Yaniv Levi Resigns After 13 Years as Israeli Labor Federation Spokesperson

Yaniv Levi, chairman of the Public Relations, Advertising, and Spokesperson Department at the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel), is stepping down after 13 years in the role. Levi served as the spokesperson under three different Histadrut chairmen and will officially leave his position on August 31. His successor has not yet been announced.

Levi established the PR department in July 2013 during the tenure of then-chairman Ofer Eini and continued leading it through the leaderships of Avi Nissenkorn in 2014 and Arnon Bar-David from 2019 onward. According to the Histadrut, Levi played a central role in shaping the organization's strategy, branding, marketing, advertising, and crisis management, especially under Bar-David’s chairmanship.

His tenure included challenging periods such as the exposure of an alleged corruption scandal within the Histadrut involving senior officials, including Bar-David, though no indictments have been filed yet. Levi also served as spokesperson during multiple Histadrut elections, including the last one where Ofer Eini unsuccessfully sought to regain leadership. Additionally, he was the spokesperson during significant national events like the judicial reform protests and the campaign for the release of hostages held by Hamas, where the Histadrut actively engaged in national politics beyond its traditional labor union role.

Levi also supported the Histadrut through numerous collective agreements in the public sector, including during the COVID-19 pandemic and the electricity sector strike that led to a landmark 2018 reform reducing the Israel Electric Corporation’s monopoly. In his farewell statement, Levi expressed pride and satisfaction with his contributions to one of Israel’s most influential organizations.

Histadrut chairman Arnon Bar-David praised Levi as a close colleague and key figure in managing some of the organization’s most complex national crises and strategic initiatives. Levi’s departure marks the end of a significant chapter in the Histadrut’s public communication and crisis management history.