September 17 1918 – April 17 1997 Dates of office: May 5 1983 – May 13 1993

Chaim Herzog was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on September 17, 1918. He was the son of the Chief Rabbi of Ireland, Rabbi Yitzchak Halevi Herzog, who later became the second Chief Rabbi of Israel. Chaim Herzog grew up in Dublin, Ireland, and received a traditional Jewish education. In 1935, at the age of 17, he immigrated to Israel to study at a yeshiva, and at Law School. He attended the Hebron Yeshiva in Jerusalem, and later completed his law studies at London and Cambridge universities, and became a barrister.

Chaim Herzog had an impressive military record. He was active in the Hagana during the riots of 1936-1939. While studying law in London, he joined the British Army in 1942, and served as an Intelligence Officer in the Normandy Campaign, and in conquered Germany. He was a Lieutenant-Colonel at the time of his discharge. From 1947 to 1948, he served as Head of the Security Division of the Jewish Agency. After the establishment of the State, he filled many positions in the IDF, including Department Head of Intelligence, Chief of the Intelligence Division, Jerusalem District Commander, IDF attache to Washington, D.C., and in 1967, while serving in the reserves, became the first military Governor of Judea and Samaria. Before being discharged from the IDF (in 1961), he attained the rank of Major-General. He also earned the distinction of Honorary Knight Commander of the British Empire. Chaim Herzog was the military commentator in two wars: the Six Day War (1967) and the Yom Kippur War (1973), and was known for his balanced and fascinating broadcasts, which helped raise the moral of the country.

For three years (1975-1978), Herzog was Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, and was confronted with Arab and Communist Bloc hostility towards Israel. The height of the tension was in 1975, when the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution equating Zionism with racism. In an act of protest, Herzog tore the resolution in half at the podium, as an expression of Israel's outrage.

In 1981, Chaim Herzog was elected to the Knesset as a member of the Labor Party. When he was elected President of the State of Israel, he resigned his seat in the Knesset, and was sworn in as sixth President on May 5, 1983. As President, he visited over 30 countries in order to strengthen Israel's ties with the international community. He was the first President to visit Germany and China, and as a reconciliatory gesture, paid a visit to Spain on the 500th Anniversary of the expulsion of the Jews. Chaim Herzog visited 15 parliaments, appeared in public many times, was interviewed in the media, and held private meetings with world leaders. He presented Israel's stand, encouraged close diplomatic relations, and initiated trade ties. He emphasized the centrality of Israel to the Jewish people, and stressed the need for Jewish education.

During his years of office, there were six different governments and four Prime Ministers. In 1984, he supported and guided the establishment of a National Unity Government. Chaim Herzog viewed himself as the President of all of Israel and made efforts to reach out to the Arab and Druze minorities, as well as the settlers in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip. He took a stand on controversial issues, such as calling for the restriction of extremist groups holding violent ideologies, and granting clemency to prisoners of the Jewish underground. In May 1993, Chaim Herzog concluded his second term of office as President, and retired from public life. He dedicated his time to lecture tours, journalistic commentary, membership on boards of directors and writing his autobiography. He was instrumental in the development of the Chaim Herzog Center for Middle East Studies and Policy at Ben-Gurion University.

His books include: “Israel’s Finest Hour” (1967), “Days of Awe” (1973), “The War of Atonement” (1974), “Before the World’s Nations” (1979), “A People Rises as a Lion” (1983), “Mighty as Lions” (with Mordechai Gihon, 1978), “Judaism, Law and Ethics” (editor, in English, 1974).

Memorial Site in memory of Chaim Herzog