Innovation and Social Welfare in Israel
Isaac Herzog
Chairman of the Executive, The Jewish Agency
The S.T. Lee Endowed Lecture Series is sponsored by the McDonnell International Scholars Academy, the Social Policy Institute, and Olin Business School at Washington University in St. Louis
Monday, May 13, 5:00 PM
Clark-Fox Forum in Hillman Hall
Danforth Campus | Washington University in St. Louis
This lecture is open to the Washington University and St. Louis community. Paid parking will be available in the Danforth University Center. Golf cart shuttles to Hillman Hall will be available in front of the Danforth University Center.
In June 2018, the Board of Governors of The Jewish Agency for Israel unanimously elected Isaac Herzog to succeed Natan Sharansky as the Chairman of the Executive of this historic and influential organization.
Isaac Herzog was born in Israel in 1960, and is an attorney by profession. Before entering his new position at The Jewish Agency, Mr. Herzog had been a member of Knesset (Israel’s parliament) since 2003. He had been the Chairman of Israel’s Labor Party since 2013, as well as the Knesset Opposition Leader.
In 2015, Mr. Herzog was a front-runner to win the election for Israel’s Prime Minister. He led the alliance between the Labor Party and the Hatnua Party to create Israel’s largest center-left political party, and was the leading candidate to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the national elections.
In the past 15 years, Mr. Herzog has held several ministerial posts: Minister of Housing and Construction; Minister of Tourism; Minister of Diaspora Affairs, Society and the Fight Against Anti-Semitism; and Minister of Welfare and Social Services. He also served as Government Secretary and as the Israel Government Coordinator for the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza in 2008-2009.
Before entering politics, Mr. Herzog was a senior partner at the law firm of Herzog, Fox & Ne’eman. He lives in Tel Aviv with his wife, Michal. They have three sons.
The Jewish Agency for Israel
Founded in 1929, the Jewish Agency for Israel was the central authority for the development of Israel prior to independence. David Ben Gurion served as its Chairman from 1935 until 1948 when he became the first Prime Minister. The Agency bore prime responsibility for the development of Jewish towns and villages, immigrant housing and social services. It has rescued or facilitated the immigration of millions of Jews including Holocaust survivors, Jews from North Africa and the Middle East, Ethiopian Jews and over 1 million from the former Soviet Union. Today, with a budget of more than $350 million, it is the largest human service organization in Israel and has ministerial status.