Ofer Berkovitch

Ofer Berkovitch was born in 1983 in Jerusalem

Berkovitch was born in Jerusalem in 1983 and grew up in the French Hill and Ramat Sharett neighborhoods. His father, Shmuel Berkovitch, is a doctor of law who specializes in the holy places of Jerusalem, and his mother, Ilana, is a social worker. He studied at the Hebrew University Secondary School and was active in the Scouts.

In the IDF he started in the pilots course and later moved to a special unit in the Artillery Corps. He was discharged in 2008 as a captain and serves in the reserves as a major. He earned a bachelor's degree in philosophy, politics and economics from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 2013 and completed the Maoz public leadership program at Harvard University in 2017.

After his discharge he founded Hitorerut in Jerusalem, and in 2008 he was elected to the city council in a rotation with Meirav Cohen. He was responsible for informal education and chaired the urban culture committee. In 2012 he directed strategy and content for the First Station project at the old train station.

In 2013 his list won 4 council seats and he became Deputy Mayor for culture, economic development and the city center. He helped keep the Smadar cinema open and widened property tax discounts for artists. In November 2017 he left Mayor Nir Barkat's coalition to run for mayor.

In the 2018 election he reached the second round and lost to Moshe Lion with 49.15% of the votes against 50.85%. His faction became the largest on the council with 7 seats, and he led the municipal opposition. During the coronavirus crisis he headed the Lev Ohev association's fundraising campaign.