Isaac Herzog (Hebrew: יצחק הרצוג; born 22 September 1960) is an Israeli politician who has served as the President of Israel since 2021. He was born in Tel Aviv and belongs to a prominent public family. Herzog's election to the presidency marked two notable firsts: he is the first president born after the establishment of the state and the first child of a former Israeli president to assume the office.

Career overview

Herzog trained in law and entered public life in the late 20th and early 21st centuries. He was a member of the national legislature, the Knesset, from 2003 until 2018, representing the social‑democratic Labor movement. During his parliamentary career he served in several leadership positions and was widely known as a pragmatic voice within his party.

Political leadership and the Jewish Agency

Herzog led the Labor Party and served as Leader of the Opposition from 2013 to 2018. After leaving the Knesset he became chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, an organization with a long history of facilitating Jewish immigration to Israel and maintaining ties between the state and Jewish communities worldwide. He held that position from 2018 until his presidential election in 2021.

Presidential role and priorities

As president Herzog occupies a largely ceremonial but symbolically important role: representing the state at home and abroad, providing moral leadership, engaging with civil society, and carrying out constitutional duties such as formal appointment procedures and pardons. In office he emphasized national unity, strengthening ties with the Jewish diaspora, and confronting antisemitism and social divisions.

Notable facts and distinctions

  • First Israeli president born after the founding of the state in 1948.
  • First son of a former president to become president himself, continuing a public service legacy.
  • Combined experience in party leadership, parliamentary politics, and international Jewish affairs through the Jewish Agency.

Herzog's path from law and parliamentary politics to the presidency reflects both traditional political careers in Israel and growing attention to diplomacy with global Jewish communities. His presidency is generally viewed in the context of bridging domestic political divides while reinforcing Israel's international and diaspora relationships.

For more on the institutions and contexts that shaped his career see the Labor movement (Labor Party), the office of the presidency (presidential office), the state of Israel, the Knesset, and the city of Tel Aviv.