Dr. Eliyahu Winograd
Photo: Alex Kolomoisky
Retired judge Eliyahu Winograd passes away at age 91
Former president of Tel Aviv District Court, who also headed committee investigating Second Lebanon War, passes away; 'He was one of a kind,' says law firm in announcement.
Retired judge Eliyahu Winograd passed away on Saturday at the age of 91.
Winograd, who headed the commission to investigate the Second Lebanon War, also served as the president of the Tel Aviv District Court and briefly as a justice in the Supreme Court.
The Gideon Fisher & Co. law firm announced his passing. "Dr. Eliyahu Winograd, whom we had the privilege of having as a partner in our firm and who for many years helped nurture young generations of lawyers ... was one of a kind. We will miss him dearly. May he rest in peace," the firm said in a statement.
Dr. Eliyahu Winograd (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)
Winograd was born in Tel Aviv in December 1926. He went to high school at the Mizrachi Teachers' Training College in Jerusalem and later studied at the Tel Aviv Law and Economics School. He served in the IDF from 1948-1950 and was released in the rank of lieutenant after completing his service as the head of the General Staff's Legal Department.
He was certified as a lawyer in July 1952 and worked at the Yizhar Harari and Co. law firm until 1960. From 1960 to 1963 he served as the chief assistant to the Tel Aviv District Attorney. From April 1963 to 1972 he led a law firm of his own.
Winograd was appointed as a judge at the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court in December 1972, and in May of 1977 he was appointed as a judge at the district court in the city. In 1983, he received a PhD in law from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
In 1987, Winograd served as an acting judge at the Supreme Court. From January 1989 until early 1996, he served as the president of the Tel Aviv District Court, following which he retired.
After his retirement from the bench, Winograd served as a arbitrator and held many public positions. In September 2006 he was selected to chair a committee to investigate the Second Lebanon War. The committee pointed to many failures in the conduct of both the political and military echelons, but did not lay blame on any one individual.
The Winograd Committee (Photo: Amit Shabi)
Winograd also chaired many other committees, including one investigating the Air Force cable accident; a committee examining the issue of exchanging remains of Shayetet commandos killed in Lebanon; a public committee to examine university students tuition fees; a public committee on pension funds; a public committee that examined the chain of events and available information on captured IDF soldier Ron Arad; a committee examining whether to strip Lt. Gen. Yitzhak Mordechai, who was convicted of sexual misconduct, of his rank; and a committee on the IDF censor's authority.
He also co-chaired a committee examining the issue of blood donations from the Ethiopian community in Israel.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel honored him with the title of "Knight of Good Government."
He also wrote several books on judicial manners.
