Eran Schwartz

Eran Schwartz is a Senior Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Middle East Initiative and Belfer Center, and a PhD candidate in Political Science at Tel Aviv University. His research focuses on democratic resilience, civic mobilization, and coalition-building in polarized societies.

Schwartz is the founder and former CEO of Democracy Headquarters, the civic coalition that led Israel’s largest pro-democracy mobilization in response to the judicial overhaul. Under his leadership, the movement brought together hundreds of thousands of Israelis from across society in defense of democratic institutions and the rule of law. Previously, he served as Deputy Director General at Israel’s Ministry for Social Equality, where he led national initiatives to reduce social disparities, strengthen inclusion, and combat loneliness among vulnerable populations. Earlier in his career, he founded and led an educational nonprofit promoting Jewish-Arab partnership and civic leadership.

A former commander and officer in the Israeli Air Force, Schwartz holds an MC/MPA from Harvard Kennedy School. He also holds three additional master’s degrees in Political Science, Political Communication, and Jewish Philosophy and Culture from Sciences Po Paris and the University of Haifa. His work bridges research, public leadership, and civil society efforts to strengthen democratic governance and social cohesion.