Ronan Bergman: Israeli Journalist and Author

Biography

Born in 1972, Ronan Bergman grew up in Kiryat Bialik, Israel, as the youngest of three siblings. His mother, Miriam, was a teacher who sadly passed away in 1993 after battling cancer, and his father, Samuel, a Holocaust survivor, passed away in 2020. Both of his parents were Polish-born Holocaust survivors.

He attended high school at Ort Kiryat Bialik, where, as a youth, he served as a young correspondent on the youth television program "Shminiya BaAvir," as well as contributing to the magazine "HaOlam HaZeh" and working at the "Klubo" in Haifa.

Ronan Bergman served in the Intelligence Unit of the IDF.

He is a graduate of the University of Haifa, having majored in law, and later obtained a law degree. Bergman holds a master's degree in international relations and, in 2007, earned a Doctorate in History from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. His doctoral thesis explored the security and intelligence relations between Israel and Africa.

In 1990, Bergman traveled to the United States as part of a youth delegation and published his writings in the magazine "Politika." His articles were even used by the Israeli Ministry of Education for the matriculation exam in Hebrew composition in 1995. In 1998, he filed a lawsuit against the Ministry of Education, claiming copyright infringement. Bergman won his case (file number 12595/98).

Bergman has contributed to several publications, including "HaOlam HaZeh," the online magazine "Shoken," and "Haaretz" newspaper. Since 2000, he has been a writer for the "7 Yamim" supplement in "Yediot Ahronot" and is a member of the newspaper's editorial board, where his articles and investigative pieces are regularly published.

Ronan Bergman specializes in intelligence, security, terrorism, and the Middle East. He also lectures in various forums in Israel and the United States. Throughout his career, he has uncovered several significant stories, including scandals at the Institute of Forensic Medicine, connections between Nahum Manbar and the Iranian arms industry, the secret Saudi bank account of Yasser Arafat, the controversy surrounding the flawed anthrax vaccines prepared for the Gulf War, and the relationship between Teddy Kollek and the British intelligence. He has received accolades and awards for his contributions to journalism, including the International Press Award from the B'nai B'rith organization.

In 2005, Bergman began hosting "Erev Hadash" on Educational Television, alongside Dan Margalit, Tali Lipkin-Shahak, and Meeha Bengel.

One of the prominent subjects Bergman has focused on for many years is the senior Egyptian source who reported the Yom Kippur War plans to the head of the Mossad, Zvi Zamir. He referred to this source as "Babel." Following Bergman's revelations, it was revealed that the individual in question was Ashraf Marwan. Bergman argued, similar to Eli Zeira, who was the head of AMAN at that time, that Marwan was a double agent.

The exposure led to a legal dispute between Zeira and Zamir, and a ruling by Supreme Court Justice Theodor Orr stated that there was a "serious concern of witness coordination" between Bergman and Zeira.

In November 2013, Bergman filed a lawsuit against the author Michael Bar-Zohar and journalist Nissim Mishal for copyright infringement after he claimed they copied extensive sections of his work in their book "The Mossad."

In 2017, Ronan Bergman received the Sokolov Award for Written Journalism for his outstanding and courageous investigative journalism, covering topics ranging from activities at the Forensic Institute to an exclusive interview with Lieutenant Colonel (res.) Yitzhak Yaakov regarding dangerous vaccinations, exposure of the intelligence communication tapes during the Yom Kippur War, and the final conversations with former Mossad chief Meir Dagan. He also received the Paul Harris Award from the Rotary International organization.

As of 2018, Bergman has been a regular contributor on the news program "Shishi Im Ayelet Hasson" on Channel 10.

On February 17, 2018, he clashed with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki at the Munich Security Conference over the Polish law, which subsequently led to a targeted and offensive anti-Semitic social media campaign, allegedly orchestrated by the Polish government, according to the company Cyabra.

On March 27, 2018, Bergman announced that he had joined the editorial staff of the American magazine "The New York Times." He serves as the Middle East correspondent and also contributes to the weekly supplement "NYT Magazine."

In 2021, Ronan Bergman was honored with a special commendation by the Asian Media Owners Association.

Personal Life

Between 2009 and 2010, Ronan Bergman conducted a romantic relationship with the Israeli singer Rita.