“Israel is here to stay. The people of Israel live.”
This week’s Esther is an Israeli woman who has spent years standing in the gap for her people, often in rooms where it would have been easier to stay quiet. She is an actress, a producer, an author, and an activist. More than anything, she is a voice of clarity at a time of confusion.
Her name is Noa Tishby.
Noa was born and raised in Tel Aviv to a family deeply involved in the early days of the state. Her grandfather co-founded one of the first kibbutzim in Israel. She grew up with a strong sense that Israel was not an abstract idea, but a real home built with real sacrifice.
As a teenager she won a drama scholarship from the Tel Aviv Museum of Art. She became well known in Israel through television and stage roles, then moved to Los Angeles and made history by selling the Israeli TV series BeTipul to HBO. It became In Treatment, the first Israeli show adapted into an American series, with Noa as a co-executive producer. The show won a Peabody Award and received multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
At the same time, she watched Israel become “the most misunderstood country on earth” in Western media. In 2011 she founded Act for Israel, an online advocacy project to push back against disinformation.
In 2021 she wrote Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, a New York Times bestseller that explains Israel’s story for a new generation. She has since co-authored Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew with Emmanuel Acho, tackling antisemitism head-on.
Recognizing her advocacy, Israel appointed her as its first ever Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and the Delegitimization of Israel in 2022. She served until 2023, when she was dismissed after publicly criticizing the government’s judicial overhaul.
In other words, she has been willing to tell hard truths even when it cost her. That is very Esther-like.
Recently, Noa delivered a speech that captures why we are honoring her as Esther of the Week. Here is the heart of what she said.
She began with hope.
“As I speak to you today, the war in Gaza is finally over. Thank God. Our living hostages are home and we are waiting the return of every single one that is left behind. We have a fragile ceasefire in place and renewed hope for peace in the Middle East.”
Then she named the deeper reality.
“This was not a war that Israel wanted or started. But the hatred we have seen around America and the world was never about the war. It was about Israel.”
She pointed to protestors who cried for a ceasefire, yet seemed devastated when the war stopped. She said openly what many have whispered.
“They told us they wanted a ceasefire. But when a ceasefire came, they showed us that they do not want to end the war. They want to end Israel.”
She exposed the double standard that every Christian woman who loves Israel can feel in her bones. Activists talk about justice and human rights, yet fall silent when Jews are raped, murdered, or taken hostage. When it is against Jews, it is called “resistance.”
Noa drew a clear line between legitimate criticism of any government and something darker.
“The so-called free Palestine movement is not about freeing Palestine at all. It is about destroying Israel. It is not about criticizing Israel’s actions, but about delegitimizing Israel’s very existence.”
Then she did something vital. She stepped back into history and gave her listeners context.
She reminded them that Israel is the only country whose very existence is constantly relitigated. She noted that in 1947 the Jews accepted partition, the Arabs rejected it, and in 1948 five Arab armies invaded the newborn state. Israel survived.
She compared this with the partition of India and Pakistan, where over a million died and tens of millions were displaced. No one today questions India’s right to exist. Yet Israel’s right to exist is questioned every day.
“Most states were born in turmoil and sadly in violence. Even our beloved United States of America. But it is only Israel that has to explain her existence.”
Then she spoke from the heart of Jewish identity.
“The Jewish people are indigenous to the land of Israel. I might be fourth generation Israeli, but I carry two thousand years of history that is connected to that land.”
She reminded her audience that even in exile, Jews never severed their bond with the land. There was always a remnant in Jerusalem, in Tiberias, in Safed, in Hebron. There was always a people praying “next year in Jerusalem.”
“Israel is not a colonialist state. It is the most successful indigenous land-back movement the world has ever seen.”
Finally, she declared something you will resonate with deeply.
“You can debate Israel’s creation all you want. It would not make a difference. Israel is here to stay. The Jews came from Israel. The Jews went back to Israel. And the Jews are not going anywhere and will remain in Israel forever. Yesterday, today, and for the future. The people of Israel live.”
This is why we are calling Noa Tishby our Esther of the Week.
Not because she is flawless. Not because she agrees with every party or government. But because in a moment of confusion and hostility, she speaks clearly about who the Jewish people are, where they come from, and why they will not disappear.
Esther risked her life to plead for her people in a hostile court. Noa risks her career and reputation to defend her people in hostile media and cultural spaces. She stands in halls of power and says, in effect:
We are not accidents. We are not intruders. We are home.
“And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”
Esther 4:14, NIV
Noa’s “royal position” is not a palace. It is a camera, a microphone, a book, and a willingness to be misunderstood. God has given her influence. She has chosen to use it for the protection and dignity of the Jewish people.
Today’s Prayer
Lord, thank You for the courage of Noa Tishby. Strengthen her mind, guard her heart, and protect her family. Bless her words as she defends the truth about Israel and the Jewish people. Help us, as Christian women, to be faithful friends to Your people, to love what You love, and to stand firm when the world wavers. Make us modern-day Esthers who speak with wisdom and courage for such a time as this. Amen.
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