Judge Miriam Naor, Head Of Meron Government Commission Of Inquiry, Passes Away At 74

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Former Chief Justice Miriam Naor, who headed the government commission of inquiry into the Meron tragedy last year, passed away Monday morning at the age of 74. Naor recently published the interim findings of the commission regarding the Lag Ba’Omer tragedy, which took the lives of 45 people.

Just hours before, Naor had sat at a meeting of the commission and heard the testimony of former Police Commissioner Motti Cohen and Police Superintendent Sigal Bar Tzvi, who heads the operations department. Naor was known for her sharp and perceptive questions to the many people who testified to the commission, which aims to investigate the reasons behind the Meron tragedy and prevent such tragedies from occurring again.

Naor began serving as a justice in 1980 in the Jerusalem Magistrates Court. In 1989 she was promoted to the district court and in 2001 began serving in the Supreme Court until she received an official appointment in 2003. She retired from her position as chief justice in 2017 and was succeeded by Esther Hayut.

It is unclear what will become of the commission of inquiry, which also includes former Bnei Brak mayor Motti Karelitz and General (Res.) Shlomo Yanai.

Justice Minister Gidon Saar mourned the death of Naor, “a justice with all her soul who had gone all the way from magistrates court to the pinnacle. An excellent judge and jurist, analytical, methodical, diligent, attentive to all details. Heartfelt condolences to Prof. Arye Naor and to her sons Michael and Naftali. May her memory be blessed.”

Prime Minister Bennett eulogized Naor, stating that “I received with great sorrow the harsh news. Naor was a respected jurist with many years of activity behind her. She was careful to maintain a balance in her decisions between the different values of Israeli society and to maintain the Zionist and national nature of the state of Israel. Above all, she was  personable, maintaining cordial relations and respect for every person and speaking always calmly. She spoke with wisdom and her words were respected.”