About Judges and Presidents

In these days, the Knesset is facing the selection of a new president for Israel. Among the individuals who proposed their candidacy was retired Judge Dalia Dorner.

Unlike the members of Knesset and almost all citizens of the state who know the lady only from her public appearances full of splendor, glory, and statesmanship, I and my fellow attorneys who required her legal services when she was a sitting judge, primarily at the Jerusalem District Court, also know other sides of her. Very, very unflattering sides.

A very powerful story etched in my memory is from the joyous day when my middle son was born. He was born at 06:00 in the morning, and at 09:30 I had a hearing scheduled before her in court. I asked an attorney from my office to notify her that I would not be able to attend and to postpone the hearing to another day. I assumed, of course, that the matter was settled when suddenly, to my astonishment, I was summoned to the phone at the nurses' station (in those days there was no cell phone yet...) where the attorney informed me that Judge Dorner refused to postpone the hearing, claiming that "so what if his wife gave birth. The woman's role is to give birth and the husband's role is to bring flowers..."! This was, for me, the peak of forceful, impatient, intolerant, and malicious conduct toward the attorneys and litigants who appeared before her.

Several years later, when she served on the Supreme Court and began to build her image as a "feminist" and "liberal," I found it appropriate to tell the public who Mrs. Dorner is in an article I published in the Bar Association bulletin and later also in "Maariv." This article was quoted in the book by my partner Yiron Festinger "Shel Mi HaBayit HaZeh."

I was astonished when she was elected after her retirement to serve as President of the Press Council, but when she decided it was suitable for her to be President of the State of Israel, I decided it was my duty to bring to the public's attention who the candidate is. Unfortunately, journalists refused to publish this, and so I found myself compelled, on the eve of the presidential election, to approach all members of Knesset with a letter that I present before you:

Honorable Minister/Member of Knesset

I am approaching you at the "90th minute" in order to present before you my impressions as a consumer of the judicial system, by virtue of my work as an attorney, regarding the presidential candidate, retired Judge Dalia Dorner.

The only reason I am approaching you only now is that before this approach, I contacted, from the moment the lady announced her candidacy, several journalists in order to present the matters before them, but none of them dared to publish them. In the best case, we received their words that "there is no interest in the matter" or that they "have already been published" (over 10 years ago and before the lady was a candidate for the presidency...) or that "she has no chance anyway," and in the worst case, as we lawyers say, "it cannot be ruled out" that the non-publication stems from the fear of getting entangled with the President of the Press Council.

Either way, the choice tomorrow is in your hands, and it is your right and duty to choose the best candidate in your eyes, but it is important that you know before you choose all the facts regarding all the candidates, and in this matter I wish to present them before you from the perspective of a consumer of the judicial system.

I have been an attorney for almost 32 years in Jerusalem. Our sages said that "a person is recognized by his cup, his pocket, and his anger." I "merited" to "enjoy" her judicial temperament for many years. The peak was when my son was born 23 and a half years ago at 0600 in the morning, and I requested to postpone a hearing that was scheduled before her that morning at 0930. She refused to postpone the hearing and demanded that I appear!!!! And note the reason for the postponement: "So what if his wife gave birth? The woman's role is to give birth and the husband's role is to bring flowers"... This angered me so much (to this day) that when she served on the Supreme Court and received praise for being "liberal" and "feminist," I published an article in the Bar Association bulletin in which I told who she is and what she is. An act that borders on suicide for an active attorney appearing in courts. (By the way - contrary to my prediction at the end of the article - not only did I not receive condemning responses to this article, but I received much encouragement and praise for this article and for my courage not only from all the attorneys who read it but also from many of her colleagues...)

I returned and published this article in "Maariv" when she retired 10 years ago under the headline "Baruch ShePetarano" [Blessed be He who has freed us], and it was quoted in the book by my partner Attorney Yiron Festinger "Shel Mi HaBayit HaZeh," from which I copied and scanned the article for you in the attached copy.

I hope I have been of use to you and that when you come to fulfill your duty, you will know better to whom you give your vote. I feel that I have fulfilled my civic duty to bring these matters before you so that no one will be surprised during the next seven years by the temperament and conduct of the holder of this high office.

Thank you for your attention

Nati Ron

We shall live and see what the day brings. I am convinced that she will not be elected president and am only astonished by her audacity to present herself as a candidate for this high office.