Miriam Naor, the former president of the Israeli Supreme Court, passed away Monday at the age of 74.
Born in Jerusalem in 1947, just months before the establishment of the State of Israel, Naor graduated from Hebrew University's law school in 1971.
Naor was appointed to the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court in 1980, where she was among the judges who found former Interior Minister Aryeh Deri (Shas) guilty of bribery.
From 2003 to 2017, Naor served on the Supreme Court, including as chief justice from 2015-2017.
President Isaac Herzog eulogized Naor in a statement released Monday morning.
“The State of Israel bows its head with the untimely passing of the former President of the Supreme Court, Justice Miriam Naor," Herzog said. "Justice Miriam Naor will be remembered in Israeli history as the queen of justice and as one of the titans of Israeli law—a wise, knowledgeable, sensitive, strong, and independent woman, who remained modest even as she sat on the highest courts in the land."
“Michal and I had the privilege of meeting her and her husband Aryeh at very many events and occasions. Professionally, I had the privilege of her acquaintance in her work as a judge, where I witnessed first-hand her incredible judicial aptitude and sharp mind, her extreme integrity, and her commitment to the principle of ‘justice, justice shall you pursue’ and ‘justice for all,’ which defined her path.
“The public also bore witness to her virtues when she recently headed the State Commission of Inquiry into the Mount Meron Disaster. My sincere sympathies to the love of her life, Prof. Aryeh Naor, and to her family, admirers, and loved ones. May her memory be a blessing.”