Noa Tishby is someone you should know. She is a gifted Israeli actress, producer, activist and author of the acclaimed book, Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth. But Tishby’s most important role – one that has propelled her to the status of a modern-day Jewish superhero – is advocate for Israel, at a time when world Jewry needs it the most.
As an Israeli household name and top television actress, Tishby has used her star power to become one of the country’s leading voices against hatred of Israelis and Jews. Known as Israel’s unofficial ambassador in the United States, she has often spoken publicly and written op-eds in defense of Israel over the past 10 years. Noa is also the great-granddaughter of Zionist pioneers. She was born and raised in Tel Aviv and served two and a half years in the Israeli army before she landed a starring role on the nation’s highest-rated primetime drama “Ramat Aviv Gimmel.” She became a household name, appearing in numerous TV shows, films, theater productions, and national fashion campaigns, before she moved to Los Angeles, where she sold the Israeli TV show “In Treatment” to HBO, making history as the first Israeli television show to become an American series. She co-produced over 150 episodes, which earned a Peabody Award and twelve Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. As a passionate political activist, Tishby founded the nonprofit “Act for Israel,” Israel’s first online advocacy organization.
Her newly released book, Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, is the ultimate testament to her love of Israel and commitment to progressive ideals and is meant to expose common criticism and stereotypes of Israel. Praised across the political spectrum, the book is a deeply personal, honest and sometimes harsh summarization of the Zionist movement, the state’s establishment, the many wars inflicted on Israel by her neighbors, the bloody intifadas, the fruitless peace negotiations, the fruitful peace treaties, and Israel’s conflict management.
In an interview with The Times of Israel, Tishby says that working on the book—from the research to the writing and current PR and media blitz—has proven particularly gratifying. “I’ve done a lot of things in the entertainment industry, but this is the most personal and meaningful project in my life so far…And since it came out, it’s allowed me to engage in thoughtful discussions with people on a daily basis and to spark a conversation that’s extremely important, not just to Israel but also Western society.”
The Merage JCC recently had the pleasure of speaking to Noa and asked her what motivated her to write the book? She answered that she wrote it not just for the non-Jewish community, but also for her Jewish, secular, liberal friends who weren’t able to answer the questions that were posed to them about Israel. What she wants people to know is that: “if we as a community cannot answer the hard questions, then we can’t be surprised when the conversations are taken away from us.” She added that we must deepen our understanding of our own Jewish identity, the safety and security of Israel, the reason for Israel’s right to exist, and why Israel is not a genocide state. And most importantly, she says: “We have to address these tough questions with our youth and educate them by arming them with the answers so that they will be prepared when they get to college. Otherwise, it will be like we are literally sending our kids to a battleground, except that only one side knows they’re at war.”
Noa points out that while Israel is the only democratic country in the Middle East, and no other country in the world is being “cancelled” the way Israel is. She explains that: “Most people in America fail to understand that you can be liberal and also support the existence of Israel.”
Noa concludes by saying: “I’m a Zionist. I’m pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian, and these are not at all mutually exclusive. The fact of the matter is, the majority of Israelis would like to see a solution. Period. There are fringes on the right and fringes on the left, just like anywhere else in the world at the moment. Nobody thinks that the situation is sustainable the way that it is.”
OC Jewish Arts Festival 2021
October 28 – November 22
Noa Tishby will appear at the Merage JCC on
Sunday, November 21 at 4:00 PM
For further information and to purchase tickets please contact Nicole Rosenson at: nicoler@jccoc.org, or call:
949-435-3400, ext. 161. You can also visit:
https://www.jccoc.org.