Former Justice and Finance Minister Professor Yaakov Neeman died Sunday at the age of 77, following a lengthy battle with an unspecified illness. Neeman served as justice minister under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu twice, first in 1996 and again from 2009 to 2013. He was also finance minister under Netanyahu in 1997 to 1998. Neeman was born to a religious family in Tel Aviv in 1939. After completing his military service in the Israel Defense Forces, he studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and graduated with honors. He earned a master's degree in law and then a doctorate from New York University. A skilled taxation expert, Neeman was originally appointed director general of the Finance Ministry in 1979 by then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin, a position he held until 1981. Later he was appointed justice minister during Netanyahu's first term as prime minister, despite not being a member of the Knesset. Neeman served in a variety of positions, including as board member at Israel Aircraft Industries, and as a member of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission and the Central Committee of the World Bank. In 1972, at the age of 33, he founded law firm Herzog, Fox and Neeman in Tel Aviv with Chaim Herzog, who later became Israel's sixth president. The firm, which specializes in commercial law, went on to become one of the biggest in Israel. Shortly after being appointed justice minister in Netanyahu's first government, Neeman resigned from the cabinet, after then-Attorney General Michael Ben-Yair launched a criminal investigation into allegations that Neeman had attempted to suborn a witness in Shas MK Aryeh Deri's graft trial. Neeman was cleared of all charges and returned to the cabinet until the end of Netanyahu's term in 1999. After he was acquitted, Neeman leveled harsh criticism against the State Attorney's Office for filing unjustified indictments. Politicians from across the political spectrum eulogized the veteran jurist and lawmaker. Netanyahu described Neeman as being "among the leading jurists in the country, sharp-minded and with a warm Jewish heart." Netanyahu also said that Neeman "had solid nationalist views, but with that, he always searched for compromise and dialogue, as he did when he led the Neeman Committee that handled the matter of conversion with sensitivity and wisdom." President Reuven Rivlin said, "We have lost a dear friend, a thinker and a man of many achievements. Yaakov was a classic lawyer, but outside the court room he cared about the public's needs and was continuously engaged in volunteer work. "I spoke with him a week ago," Rivlin recalled. "I told him I need some good advice, and he promised that once he was strong enough to stand on his feet, we would meet. Yaakov, my longtime friend, your departure leaves such a huge void in our world." "The Justice Ministry bows its head at the sad news of Yaakov Neeman's passing, a man of great stature, who wisely succeeded in combining Torah with action and was always willing to contribute to his country in a multitude of highly important roles," Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said. "Neeman was a brilliant jurist, conservative in his views, and he laid the foundations for many of the initiatives that we are promoting today." Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog eulogized Neeman, saying he was "a close friend and mentor for decades. He had a big heart, broad horizons, and he was a generous man who encouraged IDF military service as well as connecting the different groups in Israeli society. He was an outstanding jurist, who did great and important public and legal work for the State of Israel and its citizens. "I had the privilege of watching him work for decades, first as partner to my father, the late Chaim Herzog, then as his student and partner, before I left the practice for public service at Yaakov's encouragement, and [then] at his side in the government. In those years, he always saw the good of the country and national unity as a top priority." Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein said Neeman was a "unique figure in the public sphere." "Blessed with many talents, Neeman was a pleasant person, who was dedicated with every bone in his body to his heritage and his people. His unique voice, his honesty and loyalty will be missed," Edelstein said. Neeman was laid to rest on Mount of Olives in Jerusalem Monday. He is survived by his wife and six children.
