Miriam Ben-Porat, 1918-2012

A native of Belarus who made aliyah in 1936, Ben-Porat in 1977 became the first woman to serve on the Israeli Supreme Court and the first on the highest judicial body of any country using common law. After retiring from the Supreme Court in 1988, she was Israel’s first female state comptroller. She investigated government lapses in immigrant absorption, water management and gas mask distribution.

Photo: Ya’acov Sa’ar, Israeli Government Press Office