Michal Herzog (; born 15 May 1962) is an Israeli lawyer. Married to

Isaac Herzog Isaac "Bougie" Herzog (; born 22 September 1960) is an Israeli politician who has been serving since 2021 as the president of Israel. He is the first president to have been born in Israel after its Declaration of Independence. Son of former Is ...

, the

president of Israel The president of the State of Israel (, or ) is the head of state of Israel. The president is mostly, though not entirely, ceremonial; actual executive power is vested in the Cabinet of Israel, cabinet led by the Prime Minister of Israel, pr ...

since 2021, she is the

first lady of Israel First Lady of Israel () is the unofficial title of the wife of the president of Israel. The current first lady of Israel is Michal Herzog, wife of President Isaac Herzog. History There is no official role or office of the first lady of Israel, ...

Early life

Michal Afek was born in the Kibbutz

Ein Harod Ein Harod () was a kibbutz in northern Israel near Mount Gilboa. Founded in 1921, it became the center of Mandatory Israel's kibbutz movement, hosting the headquarters of the largest kibbutz organisation, HaKibbutz HaMeuhad. In 1923 part of the ...

. Her parents were Zvia (née Brin), a teacher from

Afula Afula () is a city in the Northern District of Israel, often known as the "Capital of the Valley" due to its strategic location in the Jezreel Valley. As of , the city had a population of . Afula's ancient tell (settlement mound) suggests habit ...

and Shaul Afek, a member of the

Palmach The Palmach (Hebrew: , acronym for , ''Plugot Maḥatz'', "Strike Phalanges/Companies") was the elite combined strike forces and sayeret unit of the Haganah, the paramilitary organization of the Yishuv (Jewish community) during the period of th ...

and

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the

Israeli Defence Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branches: the Israeli Ground Forces, the Israeli Air Force, and ...

. 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,

, and they married in August 1985. They have three sons: Noam, Matan, and Roy, and live in the

Tzahala Tzahala (Hebrew: צהלה‎) is an upmarket residential neighborhood of Tel Aviv, Israel. It is located in the northeastern part of the city. The neighborhood was established in 1951, and is named after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). It was es ...

neighborhood in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( or , ; ), sometimes rendered as Tel Aviv-Jaffa, and usually referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the Gush Dan metropolitan area of Israel. Located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline and with a popula ...

Career

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, Michal Herzog graduated from law school at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) is a Public university, public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Located in northwest Tel Aviv, the university is the center of teaching and ...

and in 1988 received a license from the

Israel Bar Association Israel Bar Association (; IBA) is the bar association for all Israeli lawyers. History The Israel Bar Association was established by The Bar Association Law, 1961. The law went into effect in March 1962. The Association is organized as a cor ...

. 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 The Israel Security Agency (ISA; , (GSS); ), better known by the Hebrew acronyms, acronyms Shabak (; ; ) or Shin Bet (from the abbreviation of , "Security Service"), is Israel's internal Security agency, security service. Its motto is "''Magen ...

security branch, Dror Yitzhaki, before the establishment of the Shamgar Commission after the

assassination of Yitzhak Rabin Yitzhak Rabin, the prime minister of Israel, was assassinated on 4 November 1995 at 21:30, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords at the Kings of Israel Square in Tel Aviv. The assailant was Yigal Amir, an Israeli law student and u ...

; and

Bank Leumi Bank Leumi (, lit. ''National Bank''; ) is an Israeli bank. It was founded on February 27, 1902, in Jaffa as the ''Anglo Palestine Company'' as subsidiary of the Jewish Colonial Trust () Limited formed before in London by members of the Zionism, ...

in 1993 following the

1983 Israel bank stock crisis The bank stock crisis was a financial crisis that occurred in Israel in 1983, during which the stocks of the four largest banks in Israel collapsed. In previous episodes of share price weakness, the banks bought back their own stocks, creating t ...

. 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. In 2021, her husband was elected president of Israel, making her the

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Herzog, Michael 1962 births Living people

Michal Michal (; ; ) was, according to the first Book of Samuel, a princess of the United Kingdom of Israel; the younger daughter of King Saul, she was the first wife of David (), who later became king, first of Judah, then of all Israel, maki ...

People from Northern District (Israel) Spouses of presidents of Israel People of the Military Intelligence Directorate (Israel) Tel Aviv University alumni 20th-century Israeli Jews 21st-century Israeli Jews 20th-century Israeli women 21st-century Israeli women 20th-century Israeli lawyers 21st-century Israeli lawyers 20th-century Israeli women lawyers 21st-century women lawyers