Noa Tishby

Noa Tishby was born in Tel Aviv, Israel,^[5] in May 1975,^[4] into a Jewish family involved in the establishment of Israel.^[6] The kibbutz her grandfather co-founded was among the first in Israel's history.^[6] Tishby began acting at an early age, appearing in commercials by age 8.^[7] As a teenager, she earned a drama scholarship from the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and acted in several stage productions and television shows.^[8] She also served two and a half years in the Israel Defense Forces.^[7] She has described herself as having had a secular Zionist upbringing, having first been to a synagogue only after she had moved to Los Angeles.^[9]

Tishby began to achieve fame in Israel in the 1990s, appearing on the Israeli television drama Ramat Aviv Gimmel^[5] and starring as Anita in a production of West Side Story at the Habima Theatre.^[8][10] She released an English language album (Nona)^[8] and appeared on magazine covers and billboard ads as a model.^[5] In the early 2000s, she moved to Los Angeles, an ambition she had from childhood.^[7][11]

By 2006, Tishby had appeared in a series of television roles on shows like Star Trek: Enterprise, Nip/Tuck, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The 4400, and Charmed. She had a part in the 2005 film The Island. In 2008, Tishby sold the Israeli drama series BeTipul to HBO. It was the first Israeli format to become an American television show.^[12] The resultant American adaptation, In Treatment,^[13] premiered in 2008 with Tishby as co-executive producer along with Mark Wahlberg.^[14]

It ran for three seasons between 2008 and 2010, before returning for a fourth season in 2021 with Tishby still as co-executive producer.^[15] The show, which follows a series of fictional therapy sessions, won a Peabody Award in 2009.^[16] In the years during and after In Treatment's first run, Tishby continued to play roles on TV shows like NCIS and Big Love.^[17][18]

Additionally, Tishby began pitching adaptations of other Israeli programs to American networks^[19] through her production company Noa's Arc.^[17] Tishby was responsible for the development of adaptations for A Touch Away,^[19] as well as Life Isn't Everything,^[20] which was renamed Divorce: A Love Story for the American version.^[21]

Tishby has been an activist advocating for Israel since at least 2011.^[5] Tishby has harshly criticized the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, referring to the principles behind its cause as "misinformation, disinformation, manipulation, elimination of history and flat-out lies."^[5] She has called Amnesty International's characterization of Israel as an apartheid state "disgraceful".^[22]

In 2014, she founded Reality Israel, which holds a series of "leadership trips" for Jewish and non-Jewish people in Israel.^[23] In 2016 and 2018, she spoke before the United Nations General Assembly in New York City in support of Israel.^[5] In February 2021, Tishby joined the Black–Jewish Entertainment Alliance.^[24]

In April 2022, Tishby was appointed by then-Prime Minister Yair Lapid as Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and the Delegitimization of Israel, the first person to serve in the newly created position.^[25] Her appointment to the position initially drew skepticism.^[26] She also registered as a foreign agent under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).^[27] In April 2023, she was dismissed from the position after she spoke out against the judicial reform proposed by the new government of re-elected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.^[28]

In April 2021, Tishby released her first book, Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth. The book discusses the history and culture of Israel with autobiographical details. In the book, Tishby takes a Zionist stance and criticizes the BDS movement as it pertains to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.^[5] The book was published by Simon & Schuster.^[23]

In 2024, Simon & Schuster published her second book on antisemitism, co-written with African-American activist Emmanuel Acho, titled Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew.^[43] The book won the Education and Jewish identity Award at the 74th National Jewish Book Awards.^[44][45]

Tishby is the granddaughter of Fania Artzi, one of the founders of the kibbutz at Degania, Hanan Yavor, an Israeli diplomat, and Nachum Tisch, who was a founder of the Israeli Ministry of Industry and Trade. Her mother, Yael Tishby, served as head of the food department at the Israeli Export Centre.^[11]

Tishby was married to Australian television presenter Osher Günsberg from 2008 to 2011. She later had a relationship with financier Ross Hinkle, which produced a son, Ari, born in November 2015. Tishby and Hinkle are no longer together, and co-parent Ari. Tishby is on good terms with both Günsberg and Hinkle.^[7][46][47]

In 2022, Tishby became the 11,000th signer of the Jewish Future Pledge, a charitable campaign modeled after The Giving Pledge to encourage American Jews to designate at least 50% of their charitable giving to Jewish- or Israel-related causes.^[48]

Tishby was awarded an honorary doctorate by Reichman University on June 4, 2024, awarded for having "made exceptional contributions to the State of Israel since October 7."^[49][40]

• List of combating antisemitism envoys