Students

-Sapir Dayan-

Name: Michal Goren

Age: 31

Year: 4

The facts: Michal, a native Jerusalemite, has been at the university for a decade, although she can already see the light at the end of the tunnel. She began in the humanities, studying for a combined degree in philosophy and general literature. She continued on to a master’s course, spent a considerable amount of time in Berlin thanks to generous scholarships, but realized that this is where she belongs. Michal was active on various issues and showed a remarkable sense of rhythm when she played the drum at demonstrations. She has now decided to put her energy into law studies – not to gain fame or riches, but in order to achieve social and political change. she hopes to finish her degree this year, thereby ending her long romance with Mt. Scopus. On the other hand, a master’s degree could be a tempting option… Let’s see how she survives her internship first.

Why law? “In my studies in the Faculty of Humanities, I learned a lot about Feminism and post-colonialism. We discussed political theories that are very important to me. I felt that I had a strong theoretical foundation, but that the most I could do would be to take part in internal debates within my academic discipline. I had never imagined that I might study law, but a good friend of mine considered switching to law after completing his doctorate in literature. I decided not to wait that long. At first I saw law as no more than a technical instrument, but soon I realized what an interesting Faculty this is, including many practical courses and areas of contact between the university and the community, such as the clinics and the Minerva Center. I think that’s wonderful.”

A second hearing: Michal is the mother of Racheli, an adorable baby whose cheeks are familiar to all Michal’s classmates. Michal works and also volunteers (last year in the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, and this year in Ir Amim). Superwoman is putting it mildly. ‘It’s not easy being a mother and a student,” she confesses. “The university isn’t really set up to deal with mothers, and unfortunately it doesn’t provide an adequate support system. But the Faculty of Law itself has been very helpful and has provided support and encouragement. I had my baby at the end of my second year, just after the exams. The other students were really helpful – they sent lesson summaries and helped me prepare for the examinations. The lecturers were also as flexible as possible and the secretariat gave me special concessions. Thanks to everyone’s support, I was surprised by how well I did in the exams. I couldn’t have done it without all this help.”

Name: Rama Raveh

Age: 47

Year: 4

The facts: Rama is married and has three children. One fine day, she left her attractive job as a CFO in an international company, set goodbye to suits and meetings with the wealthy, and decided to pursue her dream of going back to university to study law. It may all be a matter of genetics: Rama’s eldest daughter, who is 22, followed in her footsteps and embarked on a law degree this year. Maybe Rama will end up offering her daughter an internship.

Why law? “For me, it’s about completing a circle. As a young student I really wanted to study law but it didn’t work out. I chose economics instead, which means that I’ve spent most of my life dealing with numbers. I always knew that if I ever decided to make a change, it would be to study law. I’m glad that I had a chance to change direction and do something I always longed to do.”

A second hearing: “I came to the Faculty with a sense of dread that had accompanied me since I studied economics. University always seemed to me to be frightening and threatening place, vast and complex. I didn’t know how to find my way around and it was difficult to get the study materials I needed. People would tear the pages out of books to prevent others photocopying them. For me, studying at the Faculty of Law has been a corrective experience.

“The atmosphere at the Faculty is great. People are really serious. I enjoy the students’ knowledge and the questions they ask, the lecturers, and the way everyone cooperates. People are happy to put in a good word and to help, whether on Facebook or Dropbox. The secretaries are very helpful and give you the feeling that there’s someone there for you to talk to. Today’s students don’t understand how hard it was to study in the past and how easy things are now. They should be grateful – it isn’t something to take for granted.”

Rama is one of the outstanding students at the Faculty. She has never retaken an examination yet has an average that most of us could only dream of. She puts it all down to her age: “Studying at my age is a completely different experience. You aren’t studying because you have to, but because you want to. The result is that I find myself in the role of the class nerd. I read all the optional study material and articles and I come to every class – simply because I find it interesting.”

Name: Uri Gabbai

Age: 26

Year: 4

The facts: Uri is studying for his bachelor’s degree in law alongside a master’s in business management, with a specialization in financing. But the pressure of two degree courses evidently wasn’t enough, because he is also working in a student position in the Ministry of Justice. In his spare time, he serves as a teaching assistant. “I decided to study business management in the second year of my law degree. I didn’t choose it so that I could work in the field in the future, but rather to enrich my general knowledge on the academic level. I guess I’m less scared of numbers than the average law student.”

Why law? “Before I began to study I thought a lot about what subject to choose, but I never even considered law. It may seem strange, but the truth is that I was looking for a good reason to move to Jerusalem. After looking into the matter, I realized that the Faculty of Law is the best at the university, but I didn’t meet the admission requirements. After setting myself the goal of “law at the Hebrew U,” I retook the psychometric test and fortunately I got a good enough score to get in.”

An additional hearing: “During my studies I’ve had a chance to get to know how the state works through my student position in the Ministry of Justice. More than once I’ve found myself sitting in important committees discussing issues on the national agenda, such as the Consultative Committee for Refugees, the Judicial Appointments Committee, the Committee to Select Public Representatives in Labor Courts, and so forth. I’ve had a chance to see for myself how the government works on these issues. I think that gaining practical legal experience before you begin your internship really helps you to understand the legal profession (not to mention that extra line on your resume). Since I’m considering working in the civil service in the future (although my internship will be in a private law firm), the position was also an important opportunity to get to know that environment.”

Name: Omri Tancman

Age: 26

Year: 4

The facts: In his first year Omri began to study a combined degree in law and international relations, but he quit international relations after just a week and a half due to a lack of interest. “Later in the year I began to feel that a single-track degree in law wasn’t enough for me, and I started to look for another subject to combine with law from my second year. I was accepted to the Amirim-Ruach program (for excellence in the humanities) and I have continued with this combination. The Amirim course combines many different disciplines and makes a serious investment in the students. It’s an excellent opportunity to broaden your horizons and to touch all kinds of interesting areas that you don’t encounter in law studies.” Omri is one of the busiest students at the Faculty, but last semester he took a break from us to participate in a student exchange program in Vancouver. We miss you, Omri!

Why law? “There aren’t any lawyers in my family and I didn’t sit glued to legal dramas on television as a child. It wasn’t obvious from the start that I would study law. It was an informed decision, and my goal was to choose a practical field of study that emphasizes the use of language and offers a real challenge. When I tried to imagine my future career, it was important to me that I could use my abilities to help people and to influence society. Law studies fitted in well with that profile. I’m interested in looking at how societies shape themselves, and I feel that law has an important role to play in this process. That’s why it’s an important and worthwhile subject to study.”

An additional hearing: “Last year I took part in the Women’s Rights in the Workplace Clinic, which is run by Attorney Tammy Katsabian and Professor Guy Davidov. During my work in the clinic, I was involved (together with two other students from my year, Dorit Hamberg and Sodia Cohen) in preparing the first model of its kind in Israel for a collective agreement to promote gender equality in the workplace. The work on the project was fascinating – we got to read dozens of collective agreements, articles, acts of legislation, and court rulings on the subject, and we got to meet workers’ organizations in the field. That helped us understand which clauses were more important and which mattered less, and what aspects could realistically be included in the model. The model is already starting to be developed independently in several places.” Omri participated in one of the clinics that could be particularly challenging for male students, but he survived to tell his story. “Being the only man in a legal clinic where all the other members are women might sound strange or even frightening to some people. But I never had the feeling that I had to represent men as a whole before a bunch of Feminists. The lessons were a very positive experience, and with a handful of exceptions there wasn’t any friction on the basis of gender.”