaders, politicians, writers, scholars, artists, scientists, and physicians. Those historical categories are not interchangeable with a list of citizens of the modern state.[4]

The word “Israeli” does not by itself settle who belongs on a list. A compilation may focus on citizenship, public service, residence, a professional field, Jewish history, or a cultural connection to Israel. The source collections surveyed here accordingly include lists of Israeli history figures, Jewish historical figures, people associated with Israel, and people in particular occupations, rather than one consistent nationality-based category.[5][6]

The distinction is also reflected in a reported Supreme Court case concerning an appeal to register the appellants as belonging to an “Israeli nationality” in the population registry. The court rejected the appeal; the report described disagreement among the justices about justiciability and quoted a distinction between citizenship and nationality, while noting that the underlying questions involved competing views of Israel, the Jewish people, Zionism, and nationality.[7]

In an opinion article, Hebrew Language Academy member and “I Am Israeli” association chair Uzzi Ornan argued that the Declaration of Independence makes all Israeli citizens members of a shared Israeli nationality. He contrasted this view with registry categories he characterized as ethnic or religious nationalities; this is his argument rather than a neutral account of the legal ruling.[8] The disagreement illustrates why a list should state its inclusion criteria instead of implying that a title alone defines them.

Historical and biographical lists often span political, military, judicial, scientific, literary, and cultural life. The Center for Israel Education’s historical selection describes David Ben-Gurion as Israel’s first prime minister and a leading political force for two decades. It notes that he formed Mapai in 1930, became chairman of the Jewish Agency Executive in 1935, and declared the State of Israel on May 14, 1948; it also credits him with unifying the military, emphasizing immigration, promoting the Negev, and establishing Jerusalem as the capital.[1] A Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs glossary gives further biographical context, listing his leadership positions from 1935 to 1953 and attributing a wartime slogan to him.[9]

The historical selection also includes people whose work crossed national borders and professions. Eli Cohen, born in Egypt to Syrian Jewish parents, posed as businessman Kamel Amin Thaabet and infiltrated Syrian political and military circles in the 1960s. The account says he was caught and hanged, and that the intelligence he obtained about Golan Heights defenses proved crucial in the June 1967 war.[1] Leah Gottlieb, a Holocaust escapee from Hungary, became known for swimsuit designs through Gottex, the company she founded with her husband. After the couple’s attempt to recreate their European raincoat business met Israel’s dry climate, she shifted the business to swimsuits; the account presents Gottex as a pioneer in Israeli merchandise exports.[1]

Lists organized by subject provide different views of the people included. Encyclopedia.com names political figures such as Chaim Weizmann, Golda Meir, Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, and Benjamin Netanyahu, alongside scholars, writers, poets, musicians, and contributors to science and medicine. Its examples include Martin Buber, Haim Nahman Bialik, S. Y. Agnon, Daniel Barenboim, mathematician Abraham Halevi Fraenkel, and gynecologist Bernard Zondek.[4] A specialist database, by contrast, lists deceased Israeli actors, including Hanna Maron, Arik Einstein, and Israel “Puli” Poliakov.[10] Globes has also published a ranking of 29 Israelis described as having made at least one billion shekels from high tech, placing Teddy Sagi first and Gil Shwed second.[11]

Media features and public polls make their own choices. A 2013 Jerusalem Post feature named ten “Israeli cultural ambassadors,” including Natalie Portman, described as born in Jerusalem, Safra A. Catz, described as Israeli-American, and Rahm Emanuel, described as Chicago’s first Jewish mayor and a former White House chief of staff. The feature did not establish one consistent criterion for the different kinds of connection represented.[12] A Jewish Virtual Library navigation page and Britannica’s related-people list likewise combine people under broad headings rather than presenting exhaustive lists restricted to Israeli citizens.[5][6]

A ranking records the preferences of a particular group at a particular time, not a settled measure of national importance. Ahead of Israel’s 2005 Independence Day, Ynet asked readers to choose the most impressive Israeli figures; about 20,000 votes were cast, and Yitzhak Rabin placed first, ahead of David Ben-Gurion and songwriter Ehud Manor. The report said most Ynet editors had expected Ben-Gurion to win.[13]

The poll’s top 20 also included politicians, entertainers, cultural figures, and people associated with public service. In order, those ranked after the first three were Menachem Begin, Ilan Ramon, Naomi Shemer, Rehavam Zeevi, Ariel Sharon, Ezer Weizman, Ninet Tayeb, Shimon Peres, Ron Arad, Yoni Netanyahu, Zeev Revah, Meir Har Tzion, Elli Yatzpan, Shlomo Artzi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Shmuel Yosef Agnon, and Yeshayahu Leibowitz.[13] The same report interpreted the results as reflecting several constituencies, including admiration for state-shaping figures, the impact of Rabin’s assassination, and interest in television and celebrity culture; that interpretation belongs to the article, not to the poll results as an independently established description of society.[13]

The main difficulty in compiling a “list of Israelis” is the lack of a single scope shared by the sources. Some lists include pre-state Zionist leaders or ancient Israelites; others include people with varied connections to Israel, or rank figures according to one poll or professional category. These should not be presented as equivalent to an exhaustive list of Israeli citizens.[2][3][4]

Some individuals on historical lists also have politically contested legacies. The National Library of Israel describes Ze’ev Jabotinsky as an extremely controversial figure, noting his role in founding Revisionist Zionism, Betar, and the Jewish Legion, as well as his advocacy of a Jewish state on both sides of the Jordan River and a tougher response to Arab opposition and British policy, including military force.[3] Such cases underline that inclusion in a list signals selection and relevance to its editors, not a uniform judgment about a person’s legacy.