Agranat, Shimon
AGRANAT, SHIMON
AGRANAT, SHIMON (1906–1992), third president of the Supreme Court of Israel. Agranat, who was born in Louisville, Kentucky, went to Palestine in 1930, and settled in Haifa, where he entered private law practice. He was appointed a magistrate in 1940 and president of the Haifa District Court in 1948. In 1950 Agranat was appointed justice of the Supreme Court, becoming its deputy president in 1960 and president in 1965, retiring from the position in 1976. From 1954 until 1960 he was visiting professor of criminal law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and, from 1960 to 1966, president of the court of the World Zionist Organization. He wrote Dinei Oneshin ("Penal Law," 1960). Agranat was awarded the Israel Prize in 1968. In November 1973 he was appointed chairman of a commission (named the Agranat Commision) to investigate and report on the civil and military aspects of the *Yom Kippur War. Its findings led to the resignation of Chief of Staff David *Elazar, and though it exonerated government leaders for the country's lack of preparedness, Prime Minister Golda *Meir subsequently resigned as well.
bibliography:
Tidhar, 14 (1965), 4534.
[Edwin Samuel, Second Viscount Samuel]