Stav Shaffir facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stav Shaffir
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Shaffir in 2015
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| Faction represented in the Knesset | |
| 2013–2015 | Labor Party |
| 2015–2019 | Zionist Union |
| 2019 | Labor Party |
| 2019–2020 | Democratic Union |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 17 May 1985 Netanya, Israel |
| Occupation |
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Stav Shaffir (Hebrew: סְתָיו שָׁפִיר; born May 17, 1985) is an Israeli politician. She leads the Green Party. She was also a member of the Knesset, which is Israel's parliament.
Shaffir became famous as a leader of the 2011 Israeli social justice protests. These protests focused on making housing cheaper and improving public services. She also spoke out about income differences and democracy.
She was later elected to the Knesset in 2013 as part of the Labor Party. She kept her seat in the 2015 and April 2019 elections. In 2019, she left the Labor Party and joined the Democratic Union. She lost her Knesset seat in the 2020 election.
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About Stav Shaffir
Shaffir was born in Netanya, Israel. Her family has roots from different Jewish communities, including Polish, Lithuanian, Romanian, and Iraqi. When she was 12, her family moved to Pardesiya.
Shaffir joined a youth movement called HaNoar HaOved VeHaLomed. After high school, she volunteered for a year in Tiberias. She also served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). She wrote for the IDF magazine, Bamahane.
After her military service, Shaffir studied at the City University of London. She was part of a program for future leaders. This program aimed to help solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She also worked as an intern in the British Parliament. She earned a degree in Sociology and Journalism in 2009.
Shaffir plays several musical instruments, including piano and guitar. She continued her studies in Israel at a music school. She also enrolled in a master's program at Tel Aviv University.
Before becoming a politician, Shaffir worked as a freelance journalist. She wrote for National Geographic and other Israeli news outlets. She wrote the first article in Israel about the 2011 social justice protests.
In 2021, Shaffir appeared on the TV show The Singer in the Mask. She was dressed as the Beetle (Ladybug).
Leading Social Change
Shaffir was a key organizer of the 2011 Israeli social justice protests. She worked with Daphni Leef and Itzik Shmuli. About 400,000 Israelis took part in these protests.
In July 2011, Shaffir debated a member of the Knesset about housing prices. For months, she helped set up over 120 protest camps across Israel. She also led large demonstrations. She spoke for the protest movement to both Israeli and international media.
In 2012, Shaffir spoke at conferences in the United States. In February 2012, she and other protesters started the Israeli Social Movement. They traveled across Israel to hear people's concerns. Soon after, Shaffir announced she would run for the Knesset.
Stav Shaffir's Political Work
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The Labor Party asked Shaffir to join them in 2012. She ran in the 2013 general elections. She won a seat in the Knesset. At 27, she became the youngest female Knesset member ever.
She was also one of the poorest members of the Knesset. She did not own an apartment or a car. She was one of eight members who refused a pay raise in 2015. She said it was "distasteful" because wages for other Israelis were not growing.
In July 2019, Shaffir ran to lead the Labor Party. She came in second place. After this, she left the party and resigned from the Knesset. She then became the head of the Green Movement.
Making Government More Open
One of Shaffir's main achievements was making the Israeli government's money decisions more open. She worked on this as a member of the Knesset Finance Committee.
In May 2012, Shaffir joined protests against the proposed 2013 budget. She wanted it to be fairer to middle and lower-income Israelis. She even took her concerns to the Supreme Court. The court agreed that the Finance Ministry needed to work with her on a new way to handle budget money.
Shaffir also pushed for fair payments for people in southern Israel. These people were affected by the 2014 conflict in Gaza. She fought against money being sent to settlements without helping the South. She helped get funds for local areas hit by rockets.
She also spoke out against sending millions of shekels to the World Zionist Organization Settlement Division. This group did not have to report how it used government money. Shaffir said this was not right. In 2015, the World Zionist Organization said it would be more open with its records.
Committee for Open Government
In July 2015, Shaffir became the chair of a new committee. It was called the Special Committee for the Transparency and Accessibility of Government Information. This committee works on making government information clear and easy to access. It deals with open government and open data.
Supporting Women's Rights
In March 2013, Shaffir joined Women of the Wall in prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. She wore a tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl. Police first tried to stop them, but Shaffir and other lawmakers were allowed to pray. She supported their right to pray equally. She also supported freedom of religion in Israel.
In 2014, Shaffir visited the U.S. with other female Knesset members. They studied how women work in other parliaments. During the 2014 conflict in Gaza, some shelters excluded women. Shaffir quickly complained, and the segregation was stopped.
Supporting LGBTQ+ Rights
In May 2013, Shaffir suggested a law to let same-sex couples have civil unions. This would give them government recognition. Even though many supported it, the bill did not pass.
Shaffir then worked with lawyers and activists. They found 12 ways to help the LGBTQ+ community without new laws. These included making it easier for same-sex couples to adopt children.
Working for Fairness and Peace
Shaffir spoke about connecting social and economic issues with the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. She also talked about finding peaceful ways to solve conflicts. She shared her vision for an Israel that welcomes everyone. She also wanted an Israel that does not control millions of Palestinians.
Shaffir and other Knesset members started a group to help with fair rent. A report showed that rents in Israel had gone up by 49% since 2007. In 2014, Shaffir proposed a law to control the rental housing market. Her idea for a fair rental law was adopted.
Asylum Policy
Shaffir believed Israel should have a clear policy for people seeking safety. She wanted to tell the difference between refugees and other migrants. She said Israel should decide how many people it can take in.
She supported a court decision that stopped a law. This law would have kept "infiltrators" in jail for three years. Shaffir said, "We are a country based on refugees. My grandmother escaped from Iraq and my grandfather escaped during the Holocaust."
OECD Committee on Government Transparency
In February 2017, Shaffir was chosen to lead a new committee. This committee is part of the OECD. The OECD is a group of countries that work together on economic issues. This committee focuses on government transparency. The first meeting included representatives from over 90 countries.
Democratic Union and Green Party
In July 2019, Shaffir left the Labor Party. She joined the Democratic Union party. This group included the Green Movement, which Shaffir now leads. She left the Knesset, and another person took her place.
In December 2019, Shaffir announced that the Green Movement would be renamed the Green Party. She decided to run independently in the 2020 elections. She was re-elected as the head of the party in January 2021.
Awards and Recognition
- On November 28, 2018, Apolitical, a global policy group in London, named Shaffir one of the "Hundred Future Leaders: The World’s Most Influential Young People in Government for 2018." This list also included other important young leaders.
See also
In Spanish: Stav Shaffir para niños
