Itzik Shmuli

Itzik Shmuli was born in 1980 in Tel Aviv

Shmuli was born in Tel Aviv on 8 February 1980 to Nechama and Chaim Shmuli. His family came from Iraq and Kurdistan. At age 3 the family moved to Ramat Gan.

In 1998 he joined the Armored Corps and served in the 7th Brigade in Israel and Lebanon. At 23 he went to Argentina and volunteered at an orphanage in Buenos Aires.

He earned a degree in special education at Oranim College and headed its student union, leading a campaign against the Shochat Committee. In 2010 he began master's studies in public policy at the Hebrew University and in law at Bar-Ilan University. In October 2010 he was elected chairman of the National Union of Israeli Students.

In 2011 he was one of the leaders of the social justice protests and met with President Shimon Peres. In November 2011 he moved to Lod. He resigned as student union chairman in July 2012.

He served in the Knesset for Labor from 2013 to 2021 and headed several lobbies. In 2015 he became the first Knesset member to come out as gay during his term. He later became Minister of Labor, Welfare and Social Services, and now directs the Israel office of UJA-Federation of New York.