Turkel, Jacob

Born in 1935 in Tel Aviv, Jacob Turkel received his legal training at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, graduating in 1960 with an LL.M. In 1967 Turkel was appointed to the Be’er Sheva Magistrate’s Court. In 1973 Turkel was appointed District Court Justice in Be’er Sheva, and in 1981 he became President of the District Court. Turkel was appointed to the Supreme Court in 1995 and served there until his retirement in 2005. He was known during his tenure on the Supreme Court for writing a relatively large number of dissenting opinions. Turkel served as a lecturer in Ben Gurion University (1972-1975) and later at Tel Aviv University (1993-1996). In 2010 Turkel was appointed to chair the Turkel Commission, a commission appointed to investigate the Gaza flotilla raid.