David Moshevitz, Former Elite Co-CEO and Grandson of Founder, Dies at 80

David Moshevitz, who served as co-CEO of the Israeli food company Elite and was the grandson of its founder, has passed away at the age of 80. Moshevitz, who was named after his grandfather, had a career spanning five decades at Elite, continuing as a director until his retirement last March. He shared the CEO role with Avi Filozof for two decades, a period Filozof described as one of Israel's greatest successes. Filozof noted their complementary roles, with Moshevitz focusing on marketing and Filozof on industry and development, working together effectively.

Filozof also recalled Moshevitz's brother, Danny, who died in a plane crash in 1971, and their joint effort to make Elite the sponsor of the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team. Filozof, along with Moshevitz and the late Michael Strauss, are considered pioneers of Israeli industry, representing a younger generation of industrialists who paved the way for others.

Elite was founded in 1933 by Moshevitz's grandfather, Eliyahu Fromchenko, and seven partners. The company expanded over the years, acquiring other businesses and establishing new product lines, including jams, preserves, tahini, and instant coffee. By 1970, Elite merged with Liberty, becoming Israel's largest confectionery producer.

Moshevitz and Filozof took over as co-CEOs in the late 1980s. The company later saw shifts in ownership, with David Federman acquiring controlling shares in 1984, followed by the Strauss family's investment and eventual control in the late 1990s. In 2004, Strauss and Elite merged, and three years later, the Elite name was removed from the group's name. At the time, Moshevitz expressed sadness over the name change, stating his deep connection to Elite, which he considered his life's work and part of Israeli identity.