Miriam Ben-Porat
Encyclopedia
Miriam Ben-Porat , née Shinezon (born January 18, 1918) is an Israel
i jurist. She was a Supreme Court of Israel
judge and the State Comptroller of Israel.
, Russia, the youngest of three sisters and four brothers. She grew up in Lithuania
, where her parents owned a textile factory. After finishing high school in 1936, she immigrated
to the British Mandate of Palestine by herself.
Most of her family was killed in the Holocaust
. In the Yishuv
, she changed her name to Ben-Porat. She was one of the first women to study law at the Hebrew University, and in 1945 she was admitted to the bar.
By 1975, she became the President of the Jerusalem District Court. From 1964 through 1978, she was also a professor at the Hebrew University, specializing in contracts and commercial notes. She was the only faculty member without a doctorate.
In 1977, she became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. In 1988, upon reaching the retirement age for judges, she was elected by the Knesset
to be the State Comptroller. She was the first woman to serve in this position. After five years, she was reelected.
; A criticism of the investigation of policemen by the police, which led to the establishment of the police investigation unit in the Justice Ministry
.
In 1991, she exposed the funds transfer by Minister of Interior Aryeh Deri
to Shas
institutions, which led to his trial. She also reported shortcomings in Israel's preparations to the Gulf War
. She stopped a deal planned by Housing Minister Ariel Sharon
to purchase 20,000 apartments from one contractor company. In 1992 she criticized the Housing Ministry, leading to the firing and indictment of Amidar
chairman of the board, Uri Shani. In 1993, the law of government companies was amended following a report she published in 1989. She also managed to postpone a plan proposed by Finance Minister Avraham Shohat to sell Bank Hapoalim
shares. In 1994 she pointed out suspicions of Housing Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
's commitments to transfer funds to local authorities affiliated with the Labour Party.
In 1995, she assailed the Shin Bet for breaching the Landau Commission report on torture. A criminal investigation was opened against major figures in the Ministry of Religious affairs, based on her report. She also led to the amendment of the arrest law. In 1996 she revealed that the Transportion Minister Israel Kessar
had allotted funds to local authorities, preferring authorities whose heads are Labour Party members. In 1997 she criticized the government's handling of the Israel Dockyards company during the time in which the company was in a state of temporary liquidation.
On July 4, 1998, at the end of two cadences, she retired from her position as State Comptroller, and has since been involved in public activity and writing. Ben-Porat is a widow, and has a daughter and three grandchildren.
In 2005, she was voted the 155th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i jurist. She was a Supreme Court of Israel
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
judge and the State Comptroller of Israel.
Early life
Shinezon was born in 1918 in VitebskVitebsk
Vitebsk, also known as Viciebsk or Vitsyebsk , is a city in Belarus, near the border with Russia. The capital of the Vitebsk Oblast, in 2004 it had 342,381 inhabitants, making it the country's fourth largest city...
, Russia, the youngest of three sisters and four brothers. She grew up in Lithuania
Lithuania
Lithuania , officially the Republic of Lithuania is a country in Northern Europe, the biggest of the three Baltic states. It is situated along the southeastern shore of the Baltic Sea, whereby to the west lie Sweden and Denmark...
, where her parents owned a textile factory. After finishing high school in 1936, she immigrated
Aliyah
Aliyah is the immigration of Jews to the Land of Israel . It is a basic tenet of Zionist ideology. The opposite action, emigration from Israel, is referred to as yerida . The return to the Holy Land has been a Jewish aspiration since the Babylonian exile...
to the British Mandate of Palestine by herself.
Most of her family was killed in the Holocaust
The Holocaust
The Holocaust , also known as the Shoah , was the genocide of approximately six million European Jews and millions of others during World War II, a programme of systematic state-sponsored murder by Nazi...
. In the Yishuv
Yishuv
The Yishuv or Ha-Yishuv is the term referring to the body of Jewish residents in Palestine before the establishment of the State of Israel...
, she changed her name to Ben-Porat. She was one of the first women to study law at the Hebrew University, and in 1945 she was admitted to the bar.
Judicial career
In 1949 she began to work in the State Attorney's office, and by 1953 she became the deputy State Attorney. In 1959 she was appointed as a judge in the Jerusalem District Court. Her swearing-in ceremony was boycotted by the Israeli Bar Association. Only following a public scandal, an apology was arranged between her and the Jerusalem Chamber of Advocates.By 1975, she became the President of the Jerusalem District Court. From 1964 through 1978, she was also a professor at the Hebrew University, specializing in contracts and commercial notes. She was the only faculty member without a doctorate.
In 1977, she became the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. In 1988, upon reaching the retirement age for judges, she was elected by the Knesset
Knesset
The Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
to be the State Comptroller. She was the first woman to serve in this position. After five years, she was reelected.
State Comptroller
In 1990, she published a report on the Israeli water system, which led to the dismissal of the water commissioner; A report saying the government didn't make the proper arrangements to absorb immigrants from the former Soviet UnionSoviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
; A criticism of the investigation of policemen by the police, which led to the establishment of the police investigation unit in the Justice Ministry
Justice Minister of Israel
The Justice Minister of Israel is the political head of the Israeli Ministry of Justice and a position in the Israeli cabinet. The current minister is Ya'akov Ne'eman, an independent who is not a member of the Knesset....
.
In 1991, she exposed the funds transfer by Minister of Interior Aryeh Deri
Aryeh Deri
Aryeh Deri is an Israeli politician, and former leader of Israel's Shas Party.-Biography:After Deri was convicted of taking $155,000 in bribes while serving as Interior Minister and given a three-year jail sentence in 2000, he was replaced by Eli Yishai...
to Shas
Shas
Shas is an ultra-orthodox religious political party in Israel, primarily representing Sephardic and Mizrahi Haredi Judaism.Shas was founded in 1984 by dissident members of the Ashkenazi dominated Agudat Israel, to represent the interests of religiously observant Sephardic and Mizrahi ...
institutions, which led to his trial. She also reported shortcomings in Israel's preparations to the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. She stopped a deal planned by Housing Minister Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon
Ariel Sharon is an Israeli statesman and retired general, who served as Israel’s 11th Prime Minister. He has been in a permanent vegetative state since suffering a stroke on 4 January 2006....
to purchase 20,000 apartments from one contractor company. In 1992 she criticized the Housing Ministry, leading to the firing and indictment of Amidar
Amidar (Company)
Amidar is a state-owned housing company in Israel.The company was founded in 1949. Its mission statement is "to be involved in construction projects, development, population and maintenance in Israel"...
chairman of the board, Uri Shani. In 1993, the law of government companies was amended following a report she published in 1989. She also managed to postpone a plan proposed by Finance Minister Avraham Shohat to sell Bank Hapoalim
Bank Hapoalim
Bank Hapoalim is Israel’s largest bank. As of 31 December 2008 it had total consolidated assets of NIS 306.85 billion. The Bank has a significant presence in global financial markets. In Israel, the Group has over 260 full-service branches, eight regional business centers, and industry desks...
shares. In 1994 she pointed out suspicions of Housing Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer
Binyamin Fuad Ben-Eliezer , , born 12 February 1936) is an Israeli politician and former military officer of Iraqi origin. He currently serves as a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party, and has held several ministerial posts, including Minister of Industry, Trade and Labour, Minister of...
's commitments to transfer funds to local authorities affiliated with the Labour Party.
In 1995, she assailed the Shin Bet for breaching the Landau Commission report on torture. A criminal investigation was opened against major figures in the Ministry of Religious affairs, based on her report. She also led to the amendment of the arrest law. In 1996 she revealed that the Transportion Minister Israel Kessar
Israel Kessar
Yisrael Kessar is a former Israeli politician who served as a Knesset member for the Alignment and Labor Party between 1984 and 1996.-Biography:...
had allotted funds to local authorities, preferring authorities whose heads are Labour Party members. In 1997 she criticized the government's handling of the Israel Dockyards company during the time in which the company was in a state of temporary liquidation.
On July 4, 1998, at the end of two cadences, she retired from her position as State Comptroller, and has since been involved in public activity and writing. Ben-Porat is a widow, and has a daughter and three grandchildren.
Awards and honors
- In 1995, Ben-Porat received a prize from the Movement for Quality Government in IsraelMovement for Quality Government in IsraelThe Movement for Quality Government in Israel is an Israeli non-profit organization numbering about 17,000 members. Formed as a protest movement on March 1990 during the coalitionary crisis, it is today the leading public petitioner to the Supreme Court of Israel.The organization is an influential...
. - On April 18, 1991, she was awarded the Israel PrizeIsrael PrizeThe Israel Prize is an award handed out by the State of Israel and is largely regarded as the state's highest honor. It is presented annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state ceremony in Jerusalem, in the presence of the President, the Prime Minister, the Knesset chairperson, and the...
for her special contribution to society and the State of Israel. - On May 17, 1993, she received an honorary doctorate from the University of PennsylvaniaUniversity of PennsylvaniaThe University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
. - In September 2000, she was given an honorary doctorate from Hebrew Union CollegeHebrew Union CollegeThe Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion is the oldest extant Jewish seminary in the Americas and the main seminary for training rabbis, cantors, educators and communal workers in Reform Judaism.HUC-JIR has campuses in Cincinnati, New York, Los Angeles and Jerusalem.The Jerusalem...
. - In 2004, she received the Yakir YerushalayimYakir YerushalayimYakir Yerushalayim is an annual citizenship prize in Jerusalem, Israel, inaugurated in 1967.The prize is awarded annually by the municipality of the City of Jerusalem to one or more residents of the city who have contributed to the cultural and educational life of the city in some outstanding way....
(Worthy Citizen of Jerusalem) award from the city of Jerusalem.
In 2005, she was voted the 155th-greatest Israeli of all time, in a poll by the Israeli news website Ynet
Ynet
Ynet is the most popular Israeli news and general content website. It is owned by the same conglomerate that operates Yediot Ahronot, the country's secondleading daily newspaper...
to determine whom the general public considered the 200 Greatest Israelis.
See also
- List of Israel Prize recipients