She came to national prominence as one of the leaders of the 2011 Israeli social justice protests, focusing on housing, public services, income inequality and democracy, and later became spokeswoman of the movement.

However, after losing a Labor leadership election to Amir Peretz in June 2019, she left the party and resigned from the Knesset and became head of the Green Movement.

After high school, Shaffir worked for a year in Tiberias as a part of a volunteer group affiliated with the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel.

[2] After completing her military service, Shaffir was accepted into the Olive Tree Scholarship Program[3][4] by the City University of London, an initiative to support future leaders who desire to change the status quo of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

During her studies in London, Shaffir worked as an intern in the British Parliament as part of the Undergraduate ParliaMentors program[5] and was awarded runner up in the JRS Competition for Student Journalists in 2008 for her piece covering Iraqi refugees in England.

[8] Shaffir, who plays the piano, drums, guitar, violin and oud,[9] continued her studies in Israel at the Rimon School of Jazz and Contemporary Music in Ramat-HaSharon for a year.

[14][15][16] On 17 July 2011, Shaffir debated with Likud MK Miri Regev on the current events television program "Erev Hadash" about the protest against the housing prices.

[17] In the following months, she helped found over 120 tent camps throughout Israel, led demonstrations, including the March of the Million,[18] and lobbied with members of the Knesset to pursue a social justice agenda.

[19][20] In 2012, Shaffir was a keynote speaker[21][22] at three U.S.-based conferences: J Street, together with Israeli writer Amos Oz,[23] the Jewish Federations of North America's TribeFest[24] and the Personal Democracy Forum.

In August 2012, Shaffir and her colleagues embarked on a tour from the southern sea port of Eilat to Kiryat Shmona on the Lebanese border, to listen to activists and citizens regarding their concerns.

[26] Their last status was published in Facebook on 9 September 2012, and a month later Shaffir announced her intent to run for the Knesset as a member of the Labor Party.

[29] Shaffir placed 9th[30] (moving up to 8th after Amir Peretz's resignation)[31] as a result of the 29 November 2012 primaries, securing her a seat in the Knesset following the 22 January 2013 general elections.

In the combined Labor-Hatnuah party, Shaffir holds the fourth place due to Hatnuah Leader Tzipi Livni's placement behind Herzog.

[37] Shaffir's key accomplishment during her first term was instituting greater financial transparency in the Israeli State budget as a member of the Knesset Finance Committee.

[41][42][43][44][45] Shaffir objected to the transfer of millions of shekels to the World Zionist Organization Settlement Division, which circumvents oversight[46] because legally it is under no obligation to report what it does with government funding.

[47] She wrote a letter complaining that Finance Committee Chair Slomiansky should not be allowed to conduct meetings on the World Zionist Organization Settlement Division’s budget.

"Coupled with reports of possibly illegal abuse of funds, the division has faced calls for reform from both the left and center, especially ahead of the March 17 election."