Hundreds attend former chief justice Miriam Naor’s funeral in Jerusalem

Hundreds of mourners gather to pay their last respects to former Supreme Court chief justice Miriam Naor — who died earlier this week at the age of 74 — as she is laid to rest in her native Jerusalem’s Sanhedria cemetery.

A wide range of officials attend the ceremony, including Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, President Isaac Herzog, current Supreme Court Chief Justice Esther Hayut, Opposition Leader Benjamin Netanyahu, Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked and Acting Knesset Speaker Eitan Ginzburg.

“A little over four years ago, when she left the Supreme Court, Miriam said the following: ‘Even today, as the decades have passed and I have served in all the courts, I am grateful that my path led me to being a judge,’” says Herzog. “Now that we say goodbye to you prematurely, we can fully say that you have fulfilled your role to the end. Spreading light into the distance. You will be remembered by the future generations of Israel as the queen of justice.”

Speaking after Herzog, Bennett begins his eulogy with a quote from Ecclesiastes: “Words of the wise, spoken quietly, should be heard.”

“This is what Miriam Naor did. In the decades she served, her words were wise and clear, and they were heard calmly,” he says. “One of the most significant judges of our time.”