Justice Jacob Turkel

The Yad Vashem Directorate has approved the appointment of former Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel as Chairman of the Commission for the Designation of the Righteous Among the Nations at Yad Vashem.

The independent Commission, which works alongside Yad Vashem, is composed of researchers, historians, and legal experts, most of whom are Holocaust survivors and all of whom are volunteers. The Commission makes decisions in a similar way to a jury, and has thus far recognized almost 21,000 people as Righteous Among the Nations—non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.

Justice Yaakov Maltz

Judge Turkel will succeed former Supreme Court Justice Yaakov Maltz, who retired from the position after 10 years. The first Chairman of the Commission was Judge Moshe Landau, followed by Judge Dr. Moshe Bajske. During Judge Maltz’s tenure, some 8,000 people were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations. He volunteered much of his time to the Commission, and often led it through complex discussions, in a dignified way, taking into account the various opinions of Commission members. Chairman of the Yad Vashem Directorate Avner Shalev is grateful to Judge Maltz for his many years of service, and congratulated Judge Turkel on his appointment.

Judge Turkel, 70, was born in Israel. He studied law at Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and has served on the Shalom Court, as a regional Court judge and as president of the regional court in Be’er Sheva. He was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1995, where he served until his resignation a few months ago. Turkel has taught at Ben Gurion University in the Negev, the University of Tel Aviv, and other academic institutions.

For more information about The Righteous Among the Nations , click here.

top