Many prominent figures from the worlds of entertainment, sports, and business first served in the IDF.
By Hezy Laing
Believe it or not, many prominent figures from the worlds of entertainment, sports, and business served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) before achieving international recognition.
Their military experience helped shape the discipline, leadership, and resilience they carried into their careers.
Here is a partial list:
Gal Gadot served as an IDF combat fitness instructor before launching her global career. She rose to fame as “Gisele” in The Fast and the Furious film series, and became a household name portraying “Diana Prince / Wonder Woman” in the DC Extended Universe, beginning with Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016).
Tom Reuveny captured Olympic gold in windsurfing (iQFoil) at the 2024 Paris Games while serving in the IDF and competing internationally.
Ayelet Zurer, now a successful Hollywood actress, served in the Northern Command’s entertainment troupe. She has appeared in Munich (2005), Vantage Point (2008), Angels & Demons (2009), Man of Steel (2013), and Ben-Hur (2016). She also portrayed Vanessa Marianna-Fisk in Marvel’s Daredevil series (2015–2018), returning for Daredevil: Born Again (2025–present).
Noa Kirel, a chart-topping Israeli pop star, served in the IDF’s orchestra corps, performing for soldiers across the country.
Omri Casspi, the first Israeli to play in the NBA (2009–2020), completed his mandatory three-year service in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) before launching his professional basketball career.
Adam Neumann, co-founder of WeWork, served as a naval officer before moving to the U.S. and founding one of the world’s most recognizable startups.
Ehud Shabtai, Uri Levine, and Amir Shinar — co-founders of the world famous Waze navigation application all served in Unit 8200 prior to launching the revolutionary app that was later acquired by Google.
Gal Fridman won Israel’s first Olympic gold medal in sailing at the 2004 Athens Games. He served in the IDF Navy and later coached military athletes.
Lior Raz, co-creator and star of the Israeli action drama Fauda, served in the elite undercover unit Duvdevan.
Linoy Ashram won gold in rhythmic gymnastics at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics while serving as an “Outstanding Athlete” in the IDF — a designation that allowed her to train while enlisted.
Assaf Rappaport, CEO of cybersecurity firm Wiz, is an alumnus of Unit 8200 — Israel’s elite intelligence and tech corps.
Omer Adam, a Mediterranean pop sensation, served in the IDF’s Technology and Maintenance Corps while launching his music career.
Artem Dolgopyat, who also won gold in artistic gymnastics at the 2020 Tokyo Games, received the same status, completing basic training while continuing his professional training.
Avishai Abrahami, CEO of Wix, also served in IDF tech units before building one of the world’s leading web design platforms.
