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Michael Eisenberg

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Michael Eisenberg
מייקל אייזנברג
Eisenberg in April 2019
Born (1971-05-18) May 18, 1971 (age 55)
EducationYeshiva University
OccupationBusinessman
SpouseYaffa
Children8

Michael Eisenberg (Hebrew: מייקל אייזנברג; born May 18, 1971) is an American-born Israeli businessman.

Personal life

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Eisenberg was born in Manhattan, New York City. After graducating Yeshiva University High School for Boys[1], he attended Yeshiva University for one year, then did two gap years at Yeshivat Har Etzion.[2] He then completed his B.A. back at Yeshiva.[3]

In 1993, Eisenberg and his wife Yaffa immigrated to Israel. He is a resident of Jerusalem and has eight children.[4]

Career

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Eisenberg co-founded two venture capitals, Israel Seed Partners and Aleph, both are based in Israel. He joined Montgomery Securities and Jerusalem Global Investment Bank in 1995, and then Benchmark Capital in 2005.[5] Eisenberg's first investment was in PictureVision, a photo-sharing company.[6][7] While working for Benchmark, he invested in Gigya,[8] Conduit, and Seeking Alpha. Charlie Javice, the founder of Frank who has received funding from Aleph, was arrested in 2023 for fraud against JPMorgan Chase.[9] Eisenberg was reported to have no comment when reached by Forbes.[10]

In October 2025 and during the cease fire agreement, Eisenberg was appointed to be one of the Israeli representatives enforcing the cease fire.[11]

In December 2025, Der Spiegel reported that Eisenberg is an investor in the cybersecurity company Dream, co-founded by former Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, and described him as a confidant of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The report also noted that Eisenberg heads the organization Hashomer HaChadash, which the magazine said supports Israeli settlers in the West Bank.[12]

Eisenberg is a board member of Yeshivat Har Etzion and chairman of Hashomer HaChadash. He directed Snunit, a non-profit organization that promotes technology studies in Israeli elementary schools.[13] He also launched a fellowship program for new immigrants working in high-tech in 2020,[14] and participated in Machshava Tova's effort to teach high school students from disadvantaged homes to code and build websites.[15] Eisenberg is reported to be an informal advisor of Benjamin Netanyahu, discussing topics related to economy and Israel's policy in Gaza.[16][17]

Eisenberg edited The Commentator, a student newspaper of Yeshiva University.[18][19] He hosted an Internet blog since 2005.[20] He has published a few articles on the Tablet Magazine,[21] and Washington Examiner,[22] and Globes.[23] He hosts his own podcast since 2023.[24]

In 2024, Eisenberg became the subject of a high-profile defamation lawsuit filed by former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and former Unit 8200 commander Ehud Schneorson. The two, co-founders of the offensive cyber firm Paragon, alleged that Eisenberg defamed them in a post on X in which he quoted anonymous claims accusing Paragon of harming Israeli national security and selling technology abroad without proper authorization. Eisenberg argued that his comments were in the public interest and based on concerns raised by intelligence community figures. As of mid-2025, the case is ongoing.[25]

Eisenberg later appeared in a televised investigative report by the Israeli program Zman Emet ("Real Time"), which revealed a classified letter written by senior members of Israel’s intelligence community warning of significant national security risks associated with the sale of Paragon to a U.S. investment firm. The report included concerns over technology leakage and strategic vulnerabilities, lending credibility to some of the issues Eisenberg had publicly raised.[26][27]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "Making a Career in Israel". YU News. Yeshiva University. February 8, 2019. Retrieved July 20, 2026.
  2. ↑ An Honest and Decent Living in the Digital Economy
  3. ↑ "An Honest and Decent Living in the Digital Economy | Jewish Book Council". www.jewishbookcouncil.org. August 23, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Michael Eisenberg". המכון החרדי למחקרי מדיניות.
  5. ↑ "Michael Eisenberg joins Benchmark Capital in Israel as general partner AltAssets Private Equity News". www.altassets.net. 30 November 2001. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  6. ↑ ""I read a fair amount, but I learn more by meeting and speaking with interesting people."". CTECH - www.calcalistech.com. July 29, 2021.
  7. ↑ "COMPANY NEWS; KODAK BUYS OUT REST OF PICTUREVISION FOR $90 MILLION". The New York Times. 16 May 2000. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  8. ↑ "SAP buys customer identity management firm Gigya for $350M". TechCrunch. Retrieved 2018-12-03.
  9. ↑ "Charlie Javice, the founder accused of fraud by JPMorgan, is arrested as DOJ files criminal charges". www.fortune.com.
  10. ↑ "Fake It 'Til You Make It': Meet Charlie Javice, The Startup Founder Who Fooled JP Morgan". www.forbes.com.
  11. ↑ "N12 - פרסום ראשון: הנציג הישראלי במפקדה שתפקח על הסכם סיום..." N12. 2025-10-20. Retrieved 2025-10-26.
  12. ↑ "Sebastian Kurz: Was treibt Österreichs Ex-Kanzler als Unternehmer an?". Der Spiegel. 14 December 2025.
  13. ↑ Miller, Rabbi Jason (October 8, 2014). "Sukkot and the Growth of Israel's Tech Economy". Jewish Techs.
  14. ↑ The government’s search for Olim might just fill the tech gap, Calcalist
  15. ↑ "Machshava Tova helps prepare Israeli hi-tech's next generation". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. 21 June 2021.
  16. ↑ "How Venture Capitalist Michael Eisenberg Became a Power Player in Netanyahu's Orbit". Haaretz.
  17. ↑ Eichner, Itamar; Eichner, Itamar (2026-05-11). "Netanyahu's 'shadow man': Israel and Board of Peace prepare joint Gaza action". Ynetglobal. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  18. ↑ "What Happened to the Future of Orthodox American Judaism? It Moved to Israel". Tablet Magazine. March 10, 2017.
  19. ↑ "Embracing YU's History of Student Protest". The YU Commentator.
  20. ↑ "Michael Eisenberg". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com.
  21. ↑ Tablet Magazine
  22. ↑ Big Tech is a modern Tower of Babel that must be scattered, The Washington Examiner
  23. ↑ "Michael Eisenberg - Tag Page". Globes.
  24. ↑ "Invested Podcast - on Spotify". open.spotify.com. Retrieved 2026-06-07.
  25. ↑ "Ehud Barak, ex-cyber chief sue VC Michael Eisenberg for defamation Over Paragon posts". .ynetnews.
  26. ↑ "Zman Emet, Season 9 - Episode 6 – "Exposed Territory"". Kan 11.
  27. ↑ "The Intelligence Community Against Ehud Barak's Exit Deal". Kan 11.