Time.news – Experienced politician, heir to the Ashkenazi elite, former leader of the Labor Party before assuming the presidency of the Jewish Agency, Isaac Herzog was elected new president of Israel. The 60-year-old is a ‘son of art’: his father Chaim was head of state between 1983-’93; the family – which includes some of the best-known names in the Jewish and Israeli landscape in the family tree – is known for its political commitment in the ranks of the labor party enough to be nicknamed the ‘Kennedys of Israel’.
Cultured and intelligent, with his polite and plush style – far from the unscrupulousness of Benjamin netanyahu as well as by the direct and cordial approach of the predecessor Reuven Rivlin – ‘Bougie’ was not always appreciated in the strongly macho Israeli milieu. His hope is to follow in the footsteps of Shimon Peres, another exponent who was loved more as president than as a Labor leader. After attending the best American schools, he served in the8200 intelligence unit and was one of the main ‘voices’ during the Second Lebanon War. After completing law school at Tel Aviv University, he joined the Herzog, Foz and Ne’eman firm founded by his father, before throwing himself into politics with Labor.
The political rise and the challenge to Netanyahu
Cabinet secretary in 1999-2000 of the then premier Ehud Barak, went on to continue his commitment as an MP, rising to the top of the Labor Party in 2013, before unsuccessfully attempting to oust Netanyahu from power in 2015. In 2018, he left the party leadership to take over the presidency of the Jewish Agency.
“My personal family history and years of public experience have taught me to never take the miracle of the existence of the State of Israel for granted,” he said, formalizing the candidacy. And once elected, he assured him that he will be “the president of all”. “I intend to listen to any position and any person,” he added, underlining the importance of building “bridges of understanding between us and with our brothers and sisters in the diaspora,” he continued.
“The challenges are great and they must not be underestimated, it is essential to heal the bleeding wounds in our society; we must defend Israel’s international position and its good name among the nations; fight anti-Semitism and hatred of Israel; protect the pillars of our democracy “
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