David Levy is considered one of Morocco’s most prestigious Jews, having succeeded in holding the most important positions in Israel from scratch at a time when it was difficult for Sephardic Jews to make their way in the new state.
David Levy was born on December 21, 1937 to a Jewish family which resided in Rabat. He was educated in Jewish alliance schools, up to the secondary level, and then emigrated to Israel in 1959, where he and his family lived through a difficult period of poverty and marginalization. He lived in the informal settlements, as well as working as a wage earner on farms before moving to Beit Shean, where he worked in the construction industry.
David Levy had a particularly active career as a trade unionist, which allowed him to climb the ladder until he reached the leadership of the Likud group in the union known as Histadrout, a position he held from the mid-1960s to the early 1980s.
David Levy is considered one of the most important figures in the East Jewish communities of Israel, in recognition of everything he did for that community in defending it and representing its interests, as well as defending the inhabitants of the marginalized areas, of which he was a part.
David Levy first entered the Knesset as a member of the Likud in 1969 and remained there until 2006. He also served as Foreign Minister from 1990 to 2000.
Levy also held other ministerial posts, including immigration and integration, and then construction and equipment, as well as being appointed as deputy prime minister on four occasions, not to mention being elected mayor of Beit Shean, where he resided.
David Levy founded the “Gesher” (Bridge) movement in 1995, after leaving Likud, before returning in the 2003 elections. . He ran again in the next election, but failed. Thus, he left the Knesset after 37 years of political activity. In 2014, he announced his candidacy for the presidency of the state but then he resigned.
David Levy is the father of 12 children, including Orly Levy, who was appointed Minister of Social Development in the new government of Benjamin Netanyahu.
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