A native of Belarus who grew up in Lithuania and made aliyah in 1936, Ben-Porat in 1977 became the first woman appointed to the Israeli Supreme Court and the first to serve on the highest judicial body of any country using common law. Her long judicial career also included serving as the president of the Jerusalem District Court and as a law professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. After retiring from the Supreme Court in 1988, she was elected Israel’s first female state comptroller. She investigated government lapses in immigrant absorption, water management and gas mask distribution. She was awarded the Israel Prize in 1991 for her special contributions to Israeli society.
