Shimon Agranat

Shimon Agranat (Hebrew: שמעון אגרנט‎; September 5, 1906 – August 10, 1992) was the President of the Supreme Court of Israel from 1965 until 1976.

Biography

File:Kikar Agranat.jpg

Kikar Agranat, Jerusalem

Agranat was born to a Jewish-Zionist family in Louisville, Kentucky in 1906. His parents were Aaron Joseph Agranat and Polya Schnitzer. He emigrated to Mandate Palestine in the 1920s, but briefly returned to the United States to attend attended the University of Chicago and later its law school, graduating in 1929. Agranat returned to Palestine in 1930 and settled in Haifa.

Agranat was married to Carmel Friedlander. The couple lived in Nayot, Jerusalem, and had five children.

Judicial career

In 1949, Agranat was appointed to the Israeli Supreme Court at age 42, becoming one of the world's youngest Supreme Court justices. He was appointed President of the Supreme Court in 1965, and served in this position until 1976, retiring at the age of 70. In 1974, he headed the Agranat Commission, which investigated the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The findings of this commission led to the resignation of Prime Minister Golda Meir, Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, and IDF Chief of Staff David Elazar. Following his retirement, he taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University.

Awards and commemoration

In 1968, Agranat was awarded the Israel Prize for his contribution to Israeli jurisprudence. A plaza at the entrance to the Israeli Supreme Court is named for Agranat.

See also

• List of Israel Prize recipients