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Students | The Faculty of Law

Students

Students

Renana Herman

 

Name: Tamar Ventura

 

Age: 24

 

Year: 1

 

The facts: Tamar is a gifted musician who devotes time to her singing alongside her law studies. Before applying for university she hoped to combine law and music studies, only to find that this combination does not exist. She is currently focusing solely on her law studies but is considering combining these with another professional field next year.

 

tamar

Why law? “Law is a very broad field that expands your horizons,” Tamar explains. “I think it’s a good combination between a practical vocation and an interesting academic field. I imagine that I will want to work in some public field after I complete my studies, and a law degree seems suited to that kind of position. I had several role models in the legal field. My sister is a law student who is currently studying for her master’s degree and really loves the field. Many of my friends and commanders in the army have also chosen this path. Personally I am still checking things out and getting to know this world. I can see some similarities between the fields of music and law. In law we learn to examine every issue from different angles and perspectives. The same is true in music – when we interpret a song, we illuminate it in a different way, changing the genre or combining it with another song that changes its context. In a broader sense, the two fields are also similar since they both ultimately seek to make people feel good.”

 

A second hearing: Tamar has been singing and playing the piano since she was very young. For the past three years she has been a member of an a cappella ensemble she helped to found. The women-only group is called Makeupella and it performs without musical instruments. The members of the group meet for a weekly rehearsal and perform at various events. Last year Tamar took a six-month break in order to travel to the Far East (“Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Nepal, and India”) before beginning her studies.

 

 

Name: Maytal shaya spivak

 

Age: 23

 

Year: 2

 

The facts: Maytal is studying for a combined degree in law and Jewish Studies. This extra-legal course is similar to a general BA program, but focuses exclusively on departments related to Jewish Studies: Bible, Talmud, Jewish Philosophy, Jewish History, Yiddish, and so forth. Maytal began her studies in the first year by combining law and economics but later decided that she was better suited to the humanities.

 

meital

 

Why law? “When I was very young I wanted to be a judge,” Maytal recalls. “The robe appealed to me and somehow the curly wig, too. It always seemed to be a very dignified job due to the need to decide and determine matters. The television show Ally McBeal also helped attract me to the legal profession. The areas that I find most interesting are criminal law and family law, but my combination with Jewish Studies may ultimately lead me to the area of Jewish law.”

 

A second hearing: Maytal is a student at the university’s Chevruta Jewish study program, which provides a stipend in return for daily studies of the Talmud and Gemara. She is also active in the “Senate Minyan” – a group that is promoting egalitarian prayer services at the university. Contrary to the usual Orthodox practice, this framework enables women to play an integral part in the service and even to lead the prayers. Maytal notes that the group has expanded considerably this year and has attracted many students, both men and women. Maytal was also one of the founders of the “Yerushalmiot” (Jerusalem Women) forum at the university. This is a Feminist student cell that runs panels and other activities on campus in order to raise awareness of women’s rights. “Apart from the panels and activities I organized,” she adds, “I felt that establishing this group was a really important step forward at the university. I’m glad I was a partner in founding and shaping the group.”

 

 

Name: Chen Deri

 

Age: 23

 

Year: 3

 

The facts: Chen is combining her law studies with a humanities program. Her program includes study sections in cognition and in the philosophy of science. She has also embarked on a fast track to a master’s degree, meaning that she should complete her master’s within four years. “I began by focusing on cognition but I realized that I am less interested in research work,” she explains. “I am fascinated by the philosophical side of the subject, which also relates to the world of law.”

 

chen 

Why law? “Legal knowledge gives us more tools for understanding the ‘game.’ You can see this in everyday life – there are all sorts of mundane situation in life that are much easier to understand if you have legal knowledge. I feel that law is also a good way to influence the way we live as a society and the way we define our public domain. I chose a combined program because I believe that in order to be successful in the field of action or in academia you need to be firmly rooted in reality, on the one hand, and to be interdisciplinary, on the other. In other words it is important to be involved in several areas simultaneously and not to shut yourself off in a bubble. I hope to continue in the academic world after completing my current degrees because I love this field and believe in a combination of academia and practice. You don’t suddenly become wise the moment you complete a degree – you have to keep on studying and developing yourself all the time.”

 

 

An additional hearing: Chen is constantly involved in social action and a wide range of activities. For two years she volunteered as a member of the Audit Committee of the Law Student Association. Together with the other committee members, she inspected the union’s work in order to make sure that it was consistent with its constitution. She is also a member of the Clinic for the Social Capital Market, supervised by Professor Hamdani, which also embodies the combination of the commercial and social worlds through social business projects. Chen works in the Claims and Outsourcing Department of the State Attorney’s Office. This is a relatively unknown unit (“but a cool one that I really recommend”) that initiates legal claims on the state’s behalf. Examples of the unit’s work include a claim submitted against the Dead Sea Works and the clearing of beaches and areas of land. Chen reports that the unit is a good place for an intern and deserves greater recognition in this context. When she has a little time on her hands she enjoys working as a wine taster at festivals around Israel for Ramat Hagolan Wineries. As for her next move: next year she will begin an internship at Fischer, Behar, Chen & Co. Good luck to her!

 

 

 

Name: Tzlil hudady

 

Age: 24

 

Year: 3

 

The facts: Tzlil is combining her law studies with a teaching certificate in civics. She explains that “civics studies are related to legal themes such as constitutional law, so this track is particularly suited to law students.” She adds that she is the only student in her year who has chosen this combination; four students in previous years studied the two subject.

 

tslil

Why law? “I used to think I was going to study architecture, but after I returned from a trek in South America I decided to opt for law. The main reason was that this is an area that combines many different fields, such as medicine (medical negligence) or patents (intellectual property) or any other field where you can find a legal niche. I chose to include teaching studies after reaching a turning point at the end of my first year of law studies. Someone came into the classroom at the end of a lesson and told us about the teaching certificate track. I remembered my rich experience in teaching and my love for the profession and I decided to combine the two areas. There’s a good chance that in the end I will be an attorney rather than a teacher, but I’m still glad for the chance to gain experience in another area. It can’t do any harm.”

 

An additional hearing: “This year I am working in the Clinic for the Rights of People with Disabilities. My team was given a file of a person with a hearing disability who can hear normally thanks to a hearing aid. This person has submitted numerous resumes in an effort to find work in a large company, but so far he has not been accepted. We are preparing a statement of claim in which the main argument is of discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of disability. Over the past few years I have also volunteered in the Jerusalem Methadone Center on behalf of the Breira Center. This facility provides methadone as a substitute for drugs. The people who come there used to be addicted to hard drugs and even now they cannot completely free themselves from drugs. The center gives them methadone as an alternative in a fixed dose and for a limited period. Naturally these people tend to deal with a lot of bureaucratic and legal problems. So we come to the center and they can consult with us on legal issues. The main problems we encountered involved debts and the executor’s office. I came as a volunteer without any background in the field, but during the course of my work I began to learn more about the subject.”