Notable Israelis - 6th-7th G

Who am I?

IDENTIFY THE notable israeliS and where they are from

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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

Who was the woman who parachuted into Hungary during World War II ?

North?

HANNAH SENESH

Center?

GOLDA MEIR

South?

ANNA TICHO

HANNAH SENESH

right!

Kibbutz Sdot Yam

Hannah Senesh is revered in Israel as a hero. Born in Budapest in 1921, she moved to pre-State Israel at 17 to pursue her dream of building the Jewish State. She studied agriculture, joining the Haganah and Kibbutz Sdot Yam before enlisting in the British Jewish Brigade to fight in World War II. In 1944, she parachuted into Yugoslavia to help rescue Hungarian Jews who were being deported to Auschwitz. She was captured by the Germans, tortured, tried, and put to death by firing squad. Her diary was published in Hebrew in 1946 and her poetry continues to be read and sung to this day. One of her most inspirational songs is —Halicha L’Caesarea— A Walk to Caesarea, commonly known as —Eli, Eli—Oh Lord, My God. Her remains were reburied on Mt. Herzl in Jerusalem in 1950

Hannah Senesh's last letter

Kibutz Ein Harod

Hannah Senesh gravestone on Mount Herzl

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02

Which individual's life and legacy related to agriculture and land defense inspired Jewish communities?

North?

JOSEPH TRUMPELDOR

Center?

CHAIM WEIZMANN

South?

He organized the "Zion Mule Corps," the first Jewish military unit formed since the exile of the Jewish people, establishing a distinct Jewish military presence, with the Star of David as its symbol and military orders in the Hebrew language.

ITZHAK RABIN

JOSEPH TRUMPELDOR

right!

Known for his famous last words, “ it's good to die for our country,”Joseph Trumpeldor lost his arm in a battle fighting in the Russisan --Japanese War. Born in Russia in 1880, after moving to pre-State Israel,he made his home in Kibbutz Degania. The Ottoman authorities expelled him for his refusal to accept Ottoman citizenship. He returned in 1918 and founded Hechalutz, which helped young people plan to move to pre-State Israel. In 1920, he was part of a team defending Tel Hai in the Upper Galilee, and he was killed in battle. He and the others who fell at Tel Hai are buried in a communal grave in Kibbutz Kfar Giladi, where a statue of a lion guards over them.

Kibutz Ein Har

A memorial for Yosef Trumpeldor in Tel-Hai, Israel

Tel-Hai, Israel

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03

Who wrote the famous song "Jerusalem of Gold", and what inspired the writting of the song?

North?

NAOMI SHEMER

Center?

THEODORE HERZL

YERUSHALAYIM SHEL ZAHAV-יְרוּשָׁלַיִם שֶׁל זָהָב

South?

MIRIAM PERETZ

NAOMI SHEMER

right!

Naomi Shemer is best known for her song —Yerushalayim Shel Zahav—Jerusalem of Gold, which she wrote just before the 1967 Six-Day War. It became an unofficial anthem after the reunification of Jerusalem, and some proposed that it replace Hatikvah as Israel’s national anthem. Her works read like a history of the state. Born in 1930 in Kvutzat Kinneret in the Galilee, a kibbutz her parents helped found, she studied at the Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem, performed in an IDF entertainment troupe, and launched a long, successful career, eventually winning the prestigious Israel Prize in 1983. When she died in 2004, she was buried in the Kinneret Cemetery, just a few meters away from the grave of Rachel the Poet, whose poetry Shemer featured in many of her songs.

Kvutzat Kinneret

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04

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?

DAVID BEN GURION

THEODORE HERZL

right!

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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05

Who is an Israeli singer-songwriter and actor, known for his role in Fauda, and was seriously wounded during the Iron Swords war?

North

ELIEZER BEN YEHUDA

Center?

IDAN AMEDI

South?

YITZHAK RABIN

Star singer and Fauda's actor (R) with IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi

‘Fauda’ actors

IDAN AMEDI

right!

Idan Amedi was born to a Kurdish Jewish family and raised in Jerusalem. During his mandatory service in the Israel Defense Forces, Amedi was in the combat engineering corps. Amedi specializes in various martial arts, such as taekwondo and Thai boxing. Prior to his military service in 2005, he was the runner-up in the national taekwondo championship. Idan Amedi (Hebrew: עידן עמדי; born February 19, 1988) is an Israeli singer-songwriter and actor who rose to fame on the reality show Kochav Nolad in 2010. He has released 5 studio albums, with hit singles like "Pain of Warriors" and "Finished." Amedi began acting in 2017, joining the cast of the TV action series Fauda, where he plays Sagi Tzur. In his personal life, Amedi married Miriam Benyaminov in 2018 and they have two children. He was called up as an IDF reservist during "Iron"swords" war, and was seriously injured in January 2024 while demolishing Hamas tunnels in Gaza.

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06

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

North

EDEN GOLAN

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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07

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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08

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?

HANNAH SENESH

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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09

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

North?

ANATAN SHARANSKY

Center?

ELI COHEN

South?

ILAN RAMON

ILAN RAMON

right!

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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

TEL AVIV

RIGHT!

Tel Aviv, Israel's bustling cosmopolitan hub, is known for its vibrant mix of modernity and history. Situated along the Mediterranean coastline, the city boasts stunning beaches, a thriving nightlife, and a dynamic arts scene. Tel Aviv is also a center of innovation and technology, often referred to as the "Silicon Wadi" due to its high concentration of startups and tech companies. The city's architecture is a blend of contemporary skyscrapers and Bauhaus-style buildings, especially in the UNESCO-listed White City district. Tel Aviv is also famous for its cultural diversity, offering a wide range of culinary experiences, lively markets like Carmel Market, and a rich history visible in sites like The Peres Center for Peace and Innovation, The Anu Museum of the Jewish People, and many more museums.

TEL AVIV

Tel Aviv Beaches

Tel Aviv Museum of Art

Azrieli Center

THE NORTH OF ISRAEL

The northern part of Israel, called the Galil (Galilee in English), is bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Lebanon to the north, Syria to the northeast, and Jordan to the east. After the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans, the ancient rabbis settled largely in the Galil and created a form of community in which Jewish law (halacha) and study of Torah infused all aspects of daily life. In many ways, Jewish text became the new “land,” and because it was portable, Jews brought this rabbinic paradigm with them to all the countries of the Jewish diaspora. In the 16th century, Jews who were expelled from the thriving Jewish center of Spain settled on the Galil mountaintop of Tzfat and developed a new form of Jewish mysticism. The kabbalists (Jewish mystics) believed that every mitzvah (commandment) a Jew performs helps to heal the cosmos. Many Jewish rituals that have become mainstream today, including the traditional Friday night prayer service (Kabbalat Shabbat) and the Tu B’Shevat seder, have their origins in the communal vision of the Tzfat kabbalists. At the beginning of the 20th century, groups of young people who mostly rejected rabbinic Judaism (yet still sought some form of Jewish collective living) immigrated from Europe to the Galil to found the first kibbutzim. These people are known as the pioneers (in Hebrew, halutzim), and the Jewish community they formed was built on radical equality and a belief that the land can be redeemed and the Jewish spirit reclaimed through physical labor.

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.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.

Mount Hermon

THE SOUTH OF ISRAEL

RIGHT!

The southern part of Israel, called the Negev (in Hebrew, negev means “dry”), is the desert region that begins in the Judean Hills near Jerusalem and extends to the southernmost point of Israel. The Negev desert comprises about 55% of Israel’s land mass. Have you watched a desert sunset? Or hiked in a desert crater? The stark beauty, the absolute silence — these are desert experiences that have long inspired humanity to feel connected to something in this world and, at the same time, beyond this world. The desert, with all its beauty and power, is part of the Jewish people’s DNA. In Jewish tradition, Abraham came to the Negev desert as part of his spiritual journey, and he and Sarah opened their tent to strangers. The Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years and, as free people, received an ethical blueprint through a wilderness revelation. It is in this boundless, sometimes brutal, always awesome space that the Jewish people learned about freedom and limits, about exaltation and humility. When visitors come to the Negev, they can squint and imagine — riffing on the Bible—that that bush once burned or that that rock once gushed with water. Nowadays they can also marvel at how human ingenuity has created sustainable settlements in the middle of the Negev — kibbutzim with beautiful landscapes and thriving agriculture, towns with culture and tourism, all reflecting the vision of Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, who called on Jews everywhere to “come to the Negev and make it bloom.”

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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