The Pepperdine School of Law embraces its tradition of celebrating diversity by welcoming members of the Jewish law community.
The Pepperdine chapter of the Jewish Law Students Association will present the eighth national convention of the Jewish Law Students Association at the Villa Graziadio Executive Center on Sunday Feb. 14. Civil liberties lawyer Alan M. Dershowitz will be the keynote speaker along with five panels of individuals prominent in the Jewish community.
Dershowitz is a Harvard Law School Professor and Business Week has called him “a feisty civil libertarian and one of the nation’s most prominent legal educators.” He is a criminal defense lawyer and has had high-profile clients including Mike Tyson Patricia Hearst and O.J Simpson. He is known for his works in human rights and his lectures and books on peace in Israel and the Middle East.
The conference will be the smallest audience in Dershowitz’s career as he normally speaks to audiences of thousands of people.
“We are very lucky to hear Alan Dershowitz speak in such an intimate setting JLSA president Eyal Aharonob said.
The Pepperdine chapter of JLSA is a student-run organization that works to connect the Jewish population on campus and promote an understanding of the Jewish religion and culture. The association currently has more than 15 active members and it has operated at Pepperdine on and off for the past 10 years.
The convention— a collaboration of the JLSA, the School of Law and the Diane and Guilford Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies— will begin Saturday night with a formal banquet dinner at The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles.
We are very happy to step up and help the organization [JLSA] promote their relationship and dialogue between Jewish and Christian colleagues said Roger Alford, director of The Diane and Guilford Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies.
Gil Artzyeli, the Deputy Council General at the Israeli Consulate in Los Angeles, will deliver the keynote address. Artzyeli is a lawyer, a member of the Israeli Bar and holds the rank of Captain in the Israel Defense Forces. As Deputy Council General, he handles community and political relations as a representative of the State of Israel.
Sunday’s conference will include panels covering the topics of international law, genocide and holocaust, topics in Jewish law, interfaith relationships and the death penalty.
According to Aharonob, not all the panelists will speak from a legal perspective, but some will speak about how these issues are embedded in the law.
Samual Levine, a professor of Jewish law at Pepperdine, said, Jewish students are interested in Jewish law because they are interested in their own heritage. Other students who are not Jewish believe that it can help them understand their own American legal system better.”
Levine will appear on the panel at the convention.
Aharonob also explained that although Pepperdine is a Christian university it has a close relationship with the Jewish population.
“I know that Pepperdine is open to a lot of different affiliations law student Kate Vescera said. It’s important that everyone feels a part of the community.”
According to Levine the conference was driven by the law students at Pepperdine because a large number of the students at the law school are interested in Jewish Law. Aharonob wanted the National Convention to be held at Pepperdine because it is not the first university one would think about to host a Jewish law convention. He heard the myths that as recent as 30 years ago Pepperdine did not accept Jewish students and he wanted to put an end to the rumors by bringing the convention to campus.
Law student Zach Ylrich is excited with Pepperdine’s participation in the event.
“It is important for Pepperdine to embrace its tradition of Christianity and part of this tradition is to recognize people of all backgrounds Ylrich said. Their decision to host this event is a strong indicator of their commitment to such diversity.”
The convention is open to all students and tickets for the conference can be purchased at the door. The formal banquet dinner will take place Saturday Feb. 13 from 7 to 10 p.m at the Museum of Tolerence. Tickets cost $30 for students and $100 for general admission.
The conference will take place at the Villa Graziadio Executive Center at the Drescher Graduate Campus Sunday Feb 14 from 9:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. Student admission is $30 and general admission is $70.
“This is a great opportunity to come together and talk about current and past issues and to study the law from a Jewish perspective said Katie Hyten, assistant to the director of The Glazer Institute.