Christina Lee, Head Photography Editor

The Brodie Center for Jewish and Israeli Law, which focuses on interdisciplinary study, launched at the Law School. 

On Sept. 3, the center hosted Israeli Supreme Court Justice Daphne Barak-Erez for its inaugural event. In a conversation with law professor and former Dean of Yale Law School Robert Post LAW ’77, Barak-Erez discussed her new book, “Biblical Judgements: New Legal Readings in the Hebrew Bible.” Going forward, the center will conduct research projects and host events about Jewish and Israeli law. 

“The event was a great success because it realized many of the new Center’s missions,” Yair Listokin LAW ’05, who leads the center, wrote to the News. “These include exploring the many interactions between Jewish and Israeli law and encouraging respectful but penetrating dialogue about the contested issues affecting the Israeli legal system.” 

A new addition to Yale Law School’s centers, the Brodie Center supports research and engagement with Jewish and Israeli Law. The center prioritizes a social science methodology, rather than humanities one, when applying a modern lens to the legal questions that surround ancient Jewish law, with a history spanning more than 1,200 years. 

The center will conduct scholarships and research projects in addition to hosting events and student reading groups. 

In collaboration with Tel Aviv University and Bar-Ilan University, the center currently works on a project identifying large trends in the evolution of Jewish law over the last 1,200 years. 

The center is directed by Listokin, the Shibley Family Fund Professor of Law. Ben Ohavi was hired as the inaugural fellow of the center. Ohavi is currently completing his doctoral dissertation at Hebrew University. 

Ohavi wrote to the News that he is “thrilled” to work with Listokin and join the Yale community. 

At the center, Ohavi is continuing his research on the theoretical foundations of Talmudic private law. He is specifically interested in the interconnections between Jewish legal tradition and other religious, philosophical and legal frameworks. 

In an August press release from Yale Law School, Listokin noted the long tradition of studying Jewish and Israeli law at Yale. He added that the center “will reestablish the Law School as an intellectual leader in these fields while pioneering new research.”

“Yair Listokin is a remarkable scholar, and he brings enormous energy and expertise to these fields,” Law School Dean Heather Gerken said in a press release. “I expect the Center to play an important role in fostering dialogue, debate, and understanding at Yale Law School as it pushes forward a new scholarly path.”

The Howard Wexler Brodie Center will host professor Eitan Hersh from Tufts University on Nov. 14, 2024. 

Correction, Sept. 17: An earlier version of this story used incorrect pronouns for Justice Daphne Barak-Erez, who uses she/her pronouns.