Daniel Friedmann ( he, דניאל פרידמן, born 17 April 1936) is a former professor at and dean of the Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law. He served as the Minister of Justice of
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
from 2007 to 2009, having been appointed by then-Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert
Ehud Olmert (; he, אֶהוּד אוֹלְמֶרְט, ; born 30 September 1945) is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009 and before that as a cabinet minister from 1988 to 1992 and ...
. He was sworn in on February 7, 2007, succeeding
Tzipi Livni
Tziporah Malka "Tzipi" Livni ( he, ציפי (ציפורה) מלכה לבני, ; born 8 July 1958) is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A former member of the Knesset and leader in the center-left political camp, Livni is a former fore ...
. In 2009 he was succeeded by
Ya'akov Ne'eman
Yaakov Neeman ( he, יעקב נאמן, 16 September 1939 – 1 January 2017) was an Israeli lawyer who also served as Minister of Justice and Minister of Finance.
Biography
Neeman was born to a religious Zionist family in Tel Aviv during the Ma ...
.
Early life
Friedmann was born in
Mandatory Palestine
Mandatory Palestine ( ar, فلسطين الانتدابية '; he, פָּלֶשְׂתִּינָה (א״י) ', where "E.Y." indicates ''’Eretz Yiśrā’ēl'', the Land of Israel) was a geopolitical entity established between 1920 and 1948 ...
into a family that has lived there for seven generations.
[The government approved this evening: Friedman - Minister of Justice](_blank)
Yedioth Ahronoth, 6 February 2007 He attended the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HUJI; he, הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם) is a public research university based in Jerusalem, Israel. Co-founded by Albert Einstein and Dr. Chaim Weiz ...
and
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States.
Each c ...
, receiving a doctorate from the former.
Academic career
Friedmann was previously a professor of law at
Tel Aviv University
Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...
in the 1960s and 70s, including a stint as dean of the faculty of law there between 1974 and 1978. He subsequently taught law in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
at Harvard,
Penn, and
Fordham, and in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...
at
Queen Mary, University of London.
Friedmann has authored numerous legal articles and treatises in Hebrew and English.
Awards and honours
Friedmann is the recipient of several Israeli and international awards, including the
Zeltner Prize (awarded to an outstanding jurist), the
Sussman Prize, the
Minkoff Prize, and the
Israel Prize
The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor.
History
The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...
, in 1991, for law.
Politics and government
Friedman had been a member of the now-defunct
Democratic Movement for Change
The Democratic Movement for Change (, ''Tnu'a Demokratit LeShinui''), commonly known by its Hebrew acronym Dash (), was a short-lived and initially highly successful centrist political party in Israel. Formed in 1976 by numerous well-known non-pol ...
party, and later appeared at the symbolic 120th place on the
Knesset
The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (wit ...
electoral list of one of its successor parties,
Shinui, in the
2003 elections.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert
Ehud Olmert (; he, אֶהוּד אוֹלְמֶרְט, ; born 30 September 1945) is an Israeli politician and lawyer. He served as the 12th Prime Minister of Israel from 2006 to 2009 and before that as a cabinet minister from 1988 to 1992 and ...
appointed Friedmann as the
Minister of Justice on February 6, 2007.
[Our Fresh, New Justice Minister](_blank)
Jerusalem Post, 7 February 2007 He was confirmed by the
Cabinet
Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to:
Furniture
* Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers
* Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets
* Filin ...
unanimously and by the Knesset (50-24-1) on February 7. He was sworn in the same day.
The initial reaction to appointment was mixed, but the commentators agree that Friedmann is strongly critical of the Israeli Judiciary.
In the past Friedmann has declared a preference for reforming the system by which justices are appointed to the
Israeli Supreme Court.
References
External links
*
Daniel Friedmann's WebsiteDaniel Friedmann's Website (Hebrew) government press release
See also
*
List of Israel Prize recipients
This is a complete list of recipients of the Israel Prize from the inception of the Prize in 1953 through to 2022.
List
For each year, the recipients are, in most instances, listed in the order in which they appear on the official Israel Prize ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedmann, Daniel
1936 births
Living people
Government ministers of Israel
Deans of law schools in Israel
Israeli lawyers
Harvard Law School alumni
Academics of Queen Mary University of London
Israel Prize in law recipients
Israeli Jews
Israeli legal scholars
Members of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities
Democratic Movement for Change politicians
Shinui politicians
Tel Aviv University faculty
College of Management Academic Studies faculty
Hebrew University of Jerusalem alumni
People from Tel Aviv
Ministers of Justice of Israel
Israeli academic administrators