Rosalie Silberman Abella was born on July 1, 1946, the daughter of Jacob and Fanny Silberman. She was born in a displaced persons camp in Stuttgart, Germany, where her father, a lawyer, was appointed by the Americans as head of legal services for displaced persons in the Allied Zone of Southwest Germany. In 1950, her family was admitted into Canada, though Jacob Silberman was not allowed to practice law because he was not a citizen. From a young age, Rosalie was determined to become a lawyer. She attended Oakwood Collegiate Institute and Bathurst Heights Secondary School in Toronto, Ontario. She then attended the University of Toronto, where she earned a B.A. in 1967, and an LL.B in 1970. In 1964, Abella graduated from the Royal Conservatory of Music in classical piano.
Career
Abella was called to the Ontario bar in 1972. Abella practised civil and criminal litigation until 1976, when at the age of 29, she was appointed to the Ontario Family Court, becoming both the youngest and first pregnant judge in Canadian history. She was appointed to the Ontario Court of Appeal in 1992. In 1984, Abella was appointed as the sole Commissioner of the 1984 federal Royal Commission on Equality in Employment, coining the term and concept of "employment equity", a strategy for reducing barriers in employment faced by women, visible minorities, people with disabilities, and Aboriginal peoples. The theories of "equality" and "discrimination" that were developed in the Report were adopted by the Canadian Supreme Court in its first decision regrading equality rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms in 1989. The recommendations outlined in report were adopted by other countries including, New Zealand, South Africa, and Northern Ireland. Abella has acted as chair of the Ontario Labour Relations Board, the Ontario Study into Access to Legal Services by the Disabled and the Ontario Law Reform Commission, and as a member of the Ontario Human Rights Commission and of the judicial inquiry into the Donald Marshall, Jr. case. She is considered one of Canada's foremost experts on human rights law, and has taught at McGill Law School in Montreal. In 2004, Canadian Prime MinisterPaul Martin appointed Abella to the Supreme Court of Canada. Abella became the first Jewish woman to sit on the court. She is eligible to serve on the Supreme Court until July 1, 2021 when she turns 75. In 1988, Abella moderated the televised English Language Leaders' Debate between Brian Mulroney, John Turner and Ed Broadbent.
