The Israel Law and Liberty Forum is a new movement of lawyers, judges, students,
and other individuals who are interested in Israeli law and policy.
The Forum advances a legal worldview based on four core principles:
the separation of powers, judicial restraint, individual liberty, and limited government.

Judicial Restraint

It is the province and duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it ought to be.

Separation of Powers

The legislative branch makes law; the executive branch implements law; the judiciary adjudicates cases and controversies arising from the law.

Individual Liberty

The foundations of a free society – due process, freedom of movement, freedom of expression, property rights, the right to privacy, freedom of employment and contract, and freedom of conscience.

Limited Government

The essential function of government is to enable and protect the liberty of its citizens.

Why Was the Forum Established?

Over the past several decades, questions unsettled since Israel’s founding have come to the fore in struggles over law and governance. Israel’s elected branches are fragmented and unstable, and constitutional issues affecting national security, economic concerns are increasingly settled by an overwhelmingly powerful legal system insulated from public preference. On matters relating to the judiciary, the foundations of democratic regimes, and the proper relationship between individual and state, modern Israeli public discourse often advances judicial supremacy while minimizing the opportunity for political compromise and accountability. But many concerned citizens, and specifically many jurists, believe in an alternative set of ideas. The Forum was established to serve as a platform for engagement by and with these ideas and thinkers within Israel’s legal profession, and more broadly.
There is a broad consensus in Israeli society that systemic reform is needed to secure our shared future – and the Forum is committed to promoting thoughtful dialogue and ideas as to what shape that reform should take. In the interest of building a flourishing, prosperous, and secure Israeli society, we aim to foster richer dialogue in academic scholarship, media analysis, and political discussion.
The Forum does not take specific policy positions, nor is it a partisan or political body.

Who Are We?

Read about our staff and our Israeli and international advisory boards.

How Can You Get Involved?

We are proud to say that many of our activities are initiated and run by dedicated volunteers who connect with our mission. For those in Israel, the first way of getting involved is to join as a member so that you can stay updated on our events and keep in touch with us. Second, please encourage as many other people interested in our mission to sign up as well. For those outside of Israel, please be sure to sign up for our English-language newsletter so that you can stay posted and participate in the dynamic discussions, debates, and interviews we are producing on timely questions in law.
We are also proud to offer specific local opportunities to help bring together our community around shared values and discussion. Students are welcome to attend our national law student symposium, and to apply to our annual seminar on Law and Democracy. If relevant, you may also apply for membership in our exclusive debate societies so far established Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, Reichmann University, and Bar-Ilan University. Professional attorneys, whether in the public or private sector, are invited to contact us about their interest in joining professional chapter meetings in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Doctoral students and legal academics are also welcome to be in touch regarding special networking opportunities in their field, in Israel and internationally.
You are always invited to contact us with any questions or ideas you might have, to join any of our upcoming events, and to “Like” our Facebook page.

The Forum Team

Aylana Meisel-Diament

Executive Director

Adv. Oren Rubin

Deputy Director

Shira Hazony

Director of Operations

Adv. Noam Laloum

Director of Student Programs

Dr. Shaul Sharf

Journal Editor

David Padwa

Campus Chapter Coordinator

Advisory Board

Prof. Daniel Friedmann

A graduate of the Hebrew University, Professor Daniel Friedmann served as the dean of Tel Aviv University Law School and as the head and founder of the law school at the College for Management and Administration. He was among the founders of the political party Shinui in the 1970’s. From 2007-2009, he served as the Minister of Justice for the State of Israel. Friedmann received the Israel Prize for Legal Research in 1991 in recognition of his substantial contributions to Israeli law. He has written many books on law, including the seminal work “The Purse and the Sword.” He continues to publish analysis and opinion pieces in the media on contemporary legal issues.

תמונה - רון שפירא

Prof. Ron Shapira

Professor Ron Shapira is the President of the Peres Academic Center and the founder of its law faculty. He is an attorney specializing in the field of criminal law, rules of procedure, and the rules of evidence. He previously served as a senior lecturer at Tel Aviv University and as the dean of the Bar Ilan University law faculty. He has published dozens of articles in his fields of expertise and has worked for many years as a private lawyer.

Prof. Talia Einhorn

Professor Talia Einhorn is a graduate of the Hebrew University, Tel Aviv University, and the University of Hamburg. She is an expert in international law and in commercial law and serves as the Professor of Law at Ariel University’s Department of Economics and Business Administration. She is the author of several books and dozens of academic articles and is a frequent contributor to national media platforms. She is a member of the Israeli governmental advisory committee on senior appointments. Professor Einhorn is a member of various prestigious societies in the field of international and comparative law.

Adv. Yael Dolev

An expert in labor law, advocate Yael Dolev obtained her law degree at the University of Tel Aviv. She is a partner in GKH Law Offices, one of Israel’s leading law firms, where she heads their labor law division. Dolev has broad experience in various fields of law and has published many articles in professional publications.

Prof. Robert Aumann

Professor Aumann is a mathematician specializing in game theory. He obtained his degree at MIT, worked as a researcher in Princeton University, and as a Professor of Mathematics at the Hebrew University. His trailblazing work in the field of game theory earned him a Nobel Prize Economics in 2005, and the Israel Prize for Economic Research in 1994.

Dr. Joshua Segev

Dr. Joshua Segev is a graduate of Tel Aviv University and of the University of Virginia. He is an expert in constitutional law and a senior lecturer in the law school of Netanya Academic College. He is a prolific writer, publishing numerous academic articles in the field of constitutional law as well as popular opinion pieces in the Israeli press.

Adv.Yonatan Green

Yonatan Green is a Fellow at the Georgetown University Center for the Constitution. He is co-founder and former Executive Director of the Israel Law & Liberty Forum, where he is a senior advisor. Yonatan is a licensed attorney in Israel and New York, with a joint degree in Law and Communications from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His background includes policy research and hi-tech project management. Yonatan has been published and quoted in a variety of international academic outlets and media, and his work has been cited by the Israeli Supreme Court.

International Advisory Board

Prof. Richard Epstein - Chairman, International Advisory Board

Richard Epstein is the Tisch Professor of Law at New York University and a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago. He is the founder and head of the Classical Liberal Institute at NYU, and the Bedford Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institute at Stanford University. Professor Epstein is an expert in law and economics. He is one of the world’s leading legal scholars.

Prof. Randy Barnett

Randy E. Barnett is the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Legal Theory at Georgetown University, and is Director of the Georgetown Center for the Constitution. Professor Barnett has been a visiting professor at Penn, Northwestern and Harvard Law School. His publications include twelve books, more than one hundred articles and reviews, and many op-eds.

Prof. Philip Hamburger

Philip Hamburger, the Maurice & Hilda Friedman Professor of Law at Columbia Law School, is one of the preeminent scholars writing today on constitutional law and its history. He created the Law School’s Center for Law and Liberty, which studies threats to and legal protections for freedom. He is also the founder and president of the New Civil Liberties Alliance.

Prof. Peter Berkowitz

Peter Berkowitz is the Tad and Dianne Taube Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Between 2019 and 2021, Professor Berkowitz served as the Director of Policy Planning at the United States Department of State. He is the author of eight books and an editor of seven collections of essays. He has previously served as a professor at George Mason University and Harvard University.

Prof. Steven Calabresi

Steven G. Calabresi is the Clayton J. & Henry R. Barber Professor of Law at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law. Professor Calabresi is one of the original founders and Chairman of the Board of Directors of The Federalist Society. Professor Calabresi has written over seventy law review articles and essays and has co-authored three books.

Aylana Meisel-Diament

CHAIRWOMAN

Formerly Deputy Director-General of the Tikvah Fund, Israel. Aylana obtained her JD at Georgetown University Law Center and has a BA in Jewish Studies from the Macaulay Honors College. Her work has been published in outlets including Mosaic, Commentary Magazine, and The Jerusalem Post. She is a co-founder of the Jewish Coalition for Religious Liberty.

Adv. Oren Rubin

DEPUTY DIRECTOR

Oren is a licensed attorney in Israel. He graduated with honors from Reichman University with a double LL.B. and B.A. degree in law and government. He previously interned at the law firm of S. Horowitz & Co.

Shira Hazony

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Shira graduated with an MBA from Ben Gurion University and a degree in social work from The Hebrew University.

Adv. Noam Laloum

STUDENTS MANAGER

Noam is a licensed attorney in Israel. He recently worked as a tax lawyer in the international department at the law firm of Shekel and Co. Law Office. Prior to that, he served as an officer in the Israeli Defense Forces in Unit 8200 and the Intelligence Corps Research Division (ranked as a Captain).

Dr. Shaul Sharf

BLOG EDITOR

Shaul is a faculty member and lecturer at the Peres Academic Center School of Law. He obtained his PhD in Law at Bar-Ilan University under Prof. Gion Sapir.

David Padwa

Campus Chapter Coordinator

A lawyer specializing in administrative and trade law, David obtained a joint bachelors degree in law and international relations and a masters degree in public and international law from the Hebrew University. He completed his legal internship at the Yigal Arnon law firm.