Justice Shlomo Ettinger Nachshon
Judge forced to retire after sexist remark
Shlomo Ettinger Nachshon agrees to step down after employing derogatory language toward female colleagues, litigants; previous complaints against him include offensive remarks at court rooms, to employees, defendants
A judge at the Petah Tikva Traffic Court retired on Monday following allegations that he directed a sexist
remark at a female prosecutor.
Justice Shlomo Nachshon Ettinger, a judge at the Petah Tikva Traffic Court, was suspected of resorting to sexist language in the courtroom, insulting a number of female typists, showing contempt to colleagues and litigants, as well as smoking in prohibited places.
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Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Supreme Court President Justice Asher Grunis petitioned the ombudsman last week, urging him to look into the behavior of Justice Nachshon. Following the petition it was agreed that Ettinger take a leave, followed by his retirement from the legal system.
The most high-profile offence attributed to the judge occurred in front of some 15 witnesses, as a female prosecutor was searching her desk for a file connected to a defendant whose name apparently begins with the Hebrew letter "Zayin," which is also a slang term for the male sexual organ.
"Look under 'Zayin,'" Ettinger instructed the prosecutor. When she found the document, he allegedly remarked "I see you're adept at quickly locating 'Zayin.'" The prosecutor left the courtroom in tears and was substituted by a colleague for the remainder of the case.
Ettinger later claimed that in the incident involving the female prosecutor, he referred to the Hebrew letter alone, and that any sexual innuendo was unintentional. "If my remark was misunderstood, it is a regrettable matter," he added.
However, the incident does not represent the only complaint against the judge.
Some five months ago, Yedioth Ahronoth reported instances of Ettinger's humiliating remarks directed at typists. He allegedly told one typist to "shut up," and instructed another not to talk to him, saying he "hates it" when women talk back.
In another reported instance he mocked a new immigrant's poor command of Hebrew.
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