Zeev Schiff

Zeev Schiff (July 1, 1933, Lille, France – June 19, 2007, Tel Aviv) was one of Israel’s most prominent journalists and military analysts. For nearly five decades, he covered the Israel Defense Forces, Israel’s wars and the country’s security establishment, turning complex military information into public knowledge that was accessible, consequential and carefully examined. Through his work at Haaretz, his books and his involvement in research institutions, Schiff helped shape Israel’s public conversation about security, strategy and national policy.

From childhood in Israel to journalism

Schiff was born in France and immigrated to Mandatory Palestine with his family at the age of two. He grew up in Haifa and Tel Aviv and studied at the Herzliya Gymnasium. He first gained professional experience in the security sphere during his service in the Israel Defense Forces, where he served as an intelligence officer in the Intelligence Branch, in a unit involved in agent operations. That background gave him direct familiarity with the language, methods and challenges of the security establishment, while his journalism required independent judgment and careful assessment of information.

In 1955, Schiff joined the staff of Haaretz. He initially covered economic and social affairs and worked as the newspaper’s northern correspondent. In 1961, he became its military correspondent, with a personal column, succeeding Israel Bar-Asher. From then on, he became one of the most recognizable voices in Israeli security journalism.

Covering wars, strategy and government

Schiff covered most of the major wars and conflicts involving Israel, from the Six-Day War through the Second Lebanon War. He did more than report battlefield developments. His work examined decision-making, military structures, intelligence, the relationship between political and military leaders, and the long-term consequences of security events for Israeli society.

The importance of his reporting was therefore twofold. He provided readers with professional information about the IDF and regional developments, while also helping the public understand how military decisions connected to national policy and everyday life. In this way, Schiff served as a vital link between security institutions, political decision-makers and citizens who lived for decades with the realities of war and threat.

Journalism at moments of national consequence

During Israel’s turbulent 1981 election campaign, Schiff moderated a televised debate between the two candidates for prime minister, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres. The assignment reflected his broader public standing. He was not only a specialist correspondent but also a journalist trusted to mediate moments of national and political importance for a mass audience.

During the First Lebanon War in 1982, Schiff received real-time information about events at the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps. According to the material supplied to the archive, he passed the information to Mordechai Zipori, a minister in Begin’s government, who relayed it to the foreign minister. The episode, also discussed in the 1989 book Be-Kav Yashar by Mordechai Zipori and Ron Krisher, illustrates the responsibility carried by a military journalist: to gather information, judge its urgency and bring it rapidly to the attention of those with authority to act.

Author and builder of institutions of knowledge

Schiff wrote several books on Israel’s security. His writing contributed not only to immediate reporting but also to a cumulative record of the military and strategic developments that shaped the country. His books and articles offered readers, researchers and professionals a framework for understanding Israel’s defense establishment and the challenges posed by its regional environment.

His contribution extended beyond the newspaper. Schiff was among the founders of the Fisher Institute for Air and Space Strategic Studies, chaired its articles committee and served on its board of directors. Through this work, he helped build an institution devoted to research, professional discussion and the dissemination of knowledge in aviation, space and security. He was also part of the permanent staff of the Centre for Strategic Studies in London, connecting his expertise with the wider international discussion of strategy and security.

A professional and public legacy

Zeev Schiff’s principal achievement was not a single report or appointment, but sustained professional work during a period in which Israel changed dramatically. He followed wars, technological change, shifts in strategic thinking and the growth of mass media, continuing to translate complicated military realities into clear public language.

The combination of intelligence experience, field reporting, analytical writing and institutional activity made him a central figure in Israeli security journalism. He influenced how Israelis learned about the IDF and the threats around them, and how journalists and researchers discussed the relationship between the military, the state and society.

Why Zeev Schiff’s legacy belongs in Moreshet

Zeev Schiff merits inclusion in Moreshet because he worked for decades at a central point in Jewish and Israeli life: the relationship between national security and the public’s ability to understand the world in which it lived. His coverage of wars, analysis of the security establishment, books and involvement with the Fisher Institute and strategic research contributed to a body of work that influenced journalists, researchers, public officials and readers in Israel and beyond.

Remembering him on Moreshet.com also matters because his legacy is a legacy of public knowledge. Schiff demonstrated how serious journalism can document history as it unfolds, question powerful institutions and help a society confront war, responsibility and national decision-making. For these reasons, he belongs in an archive that preserves the people and achievements that shaped Israel and its understanding of itself.