I was on the #30 bus, indulging in my favorite en route pastime, people-watching, when an interesting group came aboard. They were obviously visitors to Haifa, and each wore a large tag with his or her name and country. I asked my neighboring rider, a pleasant woman from the Philippines, who they were, and she said they were all judges taking a course in the Faculty of Law at the University of Haifa.
After I got home I phoned the University, found the coordinator of the project, got permission to write about the course and its participants.
Yesterday I rode #30 to its last stop, the University, and found my way to the handsome building that houses the Faculty of Law.
Kalanit Kleemer, who coordinates the program, told me that it is called the International Academy for Judges, and that it is an intensive course for jurists from all over the world. The 22 participants come from Bosnia, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, Poland, Ruanda, Spain, Thailand, the United States and, with the largest contingent, five judges from Uganda. There also is one judge from Israel.
The program consists of three week-long courses, each on a different aspect of the law, and the participants meet for eight hours a day, six days a week. Classes are conducted by faculty members and visiting professors, including one from Brandeis University in Massachusetts.
The classes are intensive and on a very high level, in keeping with the status of the participants, who occupy important positions in the legal systems of their respective countries. Two of the Ugandan judges, and the one from Thailand, sit on their nations’ Supreme Courts.
The idea for the International Academy for Judges originated with its two directors. One is Professor Eli Satzberger, former Dean of Faculty, whose special interests include legal theory and the relationship between economics and the law. His colleague in the project is retired judge Amnon Carmi, who also heads the Center for Health, Law and Ethics. This is the second summer the Academy has been existence, and a number of the participants attended last year as well. Attendance in three consecutive programs can qualify these judges for the LL.M., an internationally recognized postgraduate law degree.
I was fortunate to meet one of the participants, Gena F. Cenit-Escoto of the Philippines, who is the presiding judge of Bran Morong Rizal. She told me that she participated last year because she wants to expand her knowledge of other systems of law as well as exchanging ideas with her colleagues in other parts of the world. Judge Cenit-Escoto also mentioned that she found the experience “…good, personally, culturally and spiritually “ in the classes and in the tours the Academy provides. In 2012, they visited Israel’s Supreme Court in Jerusalem, and this year, the Nazareth District Court. Group visits to many of the general points of interest in Israel, add another dimension to their enjoyment and understanding of this interesting and complex country.
The International Academy for Judges is supported by the Faculty of Law and Haifa University, as well as generous donations from the David Berg Foundation of New York.
My good fortune in taking that particular bus and meeting these remarkable people has led me to a fascinating and enriching experience, and Kalanit tells me that there are other international programs offered by Haifa’s university. I can’t wait to learn about them.
After I got home I phoned the University, found the coordinator of the project, got permission to write about the course and its participants.
Yesterday I rode #30 to its last stop, the University, and found my way to the handsome building that houses the Faculty of Law.
Kalanit Kleemer, who coordinates the program, told me that it is called the International Academy for Judges, and that it is an intensive course for jurists from all over the world. The 22 participants come from Bosnia, Ethiopia, Kenya, the Philippines, Poland, Ruanda, Spain, Thailand, the United States and, with the largest contingent, five judges from Uganda. There also is one judge from Israel.
The program consists of three week-long courses, each on a different aspect of the law, and the participants meet for eight hours a day, six days a week. Classes are conducted by faculty members and visiting professors, including one from Brandeis University in Massachusetts.
The classes are intensive and on a very high level, in keeping with the status of the participants, who occupy important positions in the legal systems of their respective countries. Two of the Ugandan judges, and the one from Thailand, sit on their nations’ Supreme Courts.
The idea for the International Academy for Judges originated with its two directors. One is Professor Eli Satzberger, former Dean of Faculty, whose special interests include legal theory and the relationship between economics and the law. His colleague in the project is retired judge Amnon Carmi, who also heads the Center for Health, Law and Ethics. This is the second summer the Academy has been existence, and a number of the participants attended last year as well. Attendance in three consecutive programs can qualify these judges for the LL.M., an internationally recognized postgraduate law degree.
I was fortunate to meet one of the participants, Gena F. Cenit-Escoto of the Philippines, who is the presiding judge of Bran Morong Rizal. She told me that she participated last year because she wants to expand her knowledge of other systems of law as well as exchanging ideas with her colleagues in other parts of the world. Judge Cenit-Escoto also mentioned that she found the experience “…good, personally, culturally and spiritually “ in the classes and in the tours the Academy provides. In 2012, they visited Israel’s Supreme Court in Jerusalem, and this year, the Nazareth District Court. Group visits to many of the general points of interest in Israel, add another dimension to their enjoyment and understanding of this interesting and complex country.
The International Academy for Judges is supported by the Faculty of Law and Haifa University, as well as generous donations from the David Berg Foundation of New York.
My good fortune in taking that particular bus and meeting these remarkable people has led me to a fascinating and enriching experience, and Kalanit tells me that there are other international programs offered by Haifa’s university. I can’t wait to learn about them.
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