Michael Herzog | |
Office: | Israeli Ambassador to the United States |
Term Start: | November 15, 2021 |
Primeminister: |
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Predecessor: | Gilad Erdan |
Birth Name: | Michael Herzog |
Birth Date: | July 15, 1952 |
Birth Place: | Israel |
Mother: | Aura Herzog |
Father: | Chaim Herzog |
Relatives: | Herzog family |
Citizenship: | Israeli |
Alma Mater: | |
Spouse: | Shirin Herzog |
Children: | 2 |
Michael (Mike) Herzog (Hebrew: מיכאל (מייק) הרצוג, born July 15, 1952) is an Israeli diplomat and retired military officer who has been the Israeli Ambassador to the United States since November 2021.[1]
Michael (Mike) Herzog is the son of Chaim Herzog, the sixth President of Israel. Herzog's mother is Aura Herzog. His paternal grandfather was Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, the chief rabbi of both Ireland and Israel. His uncle, Yaakov Herzog, served as Israel's ambassador to Canada. His younger brother, Isaac Herzog, is the eleventh President of Israel.
Herzog is married to Shirin Herzog (née Halperin), an attorney, with whom he has two children.
Herzog served as a general in the Israel Defense Forces. He was the military secretary for both Shaul Mofaz and Ehud Barak when they served as defense ministers.[2]
A researcher in the field of Israeli-Middle East relations, Herzog has been a fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy think tank and participated in the 2013-2014 peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. In 2021, he was appointed as Ambassador to the U.S. by Prime Minister of Israel Naftali Bennett, replacing Gilad Erdan. Erdan previously was Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. as well as Ambassador to the United Nations, and continued to hold the UN role after Herzog replaced him as representative to the U.S.[3]