Professor Yaron Zelekha's High Earnings Revealed Amidst Political Aspirations

Professor Yaron Zelekha, formerly the Accountant General in the Ministry of Finance and currently a prominent figure in the Economic Party, has drawn public attention for his substantial private sector income. Over the past seven years, ending in 2025, Zelekha earned approximately 14.3 million shekels gross from Ono Academic College, where he holds a senior faculty position and heads the accounting department. Financial reports submitted by the college to the Registrar of Associations, as revealed by Calcalist, show a consistent rise in his remuneration. His salary increased from about 1.1 million shekels in 2017 to a peak of 2.43 million shekels in 2023, a 17% annual jump that averaged around 203,000 shekels per month. This placed him as the second highest earner at the institution, significantly surpassing the CEO, Ranan Hartman. Even in 2021, during his Knesset election campaign, he continued to receive his full salary of approximately 1.95 million shekels. In 2025, his salary cost was 1.99 million shekels, coinciding with a surge in the college's revenue to 555 million shekels.

The high salaries are attributed to Ono Academic College's status as a private non-profit institution, not reliant on state funding and thus exempt from salary caps applicable to state-funded academia. Zelekha also worked as a paid economic consultant for various organizations and employee committees. However, with his potential entry into the Knesset, he will be required to cease these external activities, as per the Attorney General's directives for lawmakers. Ono Academic College stated they would not comment on faculty salaries. Professor Zelekha acknowledged that his income would need to decrease significantly upon entering the Knesset, expressing a willingness to do so out of a sense of public duty, despite finding it more comfortable to remain in the private sector. He stated, "There is no doubt that I will have to significantly reduce my income when I enter the Knesset, and I will do so willingly and out of a sense of mission. It would have been more comfortable for me to remain in the private sector, but I see the public groaning under the cost of living. I have never been afraid to pay prices for my public mission."