The Israel Law and Liberty Forum is a new movement of lawyers, judges, students, and other individuals who are interested in Israeli law and policy. The Forum offers a platform for new thinkers and new ideas in Israeli legal discourse, which today almost uniformly promotes an activist, interventionist judiciary. Our work -- encompassing debate events, publications, and unique educational opportunities for jurists -- advances a conservative legal worldview based on four core principles: the separation of powers, judicial restraint, individual liberty, and limited government.
The Forum does not take specific policy positions, nor is it a partisan or political body. Our work is inspired by, and conducted in cooperation with, the US-based Federalist Society.
Outstanding opportunities for legal learning, discussion, and leadership
The Forum encourages the establishment of student chapters in Israeli law schools. Since 2020, its first three chapters have opened at Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, and the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. Chapters host popular debates between prominent public figures and legal academics on campuses. In addition, chapters sponsor other learning opportunities, writing contests, panels, and events.
What is the proper role of the State Attorney’s Office?Has there been a shift in the application of criminal law to public figures? Should the Supreme Court be able to invalidate Israel’s foundational legislation? Should the judicial nominations process be reformed, and if so, how? Our national organization hosts public events, including debates, interviews, and conversations with prominent legal figures drawn from academia, government, the media, and the private sector. We will be holding our first-ever academic conference in June 2021.
What could a constitution for Israel look like? What is the value of precedent in judicial decision-making? How should courts decide whether or not to hear a case? What is the proper balance of power between the regulator and the judge? Our Hebrew-language digital publications provide a unique contribution to Israeli legal discourse by addressing these questions and others from a conservative perspectives. These include a magazine with in-depth long form essays on contemporary issues in Israeli law, a popular podcast, and an ever-expanding library of texts relating to law and society. We will launch our English-language podcast in May 2021.
We host an annual summer seminar for 20 of Israel’s top law students. The seminar intensively cultivates the study and discussion of conservative legal thought, involving the contributions of some of the top Israeli and international legal thinkers in the world.
The Forum encourages the establishment of student chapters in Israeli law schools. Since 2020, its first three chapters have opened at Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, and the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. Chapters host popular debates between prominent public figures and legal academics on campuses. In addition, chapters sponsor other learning opportunities, writing contests, panels, and events.
What is the proper role of the State Attorney’s Office?Has there been a shift in the application of criminal law to public figures? Should the Supreme Court be able to invalidate Israel’s foundational legislation? Should the judicial nominations process be reformed, and if so, how?Our national organization hosts public events, including debates, interviews, and conversations with prominent legal figures drawn from academia, government, the media, and the private sector. We will be holding our first-ever academic conference in June 2021.
What could a constitution for Israel look like? What is the value of precedent in judicial decision-making? How should courts decide whether or not to hear a case? What is the proper balance of power between the regulator and the judge? Our Hebrew-language digital publications provide a unique contribution to Israeli legal discourse by addressing these questions and others from a conservative perspectives. These include a magazine with in-depth long form essays on contemporary issues in Israeli law, a popular podcast, and an ever-expanding library of texts relating to law and society. We will launch our English-language podcast in May 2021.
We host an annual summer seminar for 20 of Israel’s top law students. The seminar intensively cultivates the study and discussion of conservative legal thought, involving the contributions of some of the top Israeli and international legal thinkers in the world.
Richard Epstein is the Tisch Professor of Law at New York University and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago. He is the founder and head of the Classical Liberal Institute at NYU, and the Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University. Professor Epstein is an expert in law and economics. He is considered one of the world’s most influential and prolific contemporary legal scholars.
Daniel Friedmann served as the dean of Tel Aviv University Law School and as head and founder of the law school at the College for Management and Administration. He is a former Minister of Justice for the State of Israel. Friedmann received the Israel Prize for Legal Research in 199, and writes widely on the law, including in his seminal history of the Israeli legal system, “The Purse and the Sword.”
Aylana is deputy director of the Tikvah Fund in Israel, overseeing the Law and Liberty Forum and Tikvah Israel’s annual conference. She worked in senior roles at Tikvah US for seven years prior. She obtained her BA in Jewish Studies from Queens College and her JD from Georgetown University. Her work has appeared in Mosaic Magazine, Commentary Magazine, and other outlets.
Yonatan is a board-certified lawyer in Israel and the State of New York. He obtained his law and communications degrees from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He has previously worked as an attorney in the offices of Ephraim Abramson & Co., as a Product Manager at Mobileye, and as a researcher at the Kohelet Institute.
Kayla is a licensed attorney in Israel. She obtained a joint degree in Law and Government at IDC-Herzliya. She interned at the Department of International Affairs at the Office of the State Attorney and was a project manager at ‘Reservists on Duty’ NGO.
