Yitzhak Ernst Nebenzahl

State Comptroller 1961 – 1981 and Ombudsman 1971 – 1981

​Yitzhak Ernest Nebenzahl was born in 1907 in Frankfurt, Germany. In 1929 he received his doctorate in law from Frankfurt University and began serving as a lecturer in the area of civil law. In 1930 he was also a Professor of Law (Emeritus) in the universities of Berlin and Friedberg. He was active in the Zionist Academics Organization and the head of the ultra-Orthodox youth movement, “Ezra”, in Germany. In 1933 he came on Aliyah to Mandatory Palestine and settled in Jerusalem. From that year up to 1949 he served as the legal advisor of the Yefet Bank, and between 1947 and 1961, he was the Chairman of the Board of the Hollander and Partners Company, whose headquarters was in Stockholm. During the War of Independence he served as an officer in the General Staff.

Public Positions

1948-1950 He was the manager of the Jerusalem Development Department of the Jewish Agency.

1948-1961 He served as the manager of the Jerusalem Economic Corporation.

1954-1961 He was the Chairman of the Postal Bank.

1956-1961 He was a member of the Board of Directors of Bank Leumi LeIsrael.

1957-1961 He was the Chairman of the Advisory Committee and Advisory Council of the Bank of Israel.

He was the honorary President of the Swedish-Israeli Chamber of Commerce.

He served as a member and Chair of national commissions of inquiry, among which were the Agranat Commission, and also served as the head of the Committee for Financial Legislation on behalf of the Political Science Association, the head of the Israeli Committee of the Hadassah Medical Organization and the President of the Jerusalem Office (of the Bnai Brith Organization). In addition to all these activities, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem, a member of the Antitrust Business Council and a member of the Petroleum Council.

On December 11th, 1961 Yitzhak Ernst Nebenzahl was appointed State Comptroller by the President of the State and in 1971 the position of State Ombudsman was added to his duties. He served in this position until December 10th, 1981.

Additional Public Activities

In 1965 he served as President of the 5th International Congress of INTOSAI, the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions, which took place in Jerusalem and in the years 1965-1868 he was a member of the governing council of the same organization and its first chairman.

After completing his tenure as State Comptroller, he was appointed President of Machon Lev.

Yitzhak Ernst Nebenzahl died on the 18th of December 1992.