Shmuel Lev è nato nel 1947 ed ha esordito sul jet set del bridge internazionale difendendo i colori di Israele quando aveva 22 anni.

 Sam si è laureato in chimica ad Haifa e parla correntemente 6 lingue ma, nell'immediato dopo laurea ha speso i primi anni come manager e comproprietario del Tel Aviv Bridge Club.

  Ha fatto più volte parte della nazionale israeliana collezionando un argento ai Campionati Europei del 1975 e due medaglie di bronzo nelle Bermuda Bowl del 1976 e del 1985.

 Nel 1989 si trasferisce in USA con la famiglia e coglie diverse affermazioni tra cui le Reisinger del 1989 e del 1991 fino ad arrivare a far parte della nazionale a stelle e strisce alla Bermuda Bowl del 1993.

 Nel suo palmares figurano anche: un Cavendish Pairs nel 2004, un Cavendish Teams nel 2002, il Transnational Mixed Team Olimpico del 2000, una NEC Cup nel 2001 e un bronzo negli Europei Transnazionali del 2009.

 Sul circuito nord americano, oltre a numerosi piazzamenti, tra le altre ricordiamo la vittoria nel Jacoby del 1999 e in due Reisinger nel 1989 e 1991.

Nel 2011 si è portato via l'oro dei Transnazionali Europei a Squadre Open, nel 2012 l'argento alle Olimpiadi Senior e nel 2015 ha vinto agli Europei Open l'Open BAM di consolazione e a Berlino le Maccabiadi a Coppie Open.

Sam, che è anche un discreto scacchista, si interessa di politica internazionale e di diversi sport.

Suo figlio Daniel Lev, nato a Tel Aviv ma residente a New York, è anche lui un buon bridgista.

Shmuel 'Sam' Lev was born in 1947 and broke onto the international bridge scene as a member of the Israeli Open Team at the European Championships at the age of just 22.

He earned a B.Sc. in chemistry from the Haifa Institute of Technology (Technion) but spent most of his early years in Israel running the Tel Aviv Bridge Club, which he managed and co-owned for twenty years.

He is also fluent in six languages.

He represented Israel many times, collecting a silver medal at the 1975 European Teams Championships and twice earning a bronze medal in the Bermuda Bowl (in 1976 and 1985).

In 1989 Sam and his family relocated to the US. He has since won numerous US National titles including the Reisinger Board-a-Match Teams twice (in 1989 and 1991) and the Life Masters Pairs, in partnership with John Mohan.

He has also represented America in the 1993 Bermuda Bowl (Santiago).

Sam became a European champion at the age of just 26 when he won the very first European Pairs Championship in Germany.

He was a member of the Israeli team that finished second to Italy in the 1975 European Championships in Brighton, England. This performance won Sam's team a place in the 1976 Bermuda Bowl in Monte Carlo, where they finished third.

Besides his successes at the world level, Samhas won many major international events including the Pan-American Championships, the Cavendish Invitational tournament, the Deauville International Pairs in France, the Forbo Teams in The Hague, The Netherlands, and events in places as far afield as Monte Carlo, Crans-Sur-Sierre (Switzerland), Paris, Brussels, London, Salsomaggiore (Italy), Biarritz, Poland, San Francisco, and Buenos Aires.

In his list also includes: a Cavendish Pairs in 2004, Cavendish Teams in 2002, the Transnational Mixed Team Olympic 2000, NEC Cup in 2001 and a bronze in the European Transnational 2009.

Away from the bridge table, Sam's interests include international politics, chess, a rooting interest in most sports, and Internet Bridge.

His son Dan Lev, born in Tel Aviv but resident in New York is also a good bridge player.