List of Israeli Americans

This is a list of notable Israeli Americans. It includes both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship, and their American descendants. The list is ordered by category of human endeavor. Persons with significant contributions in two fields are listed in both pertinent categories, to facilitate easy lookup.

To be included in this list, the person must have a Wikipedia article showing they are Israeli American, or must have independent references showing they are Israeli American and are notable.

Academics[edit]

Ichak Adizes, management expert and best-selling author
Reuven Amitai, historian, writer, and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities at the Hebrew University
Dan Ariely, economist and author
Robert Aumann, Nobel laureate
Baruch Awerbuch, professor of computer science at Johns Hopkins University
Arie S. Belldegrun, director of the UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology and is professor and Chief of Urologic Oncology at the David Geffen School of Medicine
Yochai Benkler, Berkman Professor of Entrepreneurial Legal Studies at Harvard Law School, and author
Yossef Bodansky, Israeli-born American political scientist
Yaron Brook, president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute
Idit Harel Caperton, educational psychologist and epistemologist
Avner Cohen, political scientist and historian well known his path-breaking history of the Israeli nuclear program and strategic policy
Ezekiel Emanuel, bioethicist
Zvi Galil (born 1947), computer scientist, mathematician, and President of Tel Aviv University
Gerson Goldhaber, particle physicist and astrophysicist
Sulamith Goldhaber, high-energy physicist and molecular spectroscopist
Michael Goldsmith, law professor at Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School
Shafrira Goldwasser, professor of electrical engineering and computer science at MIT, and professor of mathematical sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science
Amos Grunebaum, ObGyn physician, inventor, professor Zucker School of Medicine
Amos N. Guiora, professor of law at the S. J. Quinney College of Law, University of Utah, and an expert on drone attacks
Rabbi David Weiss Halivni, Israeli-American world-acclaimed scholar in the domain of Jewish Sciences and professor of Talmud
Michael Harris, political scientist, author, and professor
David Hazony, author and editor of The Tower Magazine
Daniel Kahneman, Nobel laureate
Ehud Kalai, Israeli-born American game theorist and mathematical economist, and James J. O’Connor Distinguished Professor of Decision and Game Sciences at Northwestern University
Avi Loeb, astronomer
Mario Livio, astrophysicist and author
Jessica Meir, post-doctoral researcher in comparative physiology at the University of British Columbia
Don Patinkin, monetary economist and the president of Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Ithiel de Sola Pool, researcher in the field of social sciences
Avital Ronell, philosopher, professor at New York University
Emmanuel David Tannenbaum, biophysicist and applied mathematician, professor and researcher at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the Georgia Institute of Technology
Rina Tannenbaum, materials scientist and chemical engineer and presently Professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
Amnon Yariv, professor of applied physics and electrical engineering at California Institute of Technology
Moshe Vardi, professor of computer science at Rice University

Actors[edit]

Shiri Appleby, film and television actress
Mili Avital, Israeli-born actress (Stargate)^[1]^[2]
Amir Blumenfeld, Israeli-American writer, comedian, actor, and television host
Steve Bond, Israeli-born television actor and model
Yaniv Rokah, actor
Assaf Cohen, actor
Oded Fehr Israeli/American film and television actor (The Mummy, Resident Evil: Extinction)^[3]
Alona Tal, actress
Hani Furstenberg, actress
Brian George, actor and voice actor
Omri Katz, Israeli/American actor (Eerie, Indiana, Hocus Pocus)
Amos Lavi, stage and film actor, won three Ophir Awards (Sh'Chur, Nashim and Zirkus Palestina)
Grayson McCouch, actor
Jonah Lotan, actor
Judith Light, actress
Vince Offer, "the ShamWow! Guy", Israeli-American actor known for his appearance in the infomercials for the absorbent towels ShamWow during the 2000s
Natalie Portman, Israeli-born American film star
Daniella Rabbani, Israeli/American actress, singer, and voiceover artist
Modi Rosenfeld, stand-up comedian, actor, and cantor
Odeya Rush, television and film actress (The Odd Life of Timothy Green, The Giver)
Scott L. Schwartz, film and television actor and stuntman, and former professional wrestler
Tami Stronach, Israeli-American actress (The Neverending Story)
Raviv Ullman, Israeli-born American actor, teen idol (Phil of the Future)
Inbar Lavi, actress
Yael Grobglas, actress

Arts and entertainment[edit]

Carmit Bachar, singer, dancer, model, actress and showgirl; member of The Pussycat Dolls (Israeli father)
Ralph Bakshi, Israeli-born animation film director. Bakshi was born in Haifa in 1938, when the country was still known as Mandatory Palestine
Amir Bar-Lev, film director, producer, and writer
Rhea Carmi, abstract expressionist and mixed-media artist
Elinor Carucci, photographer
Kosha Dillz, rapper
Lyor Cohen, North American chairman and CEO of Recorded Music for Warner Music Group (WMG)
Neil Druckmann, Israeli-born American writer, creative director and programmer for the video game developer Naughty Dog
Ari Emanuel, talent agent and co-CEO of William Morris Endeavor (WME), and basis for the character Ari Gold on the TV show Entourage
Amos Gitai, auteur filmmaker
Usher Morgan, filmmaker, businessman and studio executive
Maira Kalman, Israeli-born American illustrator, author, artist and designer
Yael Kanarek, artist
Ethan Klein, Israeli-American YouTuber and podcast host
Hila Klein, Israeli-born American podcast host and fashion designer, who is also the wife of Ethan Klein
Shuki Levy, Israeli-born American music composer whose best known work is soundtrack compositions for children's television programs of the 1980s.
Ephrat Livni, artist, writer, and lawyer
Rod Lurie, director, screenwriter, and film critic
Arnon Milchan, Israeli-American film producer and businessman who produced many films such as The War of the Roses, Once Upon a Time in America, Pretty Woman, Natural Born Killers, The Devil's Advocate, and L.A. Confidential
Oren Moverman, Israeli-American film director/screenwriter
Avi Nesher, Israeli-born film producer, film director, screenwriter and actor
Sassona Norton, Israeli-born sculptor and painter
Eran Preis, director, screenwriter, playwright, and producer
Lior Ron, composer
Ari Sandel, film director (West Bank Story)
Ophrah Shemesh, artist
Boaz Yakin, screenwriter and film director

Business[edit]

Shai Agassi, entrepreneur, founder and former CEO of Better Place
Ori Allon, founder of Compass, Inc., a residential real estate broker^[1]
Avi Arad, Israeli-American businessman, founder of Marvel Studios
Shari Arison, American-born Israeli businesswoman and philanthropist, one of Israel's wealthiest women
Arison family, founders of Carnival Cruise Lines, the largest cruise line in the world
Naftali Bennett, politician, former software entrepreneur, and former Prime Minister of Israel
Yaron Brook, entrepreneur, author, and economist, who currently serves as the president and executive director of the Ayn Rand Institute
Safra Catz, CEO of the Oracle Corporation
Jacob Frenkel, economist and businessman; served as Governor of the Bank of Israel; currently the Chairman of JPMorgan Chase International
Hillel Fuld, tech marketer and advisor, blogger and global tech speaker. CMO of Zula and Zcast among many other tech startup companies.
Orit Gadiesh, corporate strategist and chairwoman of management consulting firm Bain & Company
Gideon Gartner, entrepreneur and philanthropist, founder of Gartner, an information technology (IT) research and advisory company
Yoram Globus, film producer, former co-owner of the Cannon Group, Inc.
Noam Gottesman, former hedge fund manager; co-founded GLG Partners
Andi Gutmans, co-founder of Zend Technologies, co-creator of PHP, General Manager at Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Abraham Karem, inventor of the drone, founder of Karem Aircraft
Ynon Kreiz, entrepreneur and businessman, former CEO of Fox Kids Europe, Endemol and Maker Studios
Avi Lerner, film producer, co-founder of Nu Image, owner of Bulgaria-based Nu Boyana Film Studios
Arnon Milchan, founder and owner of New Regency Films, second wealthiest mogul in Hollywood
Adam Milstein, real estate investor, entrepreneur, and active philanthropist
Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram^[2]
Shaul Olmert, co-founder of online publishing platform Playbuzz, former VP of digital products for MTV Networks; son of Ehud Olmert
Guy Oseary, Israeli-American businessman; Madonna's manager
Isaac Perlmutter, chairman of Marvel Entertainment, former co-owner of Toy Biz
Shai Reshef, educational entrepreneur and founder and president of University of the People
Meshulam Riklis, businessman
Lior Ron, entrepreneur, co-founder of autonomous trucking company Otto, former lead of Google Maps^[3]^[4]
Haim Saban, television and media proprietor notable for his adaptations of Power Rangers; ranked by Forbes as the 98th richest person in America
Tamir Sapir, Israeli-Georgian-American businessman; earned billions in the 1980s bartering fertilizers for oil; in 2006 was ranked at position 160 in list of the 400 richest Americans, with an estimated fortune of $2 billion
Eli Tene, businessman, co-founder, co-managing director, and principal of the Peak Corporate Network
Boaz Weinstein, derivatives trader and hedge fund manager, and founder of Saba Capital Management
Jerry Zucker, former CEO of the InterTech Group and the Polymer Group

Fashion[edit]

Yigal Azrouël, fashion designer
Donna Feldman, American model, daughter of Israeli parents
Sharon Genish, Israeli/American model
Yael Markovich, Israeli/American model
Nili Lotan, fashion designer
Max Rhyser, Danish-American-Israeli model, stage, television and film actor
Yotam Solomon, fashion designer
Elie Tahari, founder of fashion label Elie Tahari

Government and politics[edit]

Rahm Emanuel, Ambassador to Japan, former White House Chief of Staff and former mayor of Chicago
Ari Ne'eman, disability rights activist
Stanley Fischer, served as Governor of the Bank of Israel and later as Vice Chairman of the United States Federal Reserve
Mazi Melesa Pilip, Ethiopian-born politician
Josh Reinstein, director of the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus

Journalism[edit]

Irin Carmon, feminist author, blogger, and television personality
Michael Dorfman, Russian-Israeli essayist and human rights activist
Hadas Gold, politics, media and global business reporter for CNN
Daniel Pearl, journalist and South Asia Bureau Chief of the Wall Street Journal, who was kidnapped and murdered in Pakistan.
Nicole Lapin, anchor on CNBC and CNN Live
Liel Leibovitz, journalist, author, media critic and video game scholar
Haviv Rettig Gur, journalist at The Times of Israel, Former Director of Communications for the Jewish Agency
Hanna Rosin, journalist

Literature[edit]

Nick Simmons, comic book writer, musician, and voice over actor
Leora Skolkin-Smith, novelist (Edges: O Israel, O Palestine)
Ayelet Waldman, novelist and essayist

Musicians[edit]

The Alchemist, hip hop producer and rapper
Leigh Daniel Avidan, member of Ninja Sex Party and co-host of Internet webseries Game Grumps.
Carmit Bachar, member of the pop group, The Pussycat Dolls
Didi Benami, American singer who is best known for being a finalist on the ninth season of American Idol. Daughter of an Israeli Jewish father.
Ofer Ben-Amots, Israeli-American composer and professor of composition at Colorado College.
Miri Ben-Ari, hip-hop violinist plays songs with emcee Twista and R&B singer Alicia Keys
Ill Bill, rapper
Yefim Bronfman, Soviet-born Israeli-American pianist
Kosha Dillz, hip hop MC
David Draiman, lead vocalist for heavy metal band Disturbed
Eli Eban, clarinetist
Meir Finkelstein, cantor and composer of contemporary Jewish liturgical music
Yuval Gabay, hip hop drummer
Goapele, African-American soul and R&B singer-songwriter, daughter of a New York-born Israeli Jewish mother
Este, Danielle and Alana Haim, Grammy-nominated musicians of the rock band HAIM.
Yehuda Hanani, international soloist, recording artist, cellist, and Professor of Violoncello at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
Eyran Katsenelenbogen, jazz pianist
Joseph Malovany, tenor soloist, cantor of New York's Fifth Avenue Synagogue, and Distinguished Professor of Liturgical Music at Philip and Sarah Belz School of Jewish Music, Yeshiva University
Necro, rapper, producer, director, and record label owner; younger brother of Ill Bill
Itzhak Perlman, violin virtuoso
Shulamit Ran, composer, won the Pulitzer Prize
J.R. Rotem, record producer and songwriter
Gil Shaham, Israeli American award-winning violinist
Mordecai Shehori, pianist
Itaal Shur, composer, producer, and musician
Gene Simmons, guitarist and singer-songwriter from KISS, Israeli-born
Hillel Slovak, original guitarist of the band Red Hot Chili Peppers, Israeli-born
Emanuel Vardi, violist
Elliott Yamin, American singer, third place finalist on the fifth season of American Idol
Inon Zur, Israeli American award-winning music composer
Sean Hurwitz, musician and singer
Israela Margalit, pianist and playwright

Religion[edit]

Eliyahu Ben Haim (born 1940), Orthodox rabbi and Av Beth Din (religious judge)
Yitzhak Israeli, Orthodox rabbi
Yosef Mizrachi, Orthodox Judaism outreach rabbi^[5]

Sports[edit]

Ike Berger (1936–2022), Olympic and world champion weightlifter
Sue Bird (born 1980), point guard for the Seattle Storm; first overall pick in the 2002 WNBA draft; two-time Olympic champion; four-time All-Star
Adam Bisnowaty (born 1993), football player for the New York Giants of the NFL
David Blatt (born 1959), Head Coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA franchise
David Blu (born 1980), professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv
Ryan Braun (born 1983), major league baseball player
Tal Brody (born 1943), professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv
Jake Cohen (born 1990), professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv and the Israeli national basketball team
John DiBartolomeo (born 1991), professional basketball player for Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv
Eva Fabian (born 1993), world champion swimmer
Jordan Farmar (born 1986), basketball player for the Sacramento Kings
Roy Fink (born 1977), retired soccer player and coach
D'or Fischer, professional basketball player
Mordechai Haim, soccer player
Ian Kinsler (born 1982), major league baseball player
Dean Kremer (born 1996), baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles
Sylven Landesberg (born 1990), basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv
Brad Leaf (born 1960), professional basketball player
T. J. Leaf (born 1997), NBA player for the Indiana Pacers
Ben Lederman (born 2000), American-Israeli-Polish soccer player
Boyd "Rainmaker" Melson (born 1981), light middleweight boxer
Jeron Roberts (born 1976), basketball player for the Israeli national team
Kenny Hasan Sayef (born 1993), soccer player for Belgian club K.A.A. Gent
Jon Scheyer (born 1987), professional basketball player
Derrick Sharp (born 1971), basketball player
Alana Shipp (born 1982), IFBB professional bodybuilder
Eliot Teltscher (born 1959), professional top-10 tennis player
Alex Tyus (born 1988), professional basketball player
Alex Zahavi (born 1991), soccer player
Daria Zuravicki (born 1985), figure skater

Other[edit]

Nava Applebaum, 20-year-old woman killed together with her father Dr. David Applebaum on the evening before her wedding by a Palestinian suicide bomber
Michael Arad, architect who won the design competition for the World Trade Center Memorial in New York City in 2004
Juval Aviv, security consultant and writer
Ron Ben-Israel, pastry chef
Ronnie Bardah, poker player and Survivor: Island of the Idols contestant
Carol Shaya Castro, former New York City police officer and actress whose employment was terminated after she appeared in Playboy magazine
Eli Elezra, world-class poker player
Tamar Geller, dog trainer who developed "the Loved Dog" method of dog training
Chaim Gingold, noted for design work with the computer game Spore
Gavriel Holtzberg, Orthodox rabbi and Chabad emissary to Mumbai, India, killed by Pakistani Islamist militants in the 2008 Mumbai attacks
Ami James, tattoo artist, businessman, and media personality (Miami Ink)
Yonatan Netanyahu, Israeli war hero who died saving Jewish hostages in Operation Entebbe, older brother of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu
Cheryl Saban, philanthropist, woman's advocate, and wife of billionaire entertainment mogul Haim Saban
Michael Solomonov, chef and restaurateur

References[edit]

^ Atzmon Shmayer, Irad (September 28, 2018). "Real Estate Platform Co-founded by Israeli, Raises $400m From Investors". Haaretz. Retrieved February 23, 2019.
^ Solomon, Shoshanna (September 3, 2020). "4 Israelis in Fortune's '40 under 40′ List of Influential Businesspeople". The Times of Israel. Retrieved September 14, 2020.
^ "Lior Ron". SVOD. March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
^ "Meet Lior Ron, The Guy in Charge Of Google's Big Attempt To Kill Samsung And Apple With An 'X Phone'". Business Insider. Retrieved June 14, 2016.
^ Sarafraz, Beth (May 26, 2017) "The Saga Of Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi", The Jewish Press. Retrieved December 30, 2018.

References are given within the articles themselves.

[1] Atzmon Shmayer, Irad (September 28, 2018). "Real Estate Platform Co-founded by Israeli, Raises $400m From Investors". Haaretz. Retrieved February 23, 2019.

[2] Solomon, Shoshanna (September 3, 2020). "4 Israelis in Fortune's '40 under 40′ List of Influential Businesspeople". The Times of Israel. Retrieved September 14, 2020.

[3] "Lior Ron". SVOD. March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 14, 2016.

[4] "Meet Lior Ron, The Guy in Charge Of Google's Big Attempt To Kill Samsung And Apple With An 'X Phone'". Business Insider. Retrieved June 14, 2016.

[5] Sarafraz, Beth (May 26, 2017) "The Saga Of Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi", The Jewish Press. Retrieved December 30, 2018.

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