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Ambassador Zalman Shoval: Greetings to Judge Stephen Breyer (Jewish Federation of Greater Washington) October 7, 1999

First, I went to excuse myself for having lost my voice. This is something that shouldnÕt happen to an ambassador or to a judge, I guess.

We are usually called Òthe people of the bookÓ Ð but what should be added Ð is that many of our sacred books, the books of the Bible Ð almost from the very beginning, are books of law Ð containing laws on more or less everything Ð criminal, civil, family, social; Ð some would be regarded as antiquated today Ð but many others, especially social and even economic laws Ð were not only way ahead of their time then Ð but can be deemed progressive and enlightened in our time as well.

And I wonÕt even mention the Ten Commandments Ð an ambassador should never get into political hot water in the country in which he serves.

I think that our own history in this field has a great deal to do with the fact that, with all the difficulties we, Israel, faced, existential difficulties, from the moment the state was founded Ð we built one of the worldÕs most respected and totally non-politicized Juridical systems anywhere. In a neighborhood, donÕt forget, which is the very opposite of such a system.

In the history of the ancient Jewish people, Judges played a very significant role. Actually, after the death of Joshua till King Saul Ð the judges mentioned in the Book of Judges were not just judges Ð the Bible differentiates between ÒShoftimÓ and ÒDayanimÓ, the latter concerning themselves almost exclusively with the law Ð while the former, the ÒShoftimÓ were both judges and rulers Ð and often Generals as well Ð think of Gideon and Samson, for instance. So, there was no separation of powers there. I suspect that some of the more activist judges, both here and in Israel, may be a bit envious. Actually, for generations the people of Israel didnÕt want to be ruled by Kings Ð they, or those who claimed to speak on behalf of God, preferred judges.

The Supreme Judge was God himself; Ð I know that some judges today also think they are God Ð but I donÕt mean that Ð but God was regarded as the just judge of the whole world Ðthough, and this is a proof of the spirit of democracy which has always been a mark of the Jewish nation Ð the Bible tells us of Jeremiah, or Job, or others, who sometimes questioned the justice of GodÕs judgement. But it was God who was seen as the one who anointed the judges who judged in His name Ð therefore judging was considered a divine role Ð and needless to say, judges were, therefore, required to judge impartially, irrespective of the status of the litigants Ð the Bible adding, that Òbribes blind the eyes of judgesÓ

So, it is only natural, I suppose, not only that there are so many Jewish lawyers Ð some think too many Ð but that the Jewish people has given to the world, especially the Western World, a number of very great judges. Certainly in this country; the names of Brandeis, Frankfurter, Goldberg, Cardozo, and many others, are a mainstay of American legal history; Ð Stephen Breyer follows the same tradition of great Jewish-American judges. It is an honor for me today to greet ÒHis Honor,Ó and I want to thank the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington for haven given me this opportunity.