First thing on Tuesday morning, we headed to the Mount of the Beatitudes. While the grounds were among the smallest we visited, the impact the Church of the Beatitudes on the students was among the largest. Student Natalie Schiferl writes: For those who do not necessarily know the significance of the Mount, it is where … Continue reading Israel Reflections 2015–Day Four: Mount of the Beatitudes
A highlight of our trip every year is the time we get to spend with Justice Aharon Barak and his wife Judge Elika Barak. Justice Barak is the former President of the Israeli Supreme Court, hailed as the father of Israel’s constitutional revolution and even cited by Justice Elena Kagan as one of her judicial … Continue reading Israel Reflections 2015: Day Three (almost done)–Dinner at the Baraks
One of the ways we learned about Israeli society was to spend a few nights at a kibbutz. A kibbutz is a collective community, traditionally based in agriculture, that was the way many Israelis used to live. Even though the kibbutz life was outside the comfort zones of some students initially, hanging out in the … Continue reading Israel Reflections 2015 (and some April Fools Fun): The Kibbutz
In one of the more emotional and difficult tours on the trip, we visited Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Museum and home to the International Institute of Holocaust Research. The museum itself houses hours of historical footage, video interviews, and artifacts, including the famous Hall of Names, a memorial dedicated to remembering each and every person killed … Continue reading Israel Reflections 2015–Day Three: Yad Vashem
On Monday morning, we were off for a quick stop at the open air market at Machane Yehuda and then a tour of the Supreme Court. And then we had the distinct treat of our own personal tour of Lifta, a destroyed Palestinian village since 1948 right on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Leading our tour … Continue reading Israel Reflections 2015–Day Three: Daphna Golan and Lifta
Late in the evening on Sunday, March 8, we met with Gershon Baskin and Riman Barakat. This was our last (official) meeting of a long day involving talks about peace and conflict resolution, and it way it was, as student Kelsey Mader called it, “the perfect way to end.” The rest of Kelsey’s recap follows: … Continue reading Israel Reflections 2015–Day Two (Last One!): Gershon Baskin and IPCRI
Even though we were not in the comforts of Marquette University Law School, I had to put the students back a classroom during a few stops on our trip. The first classroom experience came at Hebrew University, in a class led by Professor Avi Kluger, an expert in listening. (and the title of this blog … Continue reading Israel Reflections 2015–Day Two (Still!): Getting Handsy at Hebrew University
I am planning on interspersing blogs about our more academic visits with blogs about our wonderful sightseeing. The student visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre turned out to be more amazing than expected, as our students were asked to participate in the mass! Student Lauren Maddente shared her reflections here: On the second morning of our … Continue reading Israel Reflections 2015–Day Two: Church of the Holy Sepulchre
I’m linking here to a wonderful blog post from FOB Susan Franck about her latest article on investment treaty arbitration (ITA). Contrary to recent press about the evils of ITA for developing countries, she has found: The available data did not support notions that the average final ITA outcome was either in favor of investors or awarded … Continue reading Conflating Politics and Development in Investment Treaty Arbitration
We have met with the Parent’s Circle each time we have gone to Israel for an amazing meeting, and this time did not disappoint either. My favorite part was how they ended–“Do not be Pro-Israel; Do Not be Pro-Palestine; Be Pro-Peace.” From student Jennifer Sosa: Prior to going to Israel, I never quite understood how much … Continue reading Israel Reflections 2015–Day Two: Parent’s Circle
