PR leader Charley Levine dies at 62

Charley J. Levine, one of the icons of the Anglo-Israel world, died on Sunday after a short illness. He was 62.

During his career as one of the top public relations professional in the country, Levine worked with dozens of international leaders including Al Gore, Mike Huckabee, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Irwin Cotler, Rupert Murdoch, Ed Koch, Hillary Clinton, Michael Bloomberg, and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Levine was founder and CEO of Lone Star Communications, one of Israel’s most active public affairs and media relations consultancies. Until June 2006, he was the Chief Executive Officer of Ruder Finn Israel. Prior to that, Levine established Charles Levine Communications in 1983 and served as its president and CEO.

A tall imposing figure with a gentle demeanor, Levine was born in 1952 in San Antonio, Texas. After earning his BA from New York University and MA from the University of Texas at Austin, Levine worked in public relations for Jewish organizations including the Jewish Community Federation of Cleveland, Hadassah, and the World Zionist Organization.

Levine made aliya in 1978 with his wife Shelly, and served as a Captain (res.) in the Israel Defense Forces Spokesperson’s Corps. He was a long-time friend and media adviser to several national leaders including former president Shimon Peres, former prime minister Ehud Olmert, ministers Silvan Shalom and Uzi Landau, Labor leader Isaac Herzog, former minister Gideon Sa’ar and Knesset Speaker Yudi Edelstein.

The Levines made their home in Ma’aleh Adumim where they raised three children and established themselves as pillars of their community.
Besides implementing a successful PR campaign, there was nothing Levine enjoyed more than his participation in weekly poker games with other Anglo-Israelis.

His funeral will take place Monday, at 4 p.m. at Har Menuchot in Givat Shaul in Jerusalem.