Uriel Reichman

Early life and education

Born in Tel Aviv during the Mandate era, Reichman studied law at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, receiving an LLB in 1967 and an LLM in 1972. In 1975 he was awarded a JSD by the University of Chicago.

Career

Between 1985 and 1990 he worked as dean of the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University, before becoming dean of Ramot Mishpat. In 1994 he established the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, serving as its president until 2006.

Reichman has served on the board of directors of the First International Bank and Bank Hapoalim. He also has chaired the Israel Bar Association's Committee for Human Rights, headed and served as a member of several public committees, and proposed reforms in the real-estate laws and in the professions of real-estate surveying and brokerage.

A founder of Shinui, Reichman was elected to head the party's presidium in 2004. However, in November 2005 he left the party to join Ariel Sharon's new Kadima party. For the 2006 elections he was placed eleventh on Kadima's list, and became a Knesset member when the party won 29 seats. However, he resigned his seat on 28 April 2006 in protest at not being given the Education portfolio (which went to Yuli Tamir of the Labor Party), which he claimed he had been promised by both Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert. He was replaced by Shai Hermesh.

Honors and awards

In 2010, Reichman was awarded an honorary doctorate by Heinrich Heine University in Düsseldorf, Germany.