Retired Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Bach passed away today (Friday) at the age of 94. Bach immigrated to Eretz Israel with his family in 1940 and about three years later joined the Haganah organization. He began studying law at the Hebrew University and graduated with honors in 1950 in London. After that, he remained in England and specialized in the office of David Weizmann, a lawyer and member of the British Parliament.
Bach began his career at the State Attorney’s Office in 1953 and worked in various positions in the firm. In 1960 he was Deputy State Attorney and about five years later was promoted to Deputy State Attorney. In 1969 he was appointed State Attorney. During his tenure in the State Attorney’s Office, he was entrusted, among other things, with the preparation and execution of the lawsuit in the Eichmann trial.
In an interview with Maariv in 2017, he said: “Minister Yosef asked me to be in charge of the investigation shortly after I heard on Ben-Gurion’s radio announcing that the state would prosecute Eichmann. Every morning I was taken to Ligur. I was the only contact Eichmann had with the outside world. “I was the one who informed him of his right to a lawyer and contacted him who was his defense attorney, Robert Cervacius.”
In January 1982, the Judicial Selection Committee decided on his appointment as a Supreme Court justice. Bach served 15 years as a Supreme Court justice. He is considered a liberal judge, especially when it comes to freedom of expression, evidence-gathering law and women’s rights. He later also served as chairman of the Central Election Commission for the 11th Knesset.
- Maariv-Walla rating: These are the outstanding investment houses in Israel
In 2003, he headed the committee to select the Attorney General, which recommended three candidates, including Menachem Mazuz, who won the position. In 2005 he chaired the committee that elected the Knesset’s Attorney General and in 2005 he chaired the committee that elected the Knesset’s Attorney General. In 2005 he was awarded the Knight of Quality Award for Lifetime Achievement.
The Central European Organization, of which he was a member for decades and served as chairman of a tribunal of honor, said: “We bow our heads over the passing of former Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Bach, who only in June last year was awarded the organization’s Precious Medal. Bach was a source of pride and inspiration among the Hikki community thanks to his great work and unique contribution to the community, the law, state institutions, and society. The world will miss the degree of peace and justice he carried with him wherever he went. “