Michal Herzog ( he, מיכל הרצוג; born 15 May 1961) is an Israeli lawyer. Married to

Isaac Herzog Isaac "Bougie" Herzog ( he, יצחק "בוז׳י" הרצוג, Yitskhak "Buzhi" Hertsog; born 22 September 1960) is an Israeli politician who has been serving as the 11th president of Israel since 2021. He is the first president to be born in ...

, the

President of Israel The president of the State of Israel ( he, נְשִׂיא מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, Nesi Medinat Yisra'el, or he, נְשִׂיא הַמְדִינָה, Nesi HaMedina, President of the State) is the head of state of Israel. The posi ...

since 2021, she is the First Lady of Israel.

Early life

Michal Afek was born in the Kibbutz Erin Harod. Her parents were Zvia (née Brin), a teacher from

Afula Afula ( he, עפולה Arabic: العفولة) 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 ...

, and , member of the Palmach and

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military 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 colonel was typically in charge o ...

in the

Israeli Defence Forces The Israel Defense Forces (IDF; he, צְבָא הַהֲגָנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל , ), alternatively referred to by the Hebrew-language acronym (), is the national military of the State of Israel. It consists of three service branch ...

. Michal Afek grew up in Tel Aviv and in the Neve Rom neighborhood in Ramat Hasharon. 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, Roy and live in the Tzahala neighborhood in

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the ...

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 enter ...

, Michal Herzog graduated from law school at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

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 is organized as a corporation, with a Central Committee, a National Assembly and five districts. Membership is mandatory for lawy ...

. She was hired by the law firm of , and has represented, among others, bank robber Ronnie "Ofnobank" Leibowitz; head of the

Shin Bet The Israel Security Agency (ISA; he, שֵׁירוּת הַבִּיטָּחוֹן הַכְּלָלִי; ''Sherut ha-Bitaẖon haKlali''; "the General Security Service"; ar, جهاز الأمن العام), better known by the acronym Shabak ( he, ...

security branch Dror Yitzhaki before the Shamgar Commission established after the

assassination of Yitzhak Rabin The assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, the fifth prime minister of Israel, took place on 4 November 1995 (12 Marcheshvan 5756 on the Hebrew calendar) at 21:30, at the end of a rally in support of the Oslo Accords at the Kings of Israel Square i ...

; and Bank Leumi 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 First Lady of Israel.

References

External links

* , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Herzog, Michael 1961 births Living people

Michal Michal (; he, מיכל , gr, Μιχάλ) 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, ...

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