A divided Israel unites on Herzog

The Knesset on Wednesday elected Jewish Agency for Israel Chairman Isaac Herzog as Israel’s 11th president. The vote was conducted in a special session during which Knesset members cast secret ballots for either Herzog or Israel Prize laureate Miriam Peretz.

Ahead of the vote, Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin reviewed the secret-ballot procedure, while Herzog and Peretz watched the proceedings from a special area of the plenum.

Knesset Secretary Yardena Meller-Horowitz invited each MK, alphabetically by last name, to cast his or her vote behind a curtain. All had the option of casting a white ballot, meaning a vote for neither candidate.

Once the voting was over, Levin announced a recess for the votes to be tallied. The ballot box was taken into a separate room where members of the Knesset Ballot Committee — MK David Bitan (Likud), Yosef Taieb (Shas), Emilie Moatti (Labor) and Yoel Razvozov (Yesh Atid) — performed the count.

Incumbent President Reuven Rivlin will remain in office until July 9. His successor will be sworn in closer to that date.

“At this time of disputes, I am making a big effort to ensure that the presidential election takes place in a good atmosphere and in a way in which the president who is elected will be welcomed by everyone,” Levin told Israel Hayom.

Rabbi Abraham Isaac Kook, the Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Israel, noted Herzog’s family history — his father, Chaim Herzog, a general in the Israel Defense Forces, served as Israel’s sixth president; and his grandfather, Yitzhak HaLevi Herzog, served as the chief rabbi of Ireland from 1921 to 1936 and later as the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel.

The president’s position is largely ceremonial; however, the president does play a key role in deciding who gets the mandate to form a government following elections, as well as the power to pardon people and grant clemency. Herzog, who will step down from his role as head of the Jewish Agency, formerly served as a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party between 2003 and 2018, and opposition leader from 2013 to 2018.

The Orthodox Union welcomed Herzog’s election, noting the key role that the Israeli president plays in relations between Israel and American and other Diaspora communities.

“Throughout his many years of service in the Knesset, to Israel and in the Jewish Agency, Mr. Herzog has become known for his respectful, soft-spoken manner and for eschewing partisan rancor and feuding,” said Orthodox Union President Moishe Bane, a resident of Lawrence.

“He will undoubtedly represent the best of Israel, both within and beyond its borders, and we look forward to working with him during what is sure to be a successful tenure,” said Dianne Lob, Chair, William Daroff, CEO, and Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

“Since his time as a student at a Jewish day school in Manhattan, he has maintained deep connections to New York, home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel,” said UJA-Federation New York CEO Eric S. Goldstein. “With his years of experience in Knesset and profound understanding of global Jewry, Bougie is uniquely positioned to fulfill his role as president of the State of Israel, and more broadly as convener of the entire Jewish people.”

“Bougie” Herzog attended the Ramaz School on the Upper East Side when his father served as Israel’s representative to the United Nations between 1975 and 1978.

“Mr. Herzog is a most appropriate figure to engage in the two main tasks facing the State of Israel and the Jewish people: promoting cohesion within Israeli society and strengthening the connection between the State of Israel and Jewish communities in the Diaspora,” said Jewish People Policy Institute President Yedidia Stern.

Referring to Herzog as “a seasoned diplomat and political leader,”Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt, president of the Conference of European Rabbis, said “we hope and pray that he will carry the message of unity for the Israeli and Jewish people.”

The Israeli-American Council hopes Herzog “will build on his experience working with Diaspora Jewry and the Israeli-American community to strengthen their bonds with the State of Israel, and deepen the connection between the American and Israeli people.”

The Combat Antisemitism Movement praised Herzog’s commitment to fighting anti-Semitism.

“Not only is he a long-standing friend and adviser to CAM, but for many years he has been one of the strongest and most powerful advocates for the Jewish people and against anti-Semitism globally,” said its director, Sacha Roytman-Dratwa.

“No doubt, he will continue to proudly advocate for Jewish rights and wider tolerance as president. He will no doubt represent Israel and the Jewish people as a whole with great distinction.”

The American Jewish Committee congratulated Herzog on his election, noting his deep experience in understanding global Jewry.

AJC CEO David Harri wished Herzog “much success in fulfilling the duties of this high office, which is vital to the well-being and standing of Israel in the global community. He brings enormous assets to the position, including an unusually deep understanding of world Jewry, including the American Jewish community.”