Noa Tishby | |
|---|---|
נועה תשבי | |
 Noa Tishby in Jaffa, 2021 | |
| Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and the Delegitimization of Israel | |
| In office November 4, 2022 – Apr 2, 2023 | |
| President | Isaac Herzog |
| Prime Minister | Yair Lapid Benjamin Netanyahu |
| Minister | Yair Lapid Eli Cohen |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Noa Tohar Tishby May 1975 (age 50) Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Occupation | Activist, actress, model, producer, writer |
| Website | noatishby |
Noa Tohar Tishby (Hebrew:נועה טוהר תשבי;Hebrew pronunciation:[no'ʔatiʃ'bi]; born May 1975[1]) is an Israeli actress and activist. She appeared in a variety of American television shows and movies, includingThe Affair,The Island,Nip/Tuck,Big Love,NCIS, and others. She is the co-executive producer of theHBO seriesIn Treatment, which is an adaptation of the Israeli seriesBeTipul. Her production company Noa's Arc was responsible for selling several other adaptations of Israeli programs to American networks.
Tishby focuses on Zionist activism, founding the advocacy organization Act for Israel in 2011. In 2021, she published her first book,Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth. She served as the Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and the Delegitimization of Israel for one year, from 2022 to 2023.
Noa Tishby was born inTel Aviv, Israel,[2] in May 1975,[1] into aJewish family involved in the establishment of Israel.[3] Thekibbutz her grandfather co-founded was among the first in Israel's history.[3] Tishby began acting at an early age, appearing in commercials by age 8.[4] As a teenager, she earned a drama scholarship from theTel Aviv Museum of Art and acted in several stage productions and television shows.[5] She also served two and a half years in theIsrael Defense Forces.[4]
Tishby began to achieve fame in Israel in the 1990s, appearing on the Israeli television dramaRamat Aviv Gimmel[2] and starring as Anita in a production ofWest Side Story at theHabima Theatre.[5][6] She released an English language album (Nona)[5] and appeared on magazine covers and billboard ads as a model.[2] In the early 2000s, she moved to Los Angeles.[4]
By 2006, Tishby had appeared in a series of television roles on shows likeStar Trek: Enterprise,Nip/Tuck,CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,The 4400, andCharmed. She had a part in the 2005 filmThe Island. In 2008, Tishby sold the Israeli drama seriesBeTipul to HBO. It was the first Israeli format to become an American television show.[7] The resultant American adaptation,In Treatment,[8] premiered in 2008 with Tishby as co-executive producer along withMark Wahlberg.[9]
It ran for three seasons between 2008 and 2010, before returning for a fourth season in 2021 with Tishby still as co-executive producer.[10] The show, which follows a series of fictional therapy sessions, won aPeabody Award in 2009.[11] In the years during and afterIn Treatment's first run, Tishby continued to play roles on TV shows likeNCIS andBig Love.[12][13]
Additionally, Tishby began pitching adaptations of other Israeli programs to American networks[14] through her production company Noa's Arc.[12] Tishby was responsible for the development of adaptations forA Touch Away,[14] as well asLife Isn't Everything,[15] which was renamedDivorce: A Love Story for the American version.[16]
Tishby has been an activist advocating for Israel since at least 2011.[2] That year she founded Act for Israel, an online Zionist advocacy organization. Tishby created the group to help correct misinformation about Israel's history, culture, and governmental policies.[3][17] Specifically, Tishby has harshly criticized the BDS movement, referring to the principles behind its cause as "misinformation, disinformation, manipulation, elimination of history and flat-out lies."[2] She has calledAmnesty International's characterization of Israel as anapartheid state to be "disgraceful".[18]
In 2014, she founded Reality Israel, which holds a series of "leadership trips" for Jewish and non-Jewish people in Israel.[19] In 2016 and 2018, she spoke before theUnited Nations General Assembly in New York City in support of Israel.[2] In February 2021, Tishby joined the Black–Jewish Entertainment Alliance.[20]
In April 2021, she 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 theBoycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as it pertains to theIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.[2] The book was published bySimon & Schuster.[19]
In April 2022, Tishby was appointed by then-Prime MinisterYair Lapid as Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and the Delegitimization of Israel, the first person to serve in the newly created position.[21] In April 2023, she was dismissed from the position after she spoke out against thejudicial reform proposed by thenew government of re-elected Prime MinisterBenjamin Netanyahu.[22]
During theGaza war, Tishby has been a leading Zionist voice in the U.S.[23] In 2024, Tisby wrote that social media is a main site for skyrocketing antisemitism, with its anonymity, bots, and trolls. She called on social media platforms to increase content moderation, adopt theIHRA definition of antisemitism, and provide active reporting mechanisms. She called on governments to strengthen laws against hate speech and hold social media companies accountable. She called on civil societies to recognize and counter antisemitism embedded in education, and provide legal and psychological support to victims of online antisemitism.[24]
In 2024, Simon & Schuster published her second book on antisemitism, co-written with African-American activistEmmanuel Acho, titledUncomfortable Conversations with a Jew.[25]
Tishby was married to Australian television presenterOsher 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.[4][26][27]
In 2022, Tishby became the 11,000th signer of theJewish Future Pledge, a charitable campaign modeled afterThe Giving Pledge to encourageAmerican Jews to designate at least 50% of their charitable giving to Jewish- or Israel-related causes.[28]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Hercules | Megara | Voice; Hebrew dub |
| 2003 | Connecting Dots | Carrie | |
| 2004 | Skeleton Man | Sgt. Davis | |
| 2005 | Fatwa | Spy | |
| 2005 | The Island | Community Announcer | |
| 2009 | Ghosts of Girlfriends Past | Kiki | |
| 2025 | October H8TE | Herself |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | Ramat Aviv Gimmel | Dafna Maor | Supporting role (Israeli show) |
| 2001 | Shachar | Dana Mazor | Supporting role (Israeli show) |
| 2003 | Miss Match | Beverly | Episode: "The Price of Love" |
| 2003 | Coupling | The Girl | Episode: "A Foreign Affair" |
| 2003 | The Drew Carey Show | Rachel | Episode: "Blecch Sunday" |
| 2003 | CSI: Miami | Gloria Tynan / Gina Cusack | Episode: "Double Cap" |
| 2003 | Nip/Tuck | Janelle | Episode: "Mandi/Randi" |
| 2004 | Star Trek: Enterprise | Amanda Cole | Episode: "Harbinger" |
| 2005 | Las Vegas | Lisa | Episode: "Whale of a Time" |
| 2005 | The 4400 | Chloe Granger | Episode: "Weight of the World" |
| 2005 | Charmed | Black Heart | Episode: "Malice in Wonderland" |
| 2005 | CSI: NY | Polly Part'em | Episode: "Jamalot" |
| 2009 | Big Love | Ladonna | 4 episodes |
| 2009 | NCIS | DEA Agent Claire Connell | Episode: "Truth or Consequences" |
| 2009 | Leverage | Mikel Dayan | Episode: "The Two Live Crew Job" |
| 2009 | Valentine | Bast | 4 episodes |
| 2010 | The Deep End | Rachel Blau | Pilot |
| 2015 | Dig | Liat | 6 episodes |
| 2018 | The Affair | Psychologist | 1 Episode |
| 2023 | Eretz Nehederet | College activist | 1 Episode |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–2010 | In Treatment | Executive producer | 106 episodes |
| 2013 | Divorce: A Love Story | Executive producer | TV movie |
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