Politicsאורלי לוי-אבקסיס

Orly Levy-Abekasis

Orly Levy-Abekasis is an Israeli politician who served in the Knesset from 2009 to 2022 and founded the Gesher party.

born 1973Founding the Gesher partyChairing the Children's Rights CommitteeMinister for Community Empowerment

Born: 11 November 1973, Beit She'an
Occupation: politician, model, television presenter, journalist
Party: Israel Our Home, Gesher, Israeli Labor Party
Education: Reichman University
Founded: Gesher (2018)

Orly Levy-Abekasis was born in 1973 in Beit She'an

Orly Levy was born on 11 November 1973 in Beit She'an to a Moroccan Jewish family. She is the ninth of 12 children of David Levy, a former foreign minister. Her brother Jackie Levy served as mayor of Beit She'an.

She served in the Israeli Air Force. She later earned a law degree at IDC Herzliya.

After her service in 1993 she began working as a model. In the early 2000s she hosted television shows, and in 2008 she was part of a morning show panel on Channel 10.

She entered the Knesset in 2009 with Yisrael Beiteinu and chaired the Committee on the Rights of the Child. She left the party in 2016 and became an independent member in March 2017. She founded Gesher, ran with Labor in September 2019, and in May 2020 became Minister for Community Empowerment and Advancement.

She kept her seat on the Likud list in 2021 and lost it in 2022. In 2023 she competed on Dancing with the Stars. She is married to Lior Abekasis, has 4 children, and lives in kibbutz Mesilot.