OLSHAN, ISAAC (1895–1983), Israeli jurist. Born in Kovno, Lithuania, Olshan immigrated to Ereẓ Israel in 1912. He studied at the University of London and served in the Jewish Legion during World War I. From 1927 to 1948 he worked as a lawyer in private practice in Palestine, and after the creation of the State of Israel was one of the original five justices appointed to the Supreme Court. Olshan became president of the Supreme Court in 1953 and served until his retirement in 1965. During his tenure of office he repeatedly emphasized that the state was as much bound by the rule of law as the individual and that respect for the rule of law was one of the foundations of a democratic society.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Ha-Peraklit, 21 (1965), 381–8.

Sources: Encyclopaedia Judaica. © 2007 The Gale Group. All Rights Reserved.

Isaac Olshan