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Can an employee in Israel sue an employer for workplace bullying?

Yes, although Israel has no dedicated anti-bullying statute. Claims are built instead on the employer's duty of good faith under Section 39 of the Contracts (General Part) Law 5733-1973, on the duty of care under the Civil Wrongs Ordinance [New Version], and on Section 11(a) of the Severance Pay Law 5723-1963, which treats resignation caused by a serious deterioration in working conditions as a dismissal. Where the conduct is sexual or targets a protected characteristic, dedicated statutes apply and allow compensation without proof of damage.

The Israeli Labor Courts have long held that an employment relationship carries obligations beyond the written contract, including a duty to maintain a workplace in which an employee can function with dignity. Persistent humiliation, isolation, arbitrary stripping of responsibilities or sustained verbal abuse can breach that duty even where no single incident is unlawful on its own. Where the employer knew or should have known about a manager's conduct and did nothing, liability attaches to the employer rather than only to the individual. The Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty is regularly cited as the constitutional backdrop to this line of reasoning, and awards typically compensate for emotional harm as well as lost earnings.

Route matters for the remedy. An employee who resigns because the environment has become intolerable should send a written resignation letter setting out the conduct and giving the employer a real chance to fix it, because Section 11(a) requires that the employer be confronted with the problem before the resignation is treated as a dismissal for severance purposes. Where the behaviour is sexual, the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law 5758-1998 applies and the Labor Court can award substantial compensation without proof of damage. Where it is rooted in gender, religion, nationality, age, parenthood or another listed ground, the Equal Employment Opportunities Law 5748-1988 does the same. Contemporaneous notes, saved messages and named witnesses decide most of these cases. See the guide to constructive dismissal in Israel.

⚖ In Practice
  • Governing law: Section 39, Contracts (General Part) Law 5733-1973; Civil Wrongs Ordinance [New Version]; Section 11(a), Severance Pay Law 5723-1963
  • Competent authority: Regional Labor Court (Beit Din Ezori LeAvoda) covering the workplace, with appeal to the National Labor Court
  • Compensation without proof of damage: up to approximately NIS 120,000 under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law 5758-1998, and an index-linked ceiling under the Equal Employment Opportunities Law 5748-1988 (2026)
  • Before resigning: put the complaint in writing and allow the employer a genuine opportunity to remedy it, or the Section 11(a) severance claim weakens
  • Limitation period: 7 years for most employment claims; shorter statutory windows apply to discrimination and whistleblower claims
  • Evidence that works: a dated contemporaneous log, saved emails and messages, HR correspondence, and colleagues willing to testify

From the full guide: Constructive Dismissal in Israel: When You Can Claim Severance After Resigning

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Get a Free Consultation with Adv. Eli ShimonyPrepared under the direction of Adv. Eli Shimony, Eli Shimony Law Office · Editorial policy

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