Zvi Heifetz

Zvi Heifetz
צבי חפץ
8th Israeli Ambassador to China
In office 2017–2020
Preceded by	Matan Vilnai
Israeli Ambassador to Russia
In office 2015–2017
Preceded by	Dorit Golender
Succeeded by
Israeli Ambassador to Austria
In office 2013–2015
14th Israeli Ambassador to the United Kingdom
In office 2004–2007
Preceded by
Succeeded by	Ron Prosor
Personal details
Born	(1956-12-09) 9 December 1956 (age 65) Tomsk, Soviet Union
Alma mater	Tel Aviv University
Military service
Allegiance	Israel
Branch/service	Israeli Army
Rank	Major

Zvi Heifetz, born December 9, 1956, is an Israeli diplomat, a lawyer, businessman and media  executive. Since January 2021, Heifetz has been serving as an Ambassador at large, Special Envoy to the Golf countries, UAE and Bahrain. Heifetz previously served as the Ambassador of the State of Israel to the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia, Ambassador to Russian Federation, Ambassador to Austria, UNIDO, UNDOC and OSCE and Ambassador to the United Kingdomand.

Early life[]

Heifetz was born in Tomsk, Siberia, where his Latvian Jewish family had been exiled to from Riga, Latvia, in 1940. His grandfather, Ya’akov Jedeikin, was executed by the Stalin regime due to his involvement in Zionist activities and donating money to Jewish organizations in Palestine. Jedeikin was later granted the title of a “Martyr” by the State of Israel for these activities. At the age of eleven months, Heifetz and his family returned to Riga, (then still a part of the USSR).

In 1971, the family immigrated to Israel, first settled in Givat HaMoreh and later moved to Petah Tikva. Heifetz served for seven years in the Israeli Intelligence Corps of the IDF (unit 8200), and was discharged as a Major. He obtained his law degree from Tel Aviv University and is a member of the Israeli Bar Association (1985). Heifetz was a partner in the law firm "Osnat Heifetz and Co."

Career[]

In 1989, Heifetz was posted to Moscow as a member the “Group of Israeli Diplomats under the Dutch Embassy in the USSR”, as part of the first steps towards reinstating diplomatic relations between Israel and the Soviet Union after they were severed in 1967. From 1990 to 1996, Heifetz served as an external legal adviser to the Prime Minister’s Office consulting on affairs related to the former Soviet Union.

From the early 1990s, Heifetz's law office specialized in handling international business transactions, mostly representing Israeli companies conducting business in the former USSR and Eastern Europe, as well as companies from the former USSR in Israel and the rest of the world. From 1999 to 2004, Heifetz was the acting Vice Chairman of Marriv Holdings Ltd, and from 2001 to 2003 he was the acting Chairman of Head Arzi Ltd (major music production company). He was also involved in managing Hapoel Tel Aviv basketball team.

Heifetz is a close friend of Sir Leonard (Len) Blavatnik. He was appointed by Sir Leonard Blavatnik as Director on the Board of Clal Industries Ltd., Hadera Paper Ltd. and Beit Shemesh Engines Ltd.

In 2004, Heifetz was appointed Ambassador to the United Kingdom. However, his deployment was delayed due to a petition filed with the High Court of Justice by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, claiming that Heifetz was appointed due to his ties with then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. The Supreme Court rejected the petition, and Heifetz went on to serve as Ambassador to the United Kingdom from June 2004 until November 2007. In 2005, it was published in the media that Heifetz received information which prevented the arrest of retired Major-General Doron Almog, who arrived in London for a charity event for children with special needs.

Following the end of his UK posting, Heifetz became an advisor to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, then the Special Envoy of the Quartet on the Middle East. During this period, Heifetz returned to his businesses and legal work, while also serving as a strategic consultant on international affairs.

From 2013 to 2015, Heifetz served as the Israeli Ambassador to Austria and the international organizations (UNIDO and UNDOC) in Vienna, as well as Ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). During this time, Heifetz was awarded the “Grand Decoration of Honor in Gold with Sash” by the President of the Republic of Austria for his service to the country. This state decoration is the highest honor awarded in Austria (excluding acting Heads of States). At this time, German Chancellor Angela Merkel was also awarded this decoration.

In November 2015, Heifetz was appointed Ambassador to the Russian Federation. During that time, the Russian government began its involvement in Syria, which significantly reshaped its relations with Israel.

In June 2016, Heifetz held an event marking the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Russia and Israel. This event was held at the Bolshoi Theatre, and was attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Following the request of Prime Minister Netanyahu which was granted by President Putin during a previous meeting between the leaders, Heifetz facilitated the return of an Israeli tank, that was believed to have been used by the MIA soldiers in the “Battle of Sultan Yacoub” during the 1982 Lebanon War. The tank was seized by Syrian armed forces during the battle and was transferred to the USSR for further examination of its capabilities. During this celebratory visit in June 2016, the Tank was transferred to Israel. Following the return of the tank to Israel it was placed in the Yad La-Shiryon Memorial, The Armored Corps Memorial Site and Museum, as a monument for the Israeli soldiers that were declared missing in action during that battle.

The Israeli Embassy in Moscow, under the leadership of Heifetz, was given the award “Exemplary Embassy” by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2016. During the same year, Heifetz was also awarded a decoration from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for his significant personal role in strengthening the relations between Russia and Israel.

In January 2017, Heifetz was appointed Ambassador to the People’s Republic of China and Mongolia. In March 2017, Prime Minister Netanyahu made an official visit to China in order to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between the two countries. On this occasion, both countries signed a Comprehensive Innovation Partnership Agreement. In January 2019, the Mongolian government awarded Heifetz a medal for his assistance and aid to the Mongolian police force.

In December 2020, the Israel Embassy in Beijing with Heifetz as its ambassador initiated four projects in the fields of health, education, agriculture and elderly care, under the framework of China-Israel InnoFriendship cooperation. The projects were supported by Chinese high officials and were sponsored by the two countries. The initiative had received unprecedented exposure in the traditional and social media with more than 227 million views.

Under the leadership of Ambassador Heifetz, the Embassy in Beijing awarded “Outstanding Embassy״ for the year 2020 by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs for its work during the COVID-19 epidemic and the promotion of projects between the two countries. The committee's reasons for the award referred to the professionalism and efficiency that the Embassy has presented under conditions of uncertainty and health concerns. The committee had also mentioned the embassy's assistance in sending emergency medical equipment to Israel from China, such as respirators and COVID-19 testing laboratories. In addition, the committee noted that with the easing of the COVID-19 crisis in China, the Embassy carried out four flagship projects for cooperation in various fields with the approval and support of Chinese Deputy Prime Minister Liu He, events that received massive exposure in China.

Upon completion of his position in China, Heifetz returned to Israel and was appointed as Special Envoy to the Gulf States and was responsible for the opening of Embassies and Consulate in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Bahrain in light of the Abraham Accords. After the opening of the Missions in the presence of Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Heifetz sought to end his position and retire back to private life after many years in which he served as Ambassador.

In October 2021, Heifetz was appointed as a Governor of Tel Aviv University.

Heifetz is married to Sigalia, between them the couple has seven children.

References[]

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-47806780

https://www.haaretz.com/1.4996529

https://ejpress.org/israeli-ambassador-to-london-announces-israel-60-programme-2/

https://www.haaretz.com/.premium-zvi-heifetz-nominated-envoy-to-china-1.5325379

https://interfax.com/newsroom/top-stories/27968/

https://www.montsame.mn/en/read/205475

https://www.mid.ru/en_GB/foreign_policy/news/-/asset_publisher/cKNonkJE02Bw/content/id/2580793

http://www.aiani.at/news--events/visit-of-ambassador-mr-zvi-heifetz-at-the-university-of-innsbruck

https://embassies.gov.il/beijing-en/AboutTheEmbassy/Pages/The-ambassador.aspx

https://baijiahao.baidu.com/s?id=1686958719432130608&wfr=spider&for=pc

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Zvi Heifetz.

• Interview with Zvi Heifetz (2005)