Израиль

Аркадий Волож

Co-founder of Yandex, Russia's answer to Google

Давид Бен-Гурион

Israel's founder, born in Płońsk, Russian Empire

Голда Меир

Israel's Iron Lady, born in Kyiv

Михаил Фридман

Oligarch forged in Soviet Lviv, exiled by war

Натан Щаранский

Soviet dissident who defied the KGB for Israel

Роман Абрамович

Oligarch who bought Chelsea FC, worth $10B+

Ада Йонат

Deciphered the ribosome, atom by atom.

Александр Шатилов

Soviet-born Olympic gymnast who represented Israel at London and Rio

Алма Зак

Israeli singer with Polish-German Jewish roots — winner of HaKokhav HaBa

Амос Оз

Israel's conscience, forged in Odessa's shadow.

Анастасия Михаэли

Russian-born Israeli model elected to the Knesset

Аня Букштейн

Israeli actress with Russian immigrant roots who starred in Game of Thrones

Анна Смашнова

Minsk-born fighter who conquered Israeli tennis

Аркадий Гайдамак

Moscow-born oligarch who bought Israeli influence

Ари Фольман

Animated trauma into the Beirut massacre

Ариэль Шарон

From Brest-Litovsk roots to Israel's Iron Wall.

Арик Эйнштейн

The voice Israel called its own.

Аркадий Дучин

Soviet-born Israeli jazz pianist bridging Russian conservatory tradition and Middle Eastern music

Артём Долгопят

Soviet-born gymnast who brought gold to Israel

Асси Азар

Israeli TV host with Russian immigrant roots and leading LGBTQ+ activist

Авигдор Либерман

Soviet-born powerbroker who reshaped Israeli politics.

Аврам Хершко

Decoded cellular destruction—and won the Nobel for it.

Бар Рафаэли

Israel's global face with Eastern European roots.

Борис Гельфанд

Minsk's grandmaster who reshaped elite chess

Хаим Вейцман

Chemist from Pinsk who became the first President of Israel

Хава Альберштейн

Voice of the Israeli Yiddish revival, born a child of the Russian Empire's Pale

Основатели Check Point

Soviet-born founders who invented the commercial firewall and built the world's largest pure cybersecurity company

Дан Шехтман

Israeli Nobel laureate with Russian roots who discovered quasicrystals and changed chemistry

Дана Интернэшнл

Tel Aviv trans icon with Romanian-Yemeni roots who won Eurovision and changed Israel forever

Даниэль Канеман

The psychologist who rewired economics

Давид Гроссман

Israel's most acclaimed novelist with Russian-Polish roots who writes about loss and the cost of conflict

Эли Коэн

Egypt-born Israeli spy who infiltrated Syria's inner circle and gave Israel victory in the Six-Day War

Элиэзер Бен-Иегуда

Born in Belarus, he resurrected Hebrew as a living spoken language

Элон Линденштраус

Israeli mathematician with Russian roots who won the Fields Medal for work in ergodic theory

Эмиль Сутовский

Baku-born chess grandmaster and CEO of FIDE, the world chess federation

Эфраим Кацир

Kyiv-born biophysicist who became the fourth President of Israel

Эфраим Кишон

Hungarian-born satirist who fled the Holocaust to Israel and became the country's greatest humorist

Эсти Гинзбург

Israeli model and actress with Russian-Jewish roots who became a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit star

Этгар Керет

Israeli short story master with Russian-Polish roots who writes fables for the absurd present

Галь Гадот

From the Pale of Settlement to the silver screen.

Гидеон Рафф

Israeli showrunner with Russian roots who created Prisoners of War — the Israeli series that became Homeland

Хагай Леви

Israeli showrunner with Russian roots who created BeTipul — the series that became HBO's In Treatment

Харел Скаат

Israeli pop idol and Eurovision representative with Yemenite-Iraqi Jewish roots

Идан Райхель

Israeli world-music pioneer whose ancestors came from Russia and Poland

Илья Смирин

Vitebsk-born grandmaster who became one of Israel's greatest chess champions

Инбар Лави

Israeli actress with Polish-Moroccan Jewish roots who starred in Imposters and Prison Break

Иссер Харэль

Born in Vitebsk, built the Mossad and personally captured Adolf Eichmann

Иври Лидер

Israeli pop star with Polish-Russian roots who became a symbol of LGBTQ+ visibility in Israeli culture

Джонатан Эрлих

Israeli tennis doubles Grand Slam champion with Russian roots

Джозеф Сидар

New York-born Israeli director with Russian roots who received two Oscar nominations for Beaufort and Footnote

Джошуа Джортнер

Polish-Russian Jewish scientist who became Israel's most decorated chemist and reshaped quantum chemistry

Катя Писецкая

Zaporizhzhia-born Israeli actress and public figure

Карен Пелес

One of Israel's most successful pop singers with Polish-Russian Jewish heritage

Кира Радинская

Kyiv-born AI pioneer who predicted cholera outbreaks and became Salesforce's chief scientist in Israel

Константин Развозов

Born in Birobidzhan — the Jewish Autonomous Region — became an Israeli tech entrepreneur

Леонид Невзлин

Yukos co-owner who fled Russia, bankrolled opposition media and became a top anti-Putin activist from Israel

Леви Эшколь

Born in Ukraine, became Israel's third Prime Minister and led the country through the Six-Day War

Линой Ашрам

Israeli rhythmic gymnastics Olympic champion whose family has Russian and Greek roots

Лиор Раз

Creator and star of Fauda — the Israeli Netflix thriller that became a global phenomenon

Марина Максимилиан

Dnipro-born Israeli pop star who brought Russian musical soul into Hebrew music

Марк Иванир

Chernivtsi-born actor who appeared in Schindler's List and The Terminal

Максим Родштейн

Leningrad-born chess grandmaster who became one of Israel's strongest players

Маюмана (группа)

Israeli percussion and dance troupe with Russian-Soviet roots that became a global theatrical phenomenon

Меир Даган

Born in Novosibirsk to Holocaust survivors — became the most feared Mossad chief in history

Менахем Бегин

Born in Brest-Litovsk — from the Irgun to the Nobel Peace Prize and the Egypt-Israel peace treaty

Михаил Черной

Tashkent-born metals billionaire at the heart of Russia's most turbulent post-Soviet aluminium wars

Майкл Левитт

Born in Lithuania, won the Nobel Prize for developing multiscale models of complex chemical systems

Миша Зильберман

Moscow-born Israeli chess grandmaster — one of the strongest players in Israeli history

Моргенштерн (Алишер Моргенштерн)

Ufa-born rapper who became Russia's most-streamed artist — then fled Russia and became a vocal war opponent

Моше Даян

Born in Ukraine, became Israel's most iconic military commander — the eye patch and the Six-Day War

Моше Шарет

Born in Kherson, Ukraine — Israel's second Prime Minister and first Foreign Minister

Нетта Барзилай

Israeli Eurovision winner with Polish Jewish roots — Toy became an anthem for a generation

Николь Зеликман

Baku-born Israeli singer and Eurovision representative who became a popular figure in Israeli music

Нинет Тайеб

Israeli pop phenomenon who won Kokhav Nolad and sang with Roger Waters at the Wall

Rita (Rita Yahan-Farouz)

Israel's greatest diva — Iranian-Jewish heritage who sang in Russian for a million new Israelis

Роберт Ауманн

Born in Frankfurt to a family with Russian roots — won the Nobel Prize for game theory and became Israel's greatest economist

Роберт Шварцман

St. Petersburg-born Formula 2 champion racing toward Formula 1 with Haas and Ferrari

Ротем Села

Israeli actress and model with Turkish and Polish Jewish roots — voice of a generation on social media

Саша Демидов

Tashkent-born Israeli entrepreneur and investor in deep technology

Шари Аризон

Daughter of Ted Arison — Israel's wealthiest woman with Romanian-Russian Jewish roots

Шимон Перес

From Pale of Settlement to President of Israel

Шломо Арци

Israel's most beloved male singer — his family came from Romanian Bukovina, on the fringes of the Russian Empire

Шошана Дамари

Yemenite-born Queen of Hebrew Song — the voice of Israel's founding generation

София Ландвер

Born in Leningrad — became Israel's Minister of Immigrant Absorption and voice of the Russian-speaking community

Таль Гилбоа

Israeli singer with Romanian-Russian Jewish roots who won The X Factor Israel

Тали Плосков

Born in Balti, Moldova — Israeli actress and public figure from the Russian-speaking community

Томар Капон

Israeli actor with Russian-Iraqi Jewish roots who starred in When Heroes Fly

Тополь (Хаим Тополь)

Israeli actor who played Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof on film — his family came from Russia and Poland

Вольфганг Лотц

Яаков Кедми

Яэль Гробглас

Йехорам Гаон

Евгений Арье

Ицхак Бен-Цви

Born in Poltava, Ukraine — became Israel's second President and a founding father of the Jewish state

Ицхак Рабин

His mother Rosa Cohen came from Mogilev, Belarus — he led Israel to peace and was assassinated for it

Ицхак Шамир

Born in Ruzhany, Belarus — Stern Gang leader turned Prime Minister, the hardest man in Israeli politics

Юли Эдельштейн

Born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine — imprisoned by the KGB as a Zionist, became Speaker of the Israeli Knesset

Залман Шазар

Born in Mir, Belarus — Israel's third President and the poet-statesman of the founding generation

Зеэв Элькин

Born in Kharkiv — Israeli Cabinet minister and one of the most prominent Russian-born politicians in Israel

Цви Замир

Звика Пик

Герман Хан

Kyiv-born Alfa Group co-founder and one of Russia's wealthiest men, now Israel-based

Моше Кантор

Moscow-born fertilizer billionaire and President of the European Jewish Congress

Игорь Коломойский

Dnipro oligarch who co-owned Privat Group and financed Ukraine's defence — then fell out with Zelensky

Вадим Мошкович

Moscow-born agricultural billionaire who built Rusagro into Russia's largest sugar producer

Геннадий Боголюбов

Dnipro co-founder of PrivatBank who built Ukraine's largest financial institution

Михаил Мирилашвили

Tbilisi-born Israeli billionaire and president of the World ORT charitable network

Вячеслав Кантор

Moscow-born Acron Group founder and globally recognised antisemitism campaigner

Лев Хасис

Built Pyaterochka, ran Walmart Russia, rose to deputy CEO of Sberbank — then emigrated to Israel in 2022

Михаил Яковлев

World-class Russian track cyclist who broke world records then switched to Israel to bypass international bans

Аарон Апельфельд

Escaped a Nazi camp at age 9, hid in Ukrainian forests for years — became Israel's greatest Holocaust author