Noa Tishby

Summary

Noa Tohar Tishby (Hebrew: נועה טוהר תשבי; Hebrew pronunciation: [no'ʔa tiʃ'bi]; born May 1975[1]) is an Israeli activist, actress, model, producer, and writer. As an actress, she appeared in a variety of American television shows and movies, including The Affair, The Island, Nip/Tuck, Big Love, NCIS, and others. She is also the co-executive producer of the HBO series, In Treatment, which is an adaptation of the Israeli series, BeTipul. Her production company, Noa's Arc, was also responsible for selling several other adaptations of Israeli programs to American networks.

Noa Tishby
Noa Tishby in Jaffa, 2021
Born
Noa Tohar Tishby

May 1975 (age 48)
Tel Aviv, Israel
Occupation(s)Activist, actress, model, producer, writer
Spouse
(m. 2008; div. 2011)
Children1
Websitenoatishby.com

Tishby also 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.

Early life edit

Noa Tishby was born in Tel Aviv, Israel,[2] in May 1975,[1] into a Jewish family involved in the establishment of Israel.[3] The kibbutz 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 the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and acted in several stage productions and television shows.[5] She also served two and a half years in the Israel Defense Forces.[4]

Career edit

Tishby began to achieve fame in Israel in the 1990s, appearing on the Israeli television drama, Ramat Aviv Gimmel[2] and starring as Anita in a production of West Side Story at the Habima Theatre.[5][6] She also 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 like Star Trek, Nip/Tuck, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, The 4400, and Charmed. She also 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.[7] The resultant American adaptation, In Treatment,[8] premiered in 2008 with Tishby as co-executive producer along with Mark 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 a Peabody Award in 2009.[11] In the years during and after In Treatment's first run, Tishby continued to play roles on TV shows like NCIS and Big 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 for A Touch Away,[14] as well as Life Isn't Everything,[15] which was renamed Divorce: A Love Story for the American version.[16]

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 the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement as it pertains to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[2] The book was published by Simon & Schuster.[17]

Activism edit

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][18] 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 also called Amnesty International's characterization of Israel as an apartheid state to be "disgraceful".[19]

In 2014, she founded Reality Israel, which holds a series of "leadership trips" for Jewish and non-Jewish people in Israel.[17] In 2016 and 2018, she spoke before the United 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 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.[21] 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.[22]

During the 2023 Israel–Hamas war, Tishby has been a leading Zionist voice in the U.S.[23]

Personal life edit

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.[4][24][25]

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.[26]

Filmography edit

As actress edit

Film edit

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

Television edit

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

As producer edit

Year Title Role Notes
2008–2010 In Treatment Executive producer 106 episodes
2013 Divorce: A Love Story Executive producer TV movie

References edit

  1. ^ a b Steinberg, Jessica (June 2, 2015). "Actress turns 40 with Zionist debate". Times of Israel. Retrieved April 17, 2022.)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Sarner, Robert (May 6, 2021). "Israeli actress Noa Tishby's 'Simple Guide' to Israel shakes up US progressives". The Times of Israel. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c Ghermezian, Shiryn (April 19, 2021). "Israeli-American Actress-Turned-Author Noa Tishby Seeks to Explain 'Misunderstood' Israel in New Book". Algemeiner Journal. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Fishbach, Brian (October 6, 2021). "Noa Tishby: From Hollywood to Israel". Jewish Journal. Retrieved April 17, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Brinn, David (June 26, 2008). "Israeli impresario". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  6. ^ Schleier, Curt (May 2021). "Noa Tishby's 'Simple Guide' to Israel". Hadassah Magazine. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Sela-Sheffy, Rakefet (February 1, 2017). "Two-way cultural transfer: the case of the Israeli TV series BeTipul and its American adaptation In Treatment". Media, Culture & Society. 39 (6): 781–797. doi:10.1177/0163443717693679. S2CID 151849499.
  8. ^ Kupfer, Ruta (November 2, 2006). "America Needs to Be 'In Treatment'". Haaretz. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  9. ^ Saval, Malina (June 11, 2018). "In Treatment". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  10. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandria (April 12, 2021). "'In Treatment': HBO's Uzo Aduba Therapy Drama Gets Season 4 Premiere Date, Teaser". Deadline. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  11. ^ "In Treatment". Peabody Awards. 2009. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Klein Leichman, Abigail (August 14, 2018). "10 prominent Israelis at the head of US businesses". Israel21c. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  13. ^ Popper, Nathaniel (January 21, 2009). "Big Love's Resident Kibbutznik". Forward. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  14. ^ a b Spence, Rebecca (March 13, 2008). "Hollywood Execs Tune In to Israeli Television". Forward. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 30, 2011). "CBS Buys Adaptation Of Hit Israeli Comedy 'Life Isn't Everything'". Deadline. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  16. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (February 1, 2013). "ABC Greenlights Divorce Comedy Pilot". Deadline. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  17. ^ a b Saval, Malina (April 7, 2021). "'In Treatment' Executive Producer Noa Tishby Drops Debut Book on Israel". Variety. Retrieved April 20, 2022.
  18. ^ Brinn, David (November 18, 2021). "Noa Tishby: I don't care if I lose acting jobs for my support of Israel". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 18, 2022.
  19. ^ "Report labelling Israel an apartheid state is 'disgraceful'". News.com.au. February 6, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  20. ^ Hartog, Kelly (February 5, 2021). "Over 170 celebrities join Black-Jewish Entertainment Alliance". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 28, 2022.
  21. ^ Harkov, Lahav (April 11, 2022). "Lapid appoints activist actress Noa Tishby as antisemitism envoy". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  22. ^ "Israel fires special envoy Noa Tishby who had criticized judicial reform". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. April 2, 2023. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  23. ^ Rosman, Katherine (November 2, 2023). "An 'Israel Explainer' Makes Her Country's Case in America". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  24. ^ "Osher's ex-wife breaks her silence: 'It became toxic'". News.com.au. August 9, 2016. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  25. ^ "Noa's Arc: How Noa Tishby went from actress to Israel activist".
  26. ^ "Noa Tishby Becomes The 11,000th Person To Sign The Jewish Future Pledge". Boulder Jewish News. December 19, 2022. Retrieved October 9, 2023.

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Noa Tishby at IMDb