Jerusalem Street Named for Professor Yaakov Neeman

Jerusalem's municipality has inaugurated a new street named after the late Professor Yaakov Neeman in the Armonot Hills neighborhood. The ceremony was attended by Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion, city council members, Neeman's family, residents, and other guests.

Professor Yaakov Neeman, born in 1940, was a prominent Jerusalem figure, a former government minister, and one of Israel's leading lawyers. He significantly impacted public life in Israel for decades. Neeman served in the Golani Brigade, earned a doctorate in law with honors from New York University after the Six-Day War, and co-founded the law faculty at Bar-Ilan University. In 1969, he opened a law office, which later became Herzog, Fox, Neeman in 1972, co-founded with Michael Fox and Chaim Herzog.

His distinguished career included serving as Director-General of the Ministry of Finance, Minister of Finance under Benjamin Netanyahu's first government, and later as Minister of Justice. He also chaired important public committees, including one on conversion. Despite being non-partisan, he was trusted by national leaders across the political spectrum.

Neeman was known for his thoroughness and dedication, learning practical legal skills by observing court proceedings. He embodied a blend of scholarship and action, maintaining humility alongside his high-profile career. Former President Reuven Rivlin described him as a man of "connections, compromise, and action, a symbol of Torah with derech eretz, Torah and academia, private practice and public activity."

Mayor Moshe Lion stated that Professor Neeman was "a Jerusalemite through and through, a dedicated public servant and brilliant jurist who left a deep mark on the State of Israel and our city." He added that naming the street is Jerusalem's way of commemorating Neeman's work, legacy, and immense contribution to Israel and its capital.