Israel Hayom

Israel Hayom is an Israeli daily newspaper and Hebrew- and English-language news platform founded on 30 July 2007. Within a few years, it became one of Israel’s most widely distributed and influential media institutions. Its distinctive model combined extensive free distribution, major investment in printing and newsroom infrastructure, and a popular, accessible format designed to reach readers across the country. Alongside the print edition, the organization developed news websites, mobile applications, newsletters and a digital archive of its issues.

The newspaper covers current affairs, politics, economics, culture, sport, entertainment and social life. Its importance lies not only in the subjects it reports, but also in the scale at which it reaches the public. By placing a daily newspaper at railway stations, shopping centers, supermarkets and other distribution points, Israel Hayom made regular newspaper reading accessible to people who did not necessarily buy newspapers.

Founding a new kind of Israeli newspaper

Israel Hayom emerged from Sheldon Adelson’s effort to establish a presence in the Israeli newspaper market. After his association with Shlomo Ben-Zvi’s free daily Israeli did not succeed, Adelson, through Newsco, a company owned by him and his wife Miriam Adelson, established a new publication. Its name was modeled on that of the American daily USA Today, although the two newspapers have no business connection.

Amos Regev became editor, Asher Baharav publisher and Tzipi Koren chief executive. To build professional credibility, the paper recruited established journalists, including Dan Margalit, who left Maariv, and later Mordechai Gilat, who left Yedioth Ahronoth. Israel Hayom joined the Israel Press Council, and during its first month it devoted all of its advertising space to free notices for organizations serving the public.

The newspaper’s economic and distribution model altered the balance of the Israeli press. At the beginning, its circulation reached approximately 250,000 copies on weekdays and 150,000 copies for the weekend edition. In 2010 it surpassed Yedioth Ahronoth in weekday readership exposure, and by 2017 it was also the most widely distributed paper on weekends. In 2010, the Association for the Public’s Right to Know awarded Regev the Abramovich Prize for Media Criticism, citing the newspaper’s rapid and substantial impact on the printed press.

A popular newspaper reflecting everyday Israeli life

Israel Hayom used a tabloid format, large headlines, color photographs and concise, conversational writing. Its regular sections included news, opinion, culture, economics, sport, leisure and entertainment, while additional coverage addressed travel, fashion, food, cars, design and technology. This combination made the newspaper more than a political publication: it became a broad platform for reporting on the routines, interests and cultural life of Israeli society.

The expanded weekend edition, launched in November 2009, added supplements such as Israel Weekly and Shishvat. These publications combined investigative reporting, interviews, culture and leisure, and featured well-known writers and commentators. The weekend format helped transform Israel Hayom from a new daily newspaper into a broad content institution documenting not only political events but also the cultural habits and public conversations of the country.

From October 2011, home delivery for subscribers required payment, while copies remained free at distribution points. This hybrid model sought to preserve broad public access while helping finance distribution costs. Circulation figures changed over time, but the ability to print and distribute hundreds of thousands of copies made Israel Hayom a defining case in the history of Israeli journalism.

Digital expansion and control of production

Alongside the print edition, Israel Hayom developed Hebrew- and English-language digital news services. Its websites and applications provide news updates, reporting, commentary, video, podcasts and live broadcasts. The website also offers an archive of print editions dating from November 2007, preserving a continuous record of the newspaper’s coverage and of the events that shaped Israel during those years. A daily Hebrew newsletter was joined by an English newsletter launched in June 2011.

In March 2014, the newspaper acquired the nrg Maariv website for three million shekels and renamed it nrg. The acquisition expanded its presence in online news, although the site closed in January 2018 and its content was incorporated into the Makor Rishon website. On 3 May 2021, Israel Hayom launched a new website designed for continuous news consumption across digital and mobile platforms.

The organization also invested in its production infrastructure. In December 2013, it acquired the printing plant previously used by Maariv, after initially printing at the facilities of Haaretz and Globes. The purchase strengthened the newspaper’s control over production and turned the plant into a facility serving additional publications as well.

An evolving newsroom

In 2017, Boaz Bismuth succeeded Amos Regev as editor. Bismuth announced his departure in January 2022, and Ariel Shmidberg, deputy editor-in-chief and head of digital, subsequently left after 15 years with the organization. Later appointments included Amar Lachmanovich as editor-in-chief, Uri Dagon as head of the news desk, Eitan Orkibi as editor of the political supplement and Moriah Kor as opinion editor. These changes reflect the transformation of Israel Hayom from a new market challenger into an established newspaper with a broad editorial and digital operation.

Since May 2018, Miriam Adelson has served as publisher, with Amir Finkelstein as chief executive. In early 2021, Dr. Najat Al-Saied, a researcher from Abu Dhabi, joined the newspaper as a commentator and columnist. Her presence broadened the paper’s engagement with the Arab world and with the developing relationship between Israel and countries in the region.

Its place in Israeli and Jewish public life

Israel Hayom is associated with a right-wing and conservative political orientation and describes itself as patriotic and supportive of the political right. Its historical significance, however, also lies in the scale of its reach. It brought particular ideas, personalities and interpretations into the homes of millions of readers and became one of the most closely studied actors in the relationship between Israeli media and politics.

A 2020 study examined the newspaper’s political influence and reported a relationship between its distribution in certain communities and increased support for right-wing parties, especially among floating voters. Whether considered as a newspaper, a business model or a political communication channel, Israel Hayom became an important subject for understanding how media can affect public opinion and electoral life.

The newspaper also publishes material concerning Israeli and Jewish identity: Israel–Diaspora relations, antisemitism, immigration, security, Hebrew culture, Israeli achievements and Jewish communities around the world. Through its English-language edition and digital presence, it reaches readers outside Israel and gives Jewish communities and others interested in Israel access to Israeli news and debate.

This role was also expressed through the Million 11 initiative, launched in 2025 to promote a public goal of bringing one million Jews from the Diaspora to Israel during the decade following its launch. The project addressed immigration, absorption, housing, employment, education, infrastructure, antisemitism and the relationship between Israel and Jewish communities worldwide. It placed the future of Jewish immigration and the social and demographic relationship between Israel and the Diaspora at the center of public discussion.

Why this legacy belongs in Moreshet

Israel Hayom merits inclusion in Moreshet because it is one of the media institutions that shaped how Israelis encountered news, culture and political interpretation in the twenty-first century. Its free-distribution model changed the economics of the newspaper market, expanded access to daily journalism and intensified competition for public attention.

It is also a valuable record of Israeli society. Across its print and digital platforms, the newspaper has documented politics, culture, social change, economic life and the relationship between Israel and Jewish communities abroad. Its archive of print editions and continuing digital presence preserve part of the public record for future readers and researchers.

Inclusion on Moreshet.com does not create the newspaper’s legacy; it documents its place within Israeli, Jewish and media heritage. Israel Hayom affected millions of readers, operated in Hebrew and English, addressed the connection between Israel and the Diaspora, and demonstrated the lasting power of journalism to shape public memory, identity and national conversation.