BEN-PORAT, MIRIAM

BEN-PORAT, MIRIAM (1918– ), Israel jurist and state comptroller. Born in Vitebsk, Russia, Ben-Porat grew up in Lithuania and emigrated to Palestine in 1931. In 1945 she completed her law studies. She joined the Ministry of Justice in 1948, and from 1950 to 1958 served as deputy state attorney at the Ministry of Justice and from 1958 to 1975 as judge of the District Court of Jerusalem, appointed its president in December 1975. In November 1976 she was appointed acting judge of the Supreme Court and a permanent justice in 1977; from 1983 to 1988 she was vice president of the court. During these years, from 1964 to 1978, she held an academic position as associate professor in the Hebrew University and also wrote commentaries on the laws of assignments and contracts. In 1988 she retired from the court and became state comptroller, a position she held for 10 years, until 1998, when she retired   after two terms. During her time in office, she strengthened the institution of state comptroller as the "watchdog of Israel's democracy," closely examining the activities of government ministries and the public sector. In 1991 she was awarded the Israel Prize for special contribution to society and the State. (Shaked Gilboa (2nd ed.)