Notable Israelis - 3rd-5th G

Who am I?

IDENTIFY THE notable israeliS and where they are from

NOTE: PLEASE SELECT THIS IMAGE ON THE TOP RIGHT OF EACH PAGE TO HIGHLIGHT ALL INTERACTIVE ELEMENTS.

explore Israel's geography and discover where the Israeli notables are from by clicking the question mark next to their names on the map.

01

North?

Who was the first Prime Minister and founding father of Israel?

ELIEZER BEN YEHUDA

Center?

THEODORE HERZL

DAVID BEN GURION 1948

David Ben Gurion, who was to become Israel's first Prime Minister, reads the Declaration of Independence on May 14, 1948: “It is the self-evident right of the Jewish people to be a nation, as all other nations, in their own sovereign state."

South?

DAVID BEN GURION

PRESIDENT TRUMAN MEETING WITH ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER DAVID BEN GURION AND ABBA EBAN

right!

DAVID BEN GURION

“In Israel, in order to be a realist, you must believe in miracles.” David Ben-Gurion declared independence for the Jewish State and became Israel’s first Prime Minister in 1948. One of his early achievements as PM was to create the Israel Defense Forces by merging several pre-State fighting forces into one unified army. He immigrated from Poland in 1906, and later met his future wife, Paula, in New York. He believed that all Jews should participate in building and strengthening the new country, and worked with World Jewry to forge understandings about different kinds of support. While Ben-Gurion was not a religious man, his reverence for Jewish sources and tradition led him to establish Israel’s annual Bible Quiz. He urged Israelis to settle the Negev and make the desert bloom. After retiring from public life, he lived at Kibbutz Sde Boker, where he and his wife are buried.In David Ben-Gurion’s speeches and letters, he often included biblical quotes from the Tanach (which was always on his desk). As Israel’s first Prime Minister, he founded Chidon HaTanach (חידון התנ”ך), “Bible Quiz”, a worldwide competition for all ages. The final quiz is an annual televised event held in Jerusalem on Yom Ha’atzmaut.

Ben-Gurion Headstand Sculpture

BEN GURION DESERT HOME

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02

Which Israeli actress portrayed Wonder Woman in the 2016 superhero film Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice?

North?

LEAH GOLDBERG

Center?

GAL GADOT

South?

NAOMI SHEMER

GAL GADOT

right!

Gal Gadot—now most widely known as Wonder Woman—was crowned Miss Israel in 2004 at the age of 18, and has been a popular model and actress ever since. She has had roles in the Fast and the Furious franchise, and she’s been the spokeswoman for everything from fragrances and fashion to websites and cell phones. As her global career has advanced, her Israeli fan base has continued to grow, leading to headlines in both local and international media that highlight her as a role model to girls and women everywhere. She credits her two years of IDF service, where she trained combat soldiers, with preparing her for her role as Wonder Woman, and in interviews she regularly expresses pride in her country.

GAL GADOT AS A WONDER WOMAN

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03

Who is often referred to as the father of modern Zionism,and his famous phrase is: "If you will it, it is no dream."

North?

ELIEZER BEN YEHUDA

Center?

THEODORE HERZL

South?

LEAH GOLDBERG

THEODORE HERZL

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Born to an assimilated Jewish family in Budapest in 1860, Theodor Herzl went on to become the father of the Modern Zionist movement that later led to the establishment of the State of Israel. As a reporter in Paris, he witnessed the Dreyfus Affair—in which a French Jewish army officer was wrongly convicted of treason—and concluded that the Jews needed a national home so that an event like this would never happen again. In 1897, after convening a Zionist Congress, he wrote in his journal that a Jewish state would be founded within 50 years—and exactly 50 years later, the UN voted to establish a Jewish state. He died at the age of 44 and never saw his greatest dream come to fruition, but his contributions played a crucial role in the effort. He was reburied in Jerusalem, atop Mt. Herzl, which was named in his honor.

Herzl and his family, c. 1866–1873

In late 1895, Herzl wrote Der Judenstaat (The Jewish State). It was published February 1896

Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress in Basel, Switzerland. Here, the World Zionist Organization was founded and Herzl was made its first president (a position he held until his death in 1904)

Theodor Herzl's grave, Mount Herzl Military Cemetery, Jerusalem, Israel

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04

North?

Who was the first prime minister woman to head a government in Israel and the only one so far?

ADA YONATH

Center?

GOLDA MEIR

South?

LEAH GOLDBERG

GOLDA MEIR

right!

Born in 1898, Golda Meir’s family fled from anti-Semitism in the Ukraine and settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She moved to pre-State Israel in 1921, becoming one of two women to sign the Declaration of Independence, and to date the only woman to serve as Prime Minister of Israel. In early 1948, she was sent to the US to raise funds for the nascent State, returning home with $50 million, making it possible to achieve statehood. She addressed audiences with her ever-present cigarette in hand—but no notes—and urged American Jews to open their wallets and “not be too late.” She served as ambassador to the Soviet Union and Foreign Minister before becoming PM during a period that included the 1972 Munich Olympic Massacre and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. She died in 1978 and is remembered for how she gathered advisors and ministers around her green formica kitchen table, which came to be known as Golda’s Kitchen Cabinet.

ISRAEL PM GOLDA MEIR AND STATE SECRETARY OF UNITED STATES HENRY KISSINGER

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05

North?

Who is credited with reviving and modernizing the Hebrew language?

THEODORE HERZL

Center?

ELIEZER BEN YEHUDA

South?

GOLDA MEIR

ELIEZER BEN YEHUDA

right!

As a young man growing up in Lithuania and Paris in the second half of the 19th century, there was little reason to believe that Eliezer Ben-Yehuda would become the person most responsible for reviving Hebrew as a modern language. Early on, he became convinced that the Jewish people needed a spoken language of their own in order to thrive. Soon after immigrating to preState Israel, he and his wife raised the first child to hear and speak only Hebrew in modern times. He founded a Hebrew language institute and authored the first modern Hebrew dictionary. His success can be seen all over Israel, where Hebrew is the primary language used, and around the world, where learning Hebrew is an important part of connecting to Jewish culture everywhere. Cities and towns all over Israel have streets named in his honor, including the popular pedestrian mall in downtown Jerusalem. Ben Yehuda invented hundreds of Hebrew words including the words for doll - בובה “bubah”, bicycle - אופניים “ofanayem”, towel - מגבת ”magevet”, ice cream - גלידה “glida”, and dictionary – מילון"milon.

ELIEZER BEN-YEHUDAʼS HOUSE

The first house outside the walls of Jerusalem's Old City, belonging to the 'reviver of the Hebrew language,' is located on Ethiopia Street in the city center. It was in this house that Ben Yehuda wrote the first Hebrew dictionary and published a number of periodicals.

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06

Who became the Prime Minister of Israel in 1977?

North?

YITZHAK RABIN

Center?

MENACHEM BEGIN

South?

SHIMON PERES

MENACHEM BEGIN

right!

Born in 1913 in Belarus, Menachem Begin was an aide to Ze’ev Jabotinsky, founder of Revisionist Zionism. Arriving in pre-State Israel, he led the Etzel underground military organization, working in opposition to the more mainstream Haganah. After 1948, he was elected to the Knesset and led the parliamentary opposition until he became Prime Minister in 1977. Begin was a fiery orator who opposed accepting financial reparations from Germany. He believed in the right of the Jewish People to all of the Land of Israel. He surprised many by negotiating a peace treaty with Egypt, Israel’s largest and most powerful neighbor. His first official act as PM was to welcome 77 Vietnamese refugees, saying that Israel would never forget when the world refused to help Jews in need during the Holocaust. Heartbroken after the death of his wife, Aliza, in 1982, Begin resigned from office in 1983 and died in 1992.

Prime Minister Menachem Begin, President Jimmy Carte, & Egyptian President Anwar Sadat

Menachem Begin Heritage Center, Jerusalem

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07

Who was the first Israeli astronaut, and In which year did he fly on the Space Shuttle Columbia STS - 107?

North?

NATAN SHARANSKY

Center?

ELI COHEN

South?

ILAN RAMON

ILAN RAMON

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LE

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Kibutz Ein Harod

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THE CENTRAL PART OF ISRAEL

RIGHT!

The central region of Israel, known as the Merkaz (Center), encompasses Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and surrounding cities like Netanya, Herzliya, and Rishon LeTzion, home to 80% of the population.Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, just 45 minutes apart, represent two contrasting aspects of Israeli identity. Jerusalem is ancient, the “eternal city” and the spiritual heart of Judaism. It is home to the Kotel, where Jews gather to pray, and the city’s stone buildings, religious sites, and Jewish institutions reflect its role as Israel’s religious and political capital. In contrast, Tel Aviv is modern and cosmopolitan, founded in 1909 on the Mediterranean coast. A hub of business, culture, and innovation, it is known for its vibrant arts scene, culinary and progressive values. Tel Aviv represents a more secular, independent Jewish identity, where individuals are free to explore new cultural and social expressions.

TEL AVIV

JERUSALEM

JERUSALEM

RIGHT!

Jerusalem is ancient — in the words of the poets, the “eternal city.” The biblical King David, in roughly 1000 B.C.E., built it as Israel’s capital, and his son Solomon constructed the Holy Temple as a site of pilgrimage for all Jews. It is a city made of stone, with distinctive Jerusalem stone covering many of the houses and apartments that rise on its rolling hills. As Israel’s national capital, the Knesset (parliament) and other government buildings greet visitors near the entrance to the city. As Israel’s religious capital, the multifaith Old City (with its Jewish, Christian, Moslem, and Armenian quarters, each with its own holy sites) stands to the east of the city, overlooking the desert. Jerusalem is Judaism’s sacred center. Even though the Holy Temple no longer stands, the Kotel (outer wall of the Temple) remains, and Jews from all over the world come to pray at its base. In Jerusalem, there’s a synagogue on almost every block, and Jewish centers of learning of every variety abound. It’s a place where, for many residents and visitors, Judaism offers a source of transcendent meaning. As a Jew, one is responsible for bringing the ethical truths and cultural norms of the Torah to bear in one’s community and within the broader world.

JERUSALEM

Mahane Yehuda Market

Israel Museum

THE KOTEL

THE NORTH OF ISRAEL

The northern region of Israel, known as the Galil (Galilee), is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, and Jordan to the east. It has historically been a center for various Jewish communal visions, where individual commitment to the collective gave life meaning. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans, the ancient rabbis settled in the Galil, creating a community where Jewish law and Torah study shaped everyday life. This rabbinic model, based on Jewish texts, became portable and spread throughout the Jewish diaspora. In the 16th century, Jews expelled from Spain settled in Tzfat, in the Galil, where they developed a new form of Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah. The kabbalists believed that performing mitzvot (commandments) could heal the cosmos. Many Jewish rituals, such as the Kabbalat Shabbat service and the Tu B’Shevat seder, originated in Tzfat. In the early 20th century, Jewish pioneers (halutzim) from Europe founded the first kibbutzim in the Galil, embracing collective living and equality.

RIGHT!

Cities in the Galil include:

• Haifa, a mixed Jewish-Arab city built on a mountain overlooking the Mediterranean.
• Tiberias, built on the shore of Lake Kinneret, the largest Jewish city in the time of the Mishnah and Talmud (2nd-6thcenturies C.E.), adjacent to Christian holy sites where Jesus lived and taught.
• Tzfat or Safed, a small mountaintop city that has served as a center of kabbalah (Jewish mysticism) since the 16th century.

The Galil features many Jewish collective settlements —in Hebrew, Kibbutzim, Moshavim, and Yishuvim — and Arab villages. The majestic Mount Hermon rises in the northeast corner of the Galil, and extending southward from the mountain to the base of Lake Kinneret is the Golan Heights.

THE SOUTH OF ISRAEL

The southern part of Israel, called the Negev, meaning “dry” in Hebrew, is Israel's desert region, covering about 55% of its land, stretching from the Judean Hills near Jerusalem to the southern border. The desert's stark beauty and silence have long inspired a sense of connection to both the world and the beyond. The desert, with all its beauty and power, is part of the Jewish people’s DNA. Abraham journeyed there, and he and Sarah welcomed strangers into their tent. The Israelites wandered the desert for 40 years,as free people, receiving an ethical blueprint through divine revelation. In this harsh yet awe-inspiring landscape, they learned about freedom, limits, exaltation, and humility. Today, visitors can imagine biblical events or marvel at human ingenuity in the Negev, where kibbutzim, thriving agriculture, and vibrant towns embody the vision of Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, who urged Jews to "come to the Negev and make it bloom." I

RIGHT!

Cities in the Negev include:

• Beer Sheva, the capital of the Negev, built on an ancient site described in the biblical stories of Abraham and Isaac.
• Dimona and Yerucham, development towns established in the 1950s to house primarily North African immigrants.
• Mitzpe Ramon, a development town turned tourist town, perched on the magnificent Ramon Crater, the world’s largest erosion crater.
• Eilat, a resort town on the Red Sea at the southern tip of Israel.

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