Herman Berkovits
Herman Berkovits (born March 14, 1947) is a Romanian-Israeli pediatrician who is best known as the personal physician to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He also serves as the honorary consul of Romania in Israel and has been an honorary advisor to several Romanian prime ministers since 2018.
Born in Târgu Lăpuș, Romania, Berkovits graduated from the Iuliu Hațieganu University of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1971 and worked as a pediatrician in Romanian villages. He moved to Israel with his family in 1975, worked at Bikur Cholim and Hadassah hospitals in Jerusalem, and opened his own clinic in 1985. He met Netanyahu in the 1990s when Netanyahu was treated at his clinic, and they became close friends. When Netanyahu became prime minister, Berkovits was named his personal physician.
Berkovits maintains strong ties to Romania. In 2015 he donated €150,000 to Romanian hospitals and helped organize treatment for Romanian patients in Israel. In 2018 he was named honorary adviser to the Romanian prime minister and has served under all Romanian prime ministers since then. He has received Romania’s National Order of Merit and several honorary doctorate titles.
In a 2014 interview, he said he is apolitical and that his views are shaped by his friendship with Netanyahu. He has spoken about the peace process, noting that both sides must want peace. After the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, he said he was shocked and that the attackers harmed people from all communities.
His wife, Elisabeta, is a pianist who taught Netanyahu’s children, and the couple has two children.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 20:03 (CET).