Tue, Nov 11, 2014
7:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Safeguarding Democracy and Civil Rights in Israel

 

** NOTE DATE CHANGE TO TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 11TH **

New Israel Fund presents
Safeguarding Democracy and Civil Rights in Israel

A conversation with Sharon Abraham-Weiss
Executive Director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, the country's oldest and largest civil rights organization
with
Steve Hunegs, Executive Director of the JCRC of Minnesota and the Dakotas

Tuesday, November 11th at 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm, followed by reception
Sabes Jewish Community Center, 4330 Cedar Lake Rd S., Minneapolis

Co-sponsored by
Adath Jeshurun Congregation, Advocates for Human Rights, Bet Shalom Congregation, Beth El Synagogue, Beth Jacob Congregation, the Human Rights Program of University of Minnesota, J Street, Mount Zion Temple, Sabes JCC, Shir Tikvah, TCJewFolk, Temple Israel, Temple of Aaron, University of Minnesota Law School’s Human Rights Center, and World Without Genocide at William Mitchell College of Law, and more in formation

During this summer’s war, already gaping societal divides in Israel were widened. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI), the country’s equivalent of the ACLU, advocated for the protection of vulnerable populations near Gaza and the protection of civil liberties in wartime. ACRI has won legal landmarks before Israel’s Supreme Court such as recognition of same-sex marriages and non-Orthodox conversions from outside Israel, the right of women to become IDF pilots, and this month a petition safeguarding Africans seeking refuge from genocide.

Sharon Abraham-Weiss, one of Israel’s foremost legal experts and litigators, comes to the Twin Cities to share the vibrancy of Israel’s democratic values at a time when liberal Zionism and Jewish democracy is under question from inside Israel and out.

About Us

Sharon Abraham-Weiss is the executive director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI). Previously, she represented ACRI in such landmark cases dealing with family unification, social welfare, and state land distribution. She has also served on the Equal Employment Opportunities Commission of the Ministry of Economy. Ms. Abraham-Weiss is a founding member of Itach-Maaki: Women Lawyers for Social Justice and co-founder of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Breira Center, which coordinates law students volunteering in the community. Ms. Abraham-Weiss holds LL.B. and B.Sc. degrees from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and an LL.M from Tel Aviv University. She also holds an M.A. in public administration from Harvard Kennedy School, where she was a Wexner Fellow.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel, established in 1972, is Israel’s oldest and largest human rights organization and the only one dealing with the entire spectrum of human rights and civil liberties issues in Israel. More about ACRI here: www.acri.org.il/en/

The New Israel Fund is the leading organization committed to equality and democracy for all Israelis. Widely credited with building Israeli progressive civil society, we have provided over $250 million to more than 850 organizations since our inception in 1979. From Israel’s first rape crisis centers, to the passage of the law banning torture in civilian interrogations, NIF-funded organizations have driven positive social change and furthered justice and equality. More about NIF here: www.nif.org 

Event Location

Sabes Jewish Community Center
4330 Cedar Lake Rd S.
Minneapolis, MN 55416


The registration deadline for this event has passed.