Isaac Herzog was sworn in as Israel’s 11th president in a day of unprecedented pomp and circumstance to honor a new Israeli president.
Herzog took the oath of office at the Knesset on Wednesday afternoon on a 107-year-old Bible that his father, Chaim Herzog, used when he was sworn in as president in 1983. Following the brief swearing-in, two Israeli military officers blew ceremonial shofars, followed by Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy declaring: “Long live the president of the State of Israel.” Knesset lawmakers responded, “Long live, long live, long live.”
Herzog stepped on a red carpet upon his arrival to the Knesset accompanied by his wife, Michal, where he was greeted by an IDF orchestra and parade and was saluted by the Knesset guard and an IDF honor guard, who blew a ceremonial trumpet blast. Herzog then laid a wreath at the monument to Israel’s fallen.
Outgoing president Reuven Rivlin said in his farewell speech: “My seven years as the tenth president were largely about encountering the majority, which is sometimes silent, of Israeli society. Up and down the country, all the tribes, across the spectrum of opinions. At the end of seven years, I can tell you, elected officials and civil servants, with certainty: There is one Israeli society and the vast majority of it wants and is committed to turning the vision of partnership into a reality. Now, more than ever. Israeli statehood is Israeli partnership. And this partnership is our backbone. It is our social, economic and ethical resilience.”
In his maiden speech, Herzog pledged to work to heal the rifts in Israeli society and to integrate the country’s minorities into the democratic state.
On Wednesday evening, Rivlin will welcome Herzog to the President’s Residence in Jerusalem in a festive ceremony after which Rivlin will leave the residence for the last time.