Supreme Court Building

In anticipation of the centennial celebrations marking the establishment of the earliest agricultural settlements in Israel supported by Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Dorothy de Rothschild, the widow of Edmond’s son James, sought to commemorate this jubilee with a symbolic gesture – the endowment of a building of national significance. Prior to his death, James had endowed the construction of the Knesset, and it was Dorothy de Rothschild's belief that a building for the Supreme Court would fully realize his vision, emphasizing Israel's fundamental attachment both to Justice and Democracy.

The trustees of Yad Hanadiv committed to funding the entire project, including infrastructure and furnishings. In a process which lasted seven years and in which the Justices of the Supreme Court took part, the Foundation constructed the new Supreme Court building. After a site was selected on the ridge of Givat Ram, an architectural competition was held, which stipulated that the design of the new structure had to be in harmony with the Knesset building, situated to the south. The competition was won by architects Ada Karmi-Melamede and Ram Karmi. When the building was inaugurated in 1992, New York Times, Pulitzer Prize winning Architecture Critic Paul Goldberger called it ‘ Israel's finest public building’ achieving ‘a remarkable and exhilarating balance between the concerns of daily life and the symbolism of the ages’.