Ruth Gavison (Hebrew: רות גביזון; March 28, 1945, Jerusalem – August 15, 2020, Jerusalem)[1] was an Israeli expert of human rights, professor of law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and recipient of the Israel Prize.
Biography
Ruth Gavison was born in Jerusalem on March 28, 1945 to a Sephardic Jewish family. Her father's ancestors were Moroccan Jews who immigrated from Tetouan to Jerusalem in the 19th century. Her mother's side was Greek Jewish.[2] She grew up in Haifa. She graduated from Hebrew University law school in 1969. In 1970, she was also awarded a B.A. in Philosophy and Economics.
Gavison was nominated for a position on Israel's Supreme Court in 2005 but failed to secure a majority for the appointment.[4] Justice Minister Daniel Friedmann reportedly asserted in 2007 that existing Supreme Court justices opposed her nomination because of their disagreement with her views.[5]
Published works
She published an essay on privacy in the Yale Law Journal and edited a volume dedicated to H.L.A. Hart's legal philosophy published by Oxford. Recently, she published an essay about days of rest in divided societies (co-authored with Nahshon Perez), included in Law and Religion in Comparative Context, published by Cambridge. She was a member of the editorial board of the Jewish Review of Books.
Gavison was a founding member of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), where she served for many years as Chairperson and as President from 1996 to 1999. Professor Gavison was a member of the International Commission of Jurists from 1998 to 2008. In 2005 she founded Metzilah (Center of Zionist, Jewish, Liberal, and Humanistic Thought) and served as its chair and founding president.
Academic appointments
1969–2020: various appointments at the Faculty of Law of the Hebrew University, Jerusalem (HUJI).
1978–1980: Visiting Associate Professor of Law, Yale Law School.
1984–2010: Haim H. Cohn Chair for Human Rights, HUJI.
