THE TRIBUNAL
The Tribunal* is the Newsletter of the
American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (AAJLJ).
www.jewishlawyers.org
Reach Editor Rhonda Lees, Esq.,
VP and Chair, DC Chapter, AAJLJ
at dcchapter@jewishlawyers.org
* Thanks to Donna Lomangino of Lomangino Studios, www.lomangino.com, who suggested the name.
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JUSTICE, JUSTICE SHALL YOU PURSUE
… but how?
OUR MISSION
The mission of the AAJLJ is to (1) promote an understanding of the principles of traditional Jewish law among the bar, the judiciary and the public, (2) promote the application of Jewish law, where appropriate, to current legal issues, such as human rights, anti-terrorism, free speech, and religious freedom and (3) to safeguard the civil and human rights of Jews and others in the US and abroad.
The AAJLJ sponsors programs on legal topics, both domestic and global, by informing members about crucial issues facing the community, intervening as amici in appropriate cases, and advocating for the interests of the Jewish community and Israel with public officials, legislators, and other policy makers. The Association presents an annual Pursuit of Justice Award to honor distinguished members of the community for their outstanding service. The Association also hosts networking and social events.
Message from the president of AAJLJ: Steve Greenwald
This message is an update on some program developments that have recently come together and I welcome any suggestions and comments.
In late May I will be visiting our Chapter in Detroit and with a group of lawyers in Chicago to stimulate an expansion of the Detroit chapter and hopefully the establishment of a Chicago chapter. Michael Traison has graciously agreed to organize and host both of these events, which will be lunch meetings, and Eli Herz has agreed to join us and speak at both.
Later in the year I plan to visit St. Louis, with the help of Judge Teitelman, and also the South Florida area with a similar goal.
At the ABA Annual Meeting in New York in early August we will be holding our traditional Shabbat service and Oneg on Saturday, August 9 and on August 10 at 2pm we will present a program led by Irwin Cotler on legal challenges to Iran and Ahaminedejad in the World Court or other forums for violations of international conventions against inciting genocide and other treaties and conventions.
We will also schedule a board meeting just before or after the program. The program and the board meeting will be held at the offices of Skadden, Arps in midtown Manhattan.
In mid-November we will present a program at Cardozo Law School that will be a comparative study of the US and Israeli Supreme Courts and constitutional adjudication, touching on subjects such as justiciability, standing, political questions, judicial review, selection of Justices etc.
For those who were at our board meeting in January you may recall the dialogue between Malvina Halberstam and me on this subject, and this program is an outgrowth of that dialogue.
And I am pleased to advise that thanks to Malvina ,Cardozo has agreed to not only host the program but also to generously fund it.
From Nov 5 to 9 the IAJLJ will hold an international Conference in Berlin on the topic: "The Criminalization of Modern Acts of Terrorism Under International Public Law".
We have been asked to participate in the planning of the Conference including the selection of speakers from the US. And I hope that as many of our members as possible will attend the Conference.
In addition to these programs and activities we must begin to plan for the 2009 Pursuit of Justice Award event for January, 2009 , and I welcome any suggestions for an awardee.
Also we are continuing to work on plans for a counter-conference to the Durban 2 Conference to be held in 2009, as well as cooperating with the IAJLJ and others to convince as many governments as possible, including our own, to follow the lead of Canada and Israel to boycott Durban 2.
PROGRAMMING
On January 27, 2008, the Association’s Pursuit of Justice Award was awarded to the Hon. Irwin Cotler,
MP and former Minister of Justice and Attorney General Of Canada and Barry C Scheck and Peter J. Neufeld, Founders of The Innocence Project at the Cardozo School of Law
The DC chapter hosted or co-sponsored a variety of events over the past year for our members and the public:
We co-host the Brown Bag Luncheon Series in conjunction with the Jewish Community Relations Council and the American Jewish Congress, held at Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP in D.C.
The process of choosing the topic and recruiting the speaker is democratic, so if you have suggestions for topics or speakers, please contact dcchapter@jewishlawyers.org.
We co-host Happy Hours at area restaurants with Bike and Brunch.
Mishpat on Mondays presents the Application of Jewish Civil Law Principles ("Mishpat Ivri") to Modern Cases. This series is led by Nathan Lewin, Esq., Adjunct Professor of Talmudic Civil Law, George Washington University Law School, at the law firm of Lewin & Lewin, LLP with occasional guest speakers.
COMMITTEES
As with any successful association, our committee structure allows members with particular expertise to work on issues of concern.
Executive Committee: This Committee meets on a continuing basis, in person or by teleconference, to consider issues such as participation as amici in cases.
Nominations Committee: Jack Olender, Chair
This committee is constituted each year to identify candidates for election to the Board of Governors and Executive Offices.
Military Bar: Yosefi Seltzer, Chair www.jewishmilitarybar.org
This committee is continuing its listserve, whose participants include current and former military. The communication focuses on a variety of national security and military matters, and also monitors issues of concern to Jewish military lawyers, such as the Air Force Academy's inquiries and reforms regarding proselytizing.
United Nations Activities
Amicus Curiae
North American Network of Jewish Lawyers Organizations
This network was established by the AAJLJ in 2005 to reach out to established local and national Jewish Lawyer associations in the United States and Canada. This network will allow us to act in concert, where possible, on Jewish legal issues, allowing a more concentrated and effective voice than if each organization responded on its own. Member organizations include:
American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists Washington, D.C.
Brandeis Association New York City
Decalogue Society of Lawyers Chicago, Illinois
Jewish Community Relations Council Chicago, Illinois
Jewish Lawyers Guild New York City
JNF Greater NY Legal Society New York City
Lord Reading Law Society Montréal, Quebec
Simon E. Sobeloff Law Society Rockville, Maryland
Students
Working with students at law schools throughout the country has been one of our major priorities. We have identified a gap in outreach by other organizations that target law students. The AAJLJ offers free membership to law students, and supports, facilitates, and encourages strong Jewish Law Student Association bodies by maintaining contact with the Student Executive Boards, promoting student events to the larger Jewish legal community, and providing resources on relevant Jewish Law topics to assist in the success of student-initiated endeavors. In addition, the AAJLJ organizes networking opportunities for Jewish law students by connecting them with law firms and attorneys.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
Washington, DC:
1) Germany as a US Ally: Tom Wolfson, Retired Foreign Service Officer, US State Department
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 12:15 — 1:30 PM, Stinson Morrison Hecker LLP, 1150 18th Street NW, Washington, DC Eighth Floor
Please bring a brown bag lunch; drinks and cookies will be provided. For more information about this and future lunch discussions, or to RSVP, please contact Marianne Shapiro at (202) 466-9661, or by e-mail, at mshapiro@ajcongress.org
2) Defeating Terrorism with the Law: Civil Anti-Terrorism Litigation in the United States
(Seminar offered as part of the 2008 DC Bar Judicial and Bar Conference)
Friday, April 11, 2008; 4:15 p.m. to 5:45 p.m,
at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center
1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C. 20004
Victims of international terror are turning to U.S. Courts with increasing frequency. Civil lawsuits have been filed against foreign governments, organizations and individuals who allegedly finance and support terrorist groups. Leading attorneys will describe how their cases have made law in this new front in the war on terror.
The illustrious panel includes:
The Honorable Royce C. Lamberth, Associate Judge, US District Court for DC, speaker
Knox Bemis, Dewey & LeBoeuf, LLP, speaker
Nathan Lewin, Lewin & Lewin, LLP, speaker
Stuart H. Newberger, Crowell & Moring, LLP, speaker
Steven R. Perles, Perles Law Firm, speaker
Alyza D. Lewin, Lewin & Lewin, LLP, moderator
Co-sponsored by the AAJLJ and the International Law Section of the DC Bar.
$50 in advance and $70 at the door. CLE credit is available.
For more information, call the D.C. Bar 202-737-4700, ext. 239, or visit www.dcbar.org/conference.
