“A leader is someone who is able to have faith in the people that work with them and to give up power quickly.

It’s someone who is calm and humble, and who puts empathy above toughness.”

Joseph Gitler is the Founder and Chairman of Leket Israel, the country’s largest food non-profit, providing charities with rescued food from commercial and agriculture sources. Founded in 2003 after witnessing significant food wastage in Israel at a time of rising poverty, Joseph grew the initial one-man operation into Israel’s largest food rescue organization with over 100 employees and tens of thousands of volunteers. Today, Leket is distributing over 55 million pounds of produce and perishable goods to Israel’s socio-economic periphery through its partnerships with close to 300 non-profit organizations, thereby reaching more than 220,000 people in need each week.

After immigrating to Israel from the US in 2000, Joseph served as Director of International Sales & Development for a family software business before founding Leket only three years after landing in Israel. Additionally, Joseph is also a member of the Committed To Give initiative for promoting Israeli philanthropy and serves as an Advisory Board Member to Chaim BePlus, a financial education organization for Israeli youth from all sectors and backgrounds.

Joseph has been frequently honored for his work for the benefit of Israel’s needy. He has been named one of the 50 most influential Jews in the world by the The Jerusalem Post, awarded the Nefesh B’Nefesh Bonei Zion Prize for his contribution in the field of social welfare as an immigrant to Israel, and, in 2010, received a Presidential Citation for Volunteerism from the late Israeli President Shimon Peres.

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CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2010 - Advisory Board Member - Chaim BePlus

2003 - Founder & Chairman - Leket Israel