Jewish Community Federation of Richmond has announced that this year’s Connecting Community-Grand Event will connect our community, celebrate our collective strength, and feature actress, author, and globally renowned Jewish advocate Noa Tishby. 

Federation CEO Daniel Staffenberg said, “The event on October 29th at the Short Pump Hilton promises to be an unforgettable evening of inspiration, community, and connection. We are excited to welcome Noa Tishby back to Richmond, who joined us in 2021.”

Event co-chairs Nannette and Nathan Shor and Lisa Looney invite community members to join together for an inspiring evening.

Noa Tishby: A Powerful Voice for Israel and the Jewish People

Tishby, who is a two-time New York Times best-selling author and Israel’s former Special Envoy for Combating Antisemitism and Delegitimization, will share her insights on Israel, Jewish identity, and the challenges the Jewish community faces in today’s world. She is a powerful voice for Israel and the Jewish people.

Born and raised in Tel Aviv, Tishby got her start in the Israeli entertainment industry as a teen in the original musical David. She received a drama scholarship from the Tel Aviv Museum of Art and went on to appear in Israel’s leading TV shows, films, theater, and ad campaigns, becoming a household name in her homeland.

Tishby served in the Israeli army before landing a starring role on the nation’s highest-rated prime time drama. After becoming a household name in Israel, Tishby moved to Los Angeles, where as a producer she made history with the sale of In Treatment to HBO: the first Israeli television show to become an American series.

She co-produced the 14 Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated, and Peabody Award-winning, In Treatment alongside Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson. With that first sale, Tishby created a market that did not exist before: the sale of Israeli TV formats in the U.S.

In 2011, Tishby founded the first Israel-focused online advocacy and rapid response organization, Act For Israel, and became a powerful voice for Israel and the Middle East. In 2014, she initiated a partnership between The Schusterman Foundation and Summit Series and co-created Reality Israel, a series of leadership trips to Israel for Jews and non-Jews alike. To date, Reality has brought to Israel thousands of professionals in tech, music, food, sports and the arts and sciences.

In 2024, Tishby founded the non-profit, Eighteen, that focuses on fighting antisemitism, defending Israel, and inspiring Jewish pride through media and entertainment. She was recognized as one of the 50 Most Powerful Jews in the World and on Hollywood Reporter’s Women in Power list of international executives.

After years of speaking and writing about Israel and antisemitism, both publicly and privately, Tishby has deciphered how to explain these complex issues in a clear and relatable way.

Her first book Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth, was published in 2021 by Simon & Schuster and became a New York Times bestseller.

Tishby recently released her second New York Times best-selling book: Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew, which she co-authored with Emmanuel Acho.

She is among the best-known pro-Israel figures on social and legacy media with her content reaching millions of people daily across all platforms.

Tishby resides in Los Angeles, and is a proud Jewish mother to her son, Ari.

“Tishby has become a dominant and provocative voice on a war that is being fought in the Middle East and also on television, social media, and American streets and college campuses. She is the voice of this Jewish generation.”

- New York Times-

The October 29 event is set for the Hilton Richmond Hotel in Short Pump, 12042 West Broad St., Henrico. A dessert reception begins at 7 p.m., followed by the program.

To register, visit https://jewishrichmond.regfox.com/connecting-community-grand-event--october-29-2025

Noah Tishby and Daniel Staffenberg on stage at the Grand Event in 2021