Veteran Haaretz Journalist Nehemia Strasler Retires After 44 Years

Senior economic journalist and commentator Nehemia Strasler has requested to end his tenure at the Haaretz newspaper after 44 years. Strasler, 75, will publish his final column this Friday, with a farewell meeting expected next week.

Strasler began his career at Haaretz in 1983 as a senior economic editor. After 16 years, he transitioned to the role of senior economic commentator, a position he held continuously. Throughout his career, Strasler, who holds degrees in economics and business administration from Tel Aviv University, consistently advocated for free market economics and sharply criticized monopolies, centralization, and pressure groups.

He authored two books, "And They Won't Work You Over" and the children's book "Where Did the Money Tree Go?" During his long career, Strasler received four major journalistic awards. In 1987, he was honored as an outstanding economic journalist for promoting reforms and tax reductions. In 1988, he won the Sokolov Prize for exposing the excessive pension of then-Bank Leumi chairman Ernst Yaffe and calling for accountability from bank executives following the 1983 bank stock crisis.

In 2011, he received an award for quality economic communication, and in 2012, he was given a lifetime achievement award by the Tel Aviv Journalists Association for his long-standing fight against centralization and monopolies for the benefit of consumers.

Strasler's retirement announcement comes amid changes and turmoil at the Haaretz Group, which included the appointment of Baruch Shea as editor of TheMarker and recent layoffs of 35 employees and the reduction of five additional positions. However, it was clarified that Strasler's departure was voluntary and not related to the group's layoffs.