David Horovitz is editor of The Times of Israel, a digital newspaper headquartered in Jerusalem. He is an oleh (immigrant to Israel,) former editor-in-chief of two Israeli publications and author of several books. He is known by his staff for his integrity, vision, truthfulness, compassion and strong work ethic.
David is my mentor.
When I first moved to Israel, I was spectacularly lonely. The kind of lonely where you walk through crowded streets and feel invisible. I had made “Aliyah” [immigrated to Israel] with hope and grit, but my English-speaking community — my lifeline to laughter, empathy, and understanding — seemed impossibly far away.
Then came The Times of Israel.
I submitted a small blog, not knowing if anyone would read it, and David Horovitz accepted it for the site. That blogging platform wasn’t just a fun side project; it was part of a much bigger vision — a news site committed to telling the story of Israel factually, fairly, swiftly, and with the depth and nuance the subject demands.
David gave me something far more valuable than a login and a byline — he gave me a place to belong. He created a space where my voice mattered, where my words could reach strangers who might become friends, and where Israel — messy, beautiful, infuriating, miraculous — could be explored through our collective stories.
David’s commitment to truth and integrity is absolute. Born in London in 1962, he made aliyah [immigrated to Israel] in 1983 and immersed himself in Israeli journalism, first at The Jerusalem Post, then The Jerusalem Report, eventually serving as editor-in-chief of both. He has authored several books, including A Little Too Close to God: The Thrills and Panic of a Life in Israel and Still Life with Bombers: Israel in the Age of Terrorism, and co-edited the National Jewish Book Award-winning Shalom, Friend: The Life and Legacy of Yitzhak Rabin. His own journey — moving to Israel as a young oleh [immigrant] and learning to navigate its language, politics, and paradoxes — is woven through his writing, marked by fierce honesty, clarity, and compassion.
I don’t say The Times of Israel is the best news site because I work here. I work here because it is the best news site. Because I trust David — his integrity, his vision, his relentless insistence that facts matter, that honesty matters, that our job is to serve the reader first.
All of us who work for him strive to do our best, not just because he’s a demanding editor-in-chief (and he is), but because he is such a moral and decent light. He inspires us to reach higher, write sharper, and hold ourselves to the same standards he holds himself.
Now, as the site’s social media editor — and as someone who still writes my column — I have a front-row seat to his leadership every day. But my path here began in those quiet, lonely first months, when David’s vision gave me a seat at the table and the opportunity to continue questioning, learning and creating stories that reflect the country I love with both clarity and tenderness.
He is my mentor not because he told me what to write, but because he created a place where I could discover who I was as a writer — and as an Israeli — in my own words. And because, through his example, he has shown me that journalism, at its best, is an act of both courage and care.
For that, I will always be grateful.