Shirly Pinto

Shirly Pinto was born in 1989 in Kiryat Bialik

Shirly Pinto was born on 15 March 1989. Her father is Deaf and her mother is deaf-blind and acts in the Nalaga'at theater group. She spent much of her childhood with her mother's hearing parents and learned both Israeli Sign Language and Hebrew.

She attended the Carmel Zvulun high school in Kibbutz Yagur. She enlisted in the IDF and served in the Air Force technical branch, then stayed on in career service. In 2011 she began law studies at the Netanya Academic College.

In 2013 she worked with Judge Benjamin Arnon at the Central District Court. In 2014 she interned for Knesset member Karin Elharar on disability issues. She later lectured in sign language interpreting studies at Bar-Ilan University.

In 2014 she joined the Shema association for Deaf children. She led the campaign "I sign, I am equal", after which Ben-Gurion University recognized Israeli Sign Language. In 2018 she ran for the Ramat Gan city council without winning a seat and became the mayor's adviser on disability and accessibility.

In 2020 she became a New Right delegate to the 38th Zionist Congress, the first Deaf delegate there. She served in the 24th Knesset for the Yamina list.