Aharon Barak, President Of Israel's Supreme Court, To Speak At Center For Jewish History In Rare Public Appearance.

Business Editors

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 22, 2002

The Center for Jewish History:

Aharon Barak to lecture on "Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State"

Q&A to follow

The Center for Jewish History, a central resource for the cultural and historical legacy of the Jewish people, in association with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, one of five partners of the Center, is hosting a special evening with Aharon Barak, the President of the Supreme Court of Israel on Monday, September 9, 2002 at 6:30 PM.

Justice Barak will deliver a lecture on "Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State" followed by a Q&A as part of the Center's "Jews and Justice" series. The evening will be moderated by Russell G. Pearce, Professor of Law at Fordham University School of Law, who serves as curator for the "Jews and Justice" series.

With a generous grant from The David Berg Foundation, the Center for Jewish History launched this new series of lectures and colloquia that explores "Jews and Justice," the Jewish contribution to the development and practice of law and legal institutions. Co-sponsored by the Louis Stein Center for Law and Ethics of Fordham University Law School, "Jews and Justice" was inaugurated May 2, 2002, with an address by Andrew L. Kaufman, Charles Stebbins Fairchild Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, on the "Jewish Influence on Justice Benjamin N. Cardozo".

"We are honored that Justice Barak has agreed to lecture at the Center. His lifetime contribution to the Israeli legal system and to upholding constitutional democracy has been enormous. Justice Barak is one of the great jurists of our time, and his willingness to discuss this subject is of great importance. At a time when Israel, the only democracy in the Middle East, is a focal point of international attention, Justice Barak staunchly upholds the legal and democratic values of Israel so dear to Americans," said Josh Plaut, incoming Executive Director of the Center for Jewish History.

As a Supreme Court justice since 1978 and the court's president since 1995, Justice Barak was instrumental in leading the constitutionalization of Israeli law in March 1992. Justice Barak's success in revolutionizing Israeli law has made him one of the single most influential people in Israeli public life today.

Aharon Barak was born in Kaunus, Lithuania, and immigrated to Israel in 1947. He studied law, economics and international relations at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where, after serving in the Israeli Defense Forces, he received his doctorate in law in 1963. He was a lecturer, professor and dean of the Hebrew University Law School until 1975 when he was appointed attorney general, a post he held from 1975-1978. In 1978, he was appointed Justice of the Supreme Court of the State of Israel and, in 1995, was named President. He has been awarded numerous honorary degrees from universities around the world, including Israel, the United States, Italy, and Great Britain. In 1999, Justice Barak was awarded the "International Justice in the World" prize, presented by the International Association of Judges.

The event is open to the press and general public and there is no admission charge. Since it is extremely rare for Justice Barak to give public appearances, reservations are required. For more information, the press should call [phone] X 22 and the general public should call [phone]. The Center is located at 15 West 16th Street in New York City.

Justice Aharon Barak will also deliver the John Sonnett Memorial Lecture "The Role of a Supreme Court in a Democracy" on Tuesday, September 10, 2002, at 6:00 PM at the McNally Amphitheatre at Fordham University School of Law. There is no admission charge to attend this event; however, reservations are required. For more information, call [phone].