Michal Herzog (Hebrew: מִיכָל הֶרְצוֹג) (née Afek;[a] born 15 May 1962[1]) is an Israeli lawyer who has served as First Lady of Israel since 2021 as the wife of President Isaac Herzog.
Michal Herzog | |
|---|---|
מִיכָל הֶרְצוֹג | |
 Herzog in 2022 | |
| First Lady of Israel | |
| Assumed role 7 July 2021 | |
| President | Isaac Herzog |
| Preceded by | Nechama Rivlin (2019) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michal Afek 15 May 1962 Ein Harod, Israel |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Sharon Afek (cousin) |
| Occupation | Lawyer |
Early life
editMichal Afek was born in Kibbutz Ein Harod. Her parents were Zvia (née Brin), a teacher from Afula and Shaul Afek, a member of the Palmach and Colonel in the Israeli Defence Forces. Michal Afek grew up in Tel Aviv and in the Neve Rom neighborhood in Ramat Hasharon and lived in Brazil for a period. Her paternal cousin is Chief Military Advocate General, Sharon Afek. During her time in the IDF, Afek served in the Intelligence Corps, where she met her future husband, Isaac Herzog, and they married in August 1985.[2][3] They have three sons: Noam, Matan, and Roy, and live in the Tzahala neighborhood in Tel Aviv.[4]
Career
editIn 1986, Michal Herzog graduated from law school at Tel Aviv University and in 1988 received a license from the Israel Bar Association. She was hired by the law firm of Uri Slonim and has represented, among others, namely a bank robber Ronnie "Ofnobank" Leibowitz; head of the Shin Bet security branch, Dror Yitzhaki, before the establishment of the Shamgar Commission after the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin; and Bank Leumi in 1993 following the 1983 Israel bank stock crisis.[2]
Herzog has served on the board of directors of Ma'aleh, an organization that works to promote corporate responsibility issues and for the development of responsible management standards in Israel. She served as a director of Polar Investments and an external director of Friedenson Logistics Services.[5]
First Lady of Israel
editIn 2021, her husband was elected president of Israel, making her the First Lady of Israel.[2]
Since assuming the role, Herzog has been active in raising awareness of mental health issues in Israeli society in the wake of the Covid pandemic and its ramifications on children and youth.[1]
In the wake of the October 7th attacks on Israel, Herzog has become one of the leading voices in exposing the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war by Hamas on October 7th and thereafter. Herzog sharply criticized international organizations for failing to speak out on the issue, writing that "Statement after statement by organizations like UN Women, the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women have failed to condemn these crimes. They failed us, and all women, at this critical moment."[6]
Herzog has also consistently called out the rise of global antisemitism since October 7th.[7]
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Footnotes
edit- ↑ Name prior to her marriage; מיכל הרצוג
References
edit- 1 2 "Adv. Michal Herzog, First Lady of the State of Israel". www.president.gov.il. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- 1 2 3 פוקס, נינה (2 June 2021). ""האישה הזאת היא צוק איתן". הגברת הראשונה – מיכל הרצוג" (in Hebrew). Ynet.
- ↑ "סולידי" (in Hebrew). Hadashot. 15 August 1985.
- ↑ ויסמן, לילך (28 November 2013). "יצחק (בוז'י) ומיכל הרצוג בעל ואישה מצב משפחתי: נשואים פלוס שלושה מקום מגורים: שכונת צהלה, תל אביב" (in Hebrew). Globes.
- ↑ דובר, שירי (24 May 2016). "מיכל הרצוג פורשת מדירקטוריון פרידנזון, אליעזר שקדי משחק גולף" (in Hebrew). Globes.
- ↑ "The Silence From International Bodies Over Hamas' Mass Rapes Is a Betrayal of All Women | Opinion". Newsweek. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
- ↑ "Tackling Antisemitism". World Economic Forum. Retrieved 2 June 2026.
External links
edit
Media related to Michal Herzog at Wikimedia Commons
