Itzik Shmuli

Itzik Shmuli (Template:Lang-he; born 8 February 1980) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party. He is a former leader of the National Union of Israeli Students.

Early life

Shmuli was born in Tel Aviv, Israel on February 8, 1980 to Nechama and Chaim Shmuli, restaurant owners. His family is of Iraqi Jewish descent. At the age of 3, his family moved to Ramat Gan.

Itzik was conscripted to the Israel Defense Forces in 1998 and sent to train as a tank commander in an operational company of the 7th Armored Brigade’s 82nd Battalion.

Education and Social Activism

After his release from the Israeli army in 2001, Shmuli established a restaurant and catering company with his father in Tel Aviv, where he worked for two years. At the age 23, he sold most of his belongings, including his share in the restaurant, and moved to Argentina. He had spent time involved in the establishment of a Buenos Aires orphanage whilst residing there.

With his return to Israel, he attended Oranim Academic College and graduated with a B.Ed. in Special Education and Social-Community Action. During his first year at Oranim, he was elected unanimously to be the leader of the Student Union at his university. In that position, he led a national fight against the Shochat Committee, which was trying to privatize higher education and raise tuition fees.

In the beginning of 2009, Shmuli was unanimously elected as deputy chairman of the National Union of Israeli Students. As part of his role, he led the unification of the two national student organizations in Israel by merging the Israeli Students Organization with the Student Union. He served as the head of the student negotiation team in the debate about higher education in the state of Israel. In October 2010, he was elected chairman of the Student Union. This position made him the first chairman from a private college. As the chairman, he also served as a member of the Council for Higher Education in Israel and served as the director of Issta Lines, which is partially owned by the Student Union. In addition, he also served on the executive board of the organization “Emun Ha-tzibur” (Public's trust), and of the movement "Ha-kol Hinuch" (It’s All Education).

In addition, Shmuli was part of social struggles. Among them was his fight for the Holocaust survivors' rights, The struggle to increase the state's royalties gained from the profits of the discovery of the natural gas reserves, The struggle for egalitarianism in the Israeli army and the increase of the serving soldiers rights and the struggle to regulate the status and rights of social workers.

At the same time, he was involved in the hiring of contractor workers in institutions of higher education in direct employment. In addition, he supported applying mandatory social involvement to undergraduate students. In addition, he was able to consolidate and expand the rights of students serving in reserve duty, pregnant students and minority students. Has also succeeded in improving the economic situation of the students - with the expansion of subsidy in public transportation for students, the restriction of additional payments in academia and a precedent-setting decision on the construction of thousands of units of student dormitories. In 2010 he began his studies towards a master's degree in public policy at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on behalf of the University's Honors Program.

Tent Protests

In 2011, Shmuli was one of the leaders of the Tent Protest. He was active in leading and expanding the protest, in setting up tents, in promoting protest throughout the State of Israel, and even gave speeches at demonstrations and major rallies throughout the duration of the protest. On August 1, he was among the group of protest leaders who met with then-President Shimon Peres at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem.

Shmuli led the line advocating dialogue with government representatives alongside the protest activities, in contrast to some of the other protest leaders who believed that political power should be used to produce the results and decisions of the political echelon. He headed the delegation of student leaders who met with members of the Trajtenberg Committee, with the publication of its conclusions, he criticized them and called for the continuation of the protest activities. In November 2011, he announced the relocation of his residence to Lod.

Political career

In July 2012, Shmuli resigned as chairman of the Student Union, and in October 2012 he announced his intention to run in the Labor Party’s primaries for the 19th Knesset. Shmuli was placed in the party’s 11th slot for the Knesset list.

In the 19th Knesset, Shmuli served as a member of the economic affairs committee, and served on a special committee to discuss the egalitarianism bill. He also headed the lobby for the advancement of financial education in Israel and the social housing lobby. As part of his activities, he dealt extensively with the housing crisis including attempts to bring about a law of affordable housing in legislation. In addition, he succeeded in passing social laws, such as prohibiting water cuts, improving the wages of soldiers and protecting small and medium businesses.

In the coming of the elections for the 20th Knesset, Shmuli was placed fifth on the list of the Zionist Union, after reaching third place in the Labor primaries, and was thus elected to the 20th Knesset.

Shmuli initiated extensive legislation and led many social struggles in the Knesset, including a struggle against the injustice of group long-term care insurance and the enactment of the State Long-Term Care Insurance Law, The struggle to raise old-age pensions and provide heating grants and dental care to the elderly population and has led a campaign for integration of people with disabilities into employment in the Public sector, The struggle and legislation to expand social support for disadvantaged populations such as children with cancer and children with muscular dystrophy, lone soldiers, disabled people and Holocaust survivors, and legislation to increase the punishment of animal abusers. In addition, he led the 20th Knesset in the struggle to close the water corporations. Shmuli also headed several lobbies in the Knesset, including the Pensioners' Lobby, the Lobby for Individual Soldiers, the Lobby for Affordable Housing, the Animal Lobby and the Lobby for Pluralistic Judaism and against Religious Fanaticism. Among other things, he was awarded four consecutive times the title "The Most Social Knesset Member in the Knesset" by the "Social Guard" association , entitled "Decoration of Light for Holocaust Survivors", "The Ometz Decortaion" as a model for exceptional achievements in the social sphere and "The Outstanding Parliamentarian Award" from the IDI (Israel Democracy Institute)Israel Democracy Institute.

Personal life

In July 2015, following a stabbing incident at Jerusalem’s gay pride parade, Shmuli wrote in an article to Yedioth Ahronoth that “when the knife is raised around the neck of an entire LGBT community, my community, it will not stop there.” Thus, he became the first Knesset member to come out as homosexual during his term.

In July 2017, he moved to Kibbutz Ein Gedi,continuing his actions in the city of Lod. Shmuli's decision to move was made in view of the hard ecological situation of the Dead sea area.

In 2013, MK shmuli adopted a vegetarian lifestyle.

External links

• Itzik Shmuli on the Knesset website