Hava Inbar

Lt. Col. Hava Inbar (חוה ענבר; died January 2024) was a Holocaust survivor who went on to become a Lieutenant Colonel of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and served as the first female military judge in the world.

Biography
Inbar was born to Hindka Nisht in Krynki, Poland, to the Nisht (Niv) family. During the Holocaust she was placed in Auschwitz. At age 16 she was interested in a career with the diplomatic corps but decided to instead pursue a career in law. She eventually immigrated to Israel where she studied law at Hebrew University of Jerusalem before going on to serve as a defense lawyer for Northern Command of the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) for ten years across numerous cases.

Inbar was celebrated as the world's first female military judge when she was given a judgeship in the Haifa Military Court in September of 1969. She attained this role while still a Master Sergeant. She was quickly met with praises of her well known sense of humor, outspoken advocacy on behalf of the IDF, and ability to get either religious soldiers or Druze to appear in court despite feared cultural reservations about her appointment. During her time as a judge, Inbar would ultimately attain the rank of lieutenant colonel.

The IDF retired organization announced her death on January 15, 2024, also sharing that at the time of her death she had been living in Ramat Hasharon, Israel.