Eliezer Goldberg, head of top vetting panel and ex-Supreme Court judge, dies at 90

Former state comptroller and Supreme Court judge Eliezer Goldberg died on Friday at the age of 90, Hebrew-language media reported.

At the time of his death, Goldberg served as head of the government’s Senior Appointments Advisory Committee — colloquially named after him as the Goldberg Committee.

Goldberg had led the committee, which vets top governmental appointments, since 2018. Headed by Goldberg, the committee was responsible for approving several notable nominations over the last few years, including those of Lt. Gen. Aviv Kohavi as IDF Chief of Staff and Prof. Amir Yaron as Governor of the Bank of Israel.

Goldberg made headlines in late 2018 after refusing to recommend Maj. Gen. Moshe “Chico” Edri as the next police commissioner, a controversial decision that cited questions regarding his conduct throughout the nomination process.

Born in Jerusalem in 1931, Goldberg held various public positions throughout his life.

Goldberg studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem between 1952-1955 and received his license to practice law in 1957.

After working as a lawyer in several law firms, Goldberg served as a traffic judge between 1964-1965 and then as a judge at the Jerusalem Magistrate Court until 1974, when he became a District Court judge.

He was officially appointed Supreme Court judge in 1984 after serving as an acting judge on the court for about a year.

In 1998, he was appointed State Comptroller and Ombudsman by the Knesset and was the sixth person to hold the position.

In 2006, he received an honorary award from the Movement for Quality Government.

In 2008, Goldberg was appointed as Ombudsman for Complaints against Judges, a position he held until 2013.

Commenting on Goldberg’s death on Saturday evening, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called the late judge a “role model” and “dedicated public servant who kept on working until the very last moment.”

Defense Minister Benny Gantz expressed “great sorrow” over Goldberg’s passing, commending his dedication to the Israeli public.

“Ever since he entered the public sphere, Judge Goldberg was a loyal public servant who always had the public’s best interest in mind,” Gantz tweeted. “His wisdom will be missed. May he rest in peace.”

Opposition leader and former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent his condolences to the Goldberg family, referring to Goldberg himself as a “paragon of fairness, integrity, and wisdom,” and adding that “we will always remember and cherish his great contribution to the State of Israel.”