Goitein, David

David Goitein was born in 1900 to an Ultra-Orthodox family in London. In 1922 Goitein graduated from the London School of Economics with a degree in law and worked as a lawyer in London for five years. Goitein joined the Habonim Zionist movement and immigrated to Israel in 1929. At first, Goitein was employed as editor of the Palestine Bulletin (a predecessor of the Jerusalem Post), during which time he published many opinion articles regarding challenges facing the Zionist movement in Israel. During Israel’s war of independence, Goitein was appointed by the Hagana as a military justice and was later involved in preparing the Israeli codex. In 1949 Goitein was appointed as the Israeli consul in South Africa, and, in 1951, he became deputy ambassador in Washington, D.C. Upon his return to Israel in 1953, Goitein was appointed Supreme Court Justice, a position he held until his death in 1961. Goitein served as the first Israeli representative in the International Court of Justice in The Hague. During his last years, Goitein was involved in translating opinions of the Israeli Supreme Court into English.