2020 Events

Community and Activism in Promoting Equality for People with Disabilities in Israel, following the film “Crip Camp” (December 8) 

The Minerva Center for Human Rights, the Clinical Legal Education Center, and the Center for Disability Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem hosted a special event in honor of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. The event, following the film “Crip Camp” (available on Netflix and YouTube), focused on the role of community and activism in promoting equality for disabled persons in Israel. The event was held in Hebrew and was hosted by Adv. Ron Derech from the Legal Clinic for People with Disabilities at the Hebrew University with a panel made up of activists for people with disabilities in Israel – Ms. Elaine Pomerantz, Dr. Irit Dalumy, Mr. Yaakov Teichman, and Ms. Sola Shelly. Opening remarks were given by Dr. Einat Albin, Academic Director of the Minerva Center, and Dr. Anat Greenstein from the Center for Disability Studies.  

 

A recording of the event (in Hebrew) can be found here:  

Captioning of the event can be found here.  

 

 

Human Rights During a Pandemic in the Supreme Court of Israel: A Conversation with the Deputy Chief Justice Hanan Melcer (November 23)

The Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem hosted a conversation between Supreme Court Justice Hanan Melcer and Hebrew University Rector Prof. Barak Medina, on "Human Rights at the Supreme Court in Times of Pandemic" as the opening event for the 2020-2021 academic year. Law Faculty Dean Prof. Daphna Lewinsohn-Zamir and Minerva Center Academic Director Dr. Einat Albin provided greetings and introduced the event. The discussion, which took place in Hebrew, was broadcast via Zoom. A recording will be made available soon.

 

Indirect Victims of Conflict: IHL Protections of the Rights and Interests of Relatives (November 9-11) 

The Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem hosted its 15th Annual Conference on International Humanitarian Law (IHL), which took place online on November 9-11, 2020 in accordance with Coronavirus regulations. The topic of this year’s conference was “Indirect Victims of Conflict: IHL Protections of the Rights and Interests of Relatives”.  

 

Recordings are available for each day of the webinar.  

November 9: 

 

 

November 10:  

November 11:  

 

 

 

Transitional Justice and the Crisis of Democracy (September 30-October 1)

The Minerva Centers for Human Rights at both the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Tel Aviv University hosted a joint 2-day international webinar on transitional justice and the crisis of democracy. The full program can be viewed by clicking here.

 

Recordings are available for both days of the webinar.

September 30:

October 1: 

 

Following the event, panelists held a follow-up session to continue discussions cut short by time constraints during the webinar.

 

Flattening the Conflict? COVID-19 and Peacebuilding in Israel/Palestine (June 29)

The Minerva Center hosted an online symposium addressed the unique opportunities and challenges presented by COVID-19 for peacebuilding in Israel/Palestine and the region. The pandemic has wreaked havoc on social and legal norms across the globe. For Israelis and Palestinians, the pandemic emerged during political crisis and looming threats of annexation. At the same time, the relative success of cross-border cooperation and joint efforts in East Jerusalem are worthy of attention. Experts and practitioners in the field held a discussion about the ability of the public health crisis to lead warring nations to build on shared interests, the region’s resources and possibly unite against a ‘common enemy’. 

The symposium was co-organized by Dr. Jeremie Bracka, Transitional Justice Postdoctoral Fellow at the Minerva Center, and by Prof. Tomer Broude, the Center’s Academic Director.  

 

A recording of the event is available below.  

 

A Social Minimum in the Time of Pandemic: Territorial and Extraterritorial Guarantees (June 18 & 22) 

The Minerva Center hosted an online symposium consisting of two 2-hour webinars, with presentations and discussions by leading international human rights scholars and practitioners regarding the social minimum guarantees during the time of pandemic. The symposium had three objectives: to discuss the most serious problems concerning the territorial and extraterritorial implementation of basic socio-economic rights, to explore what lessons can be learned from the global emergency situation, and to suggest reforms to ensure local and global human rights guarantees.  

The symposium was co-organized by Dr. Elena Pribytkova, Postdoctoral Fellow at the Minerva Center, and by Prof. Tomer Broude, the Center’s Academic Director.  

 

Recordings are available for both days of the symposium:  

Territorial Guarantees of a Social Minimum in the Time of Pandemic on June 18:  

 

Extraterritorial Obligations to Cooperate and Assist in the Time of Pandemic on June 22:  

 

 

High Court of Justice Regulation Act: Constitutional and International Consequences (June 14) 

The Minerva Center hosted an online roundtable following the recent High Court ruling. On June 9th, 2020, the High Court of Justice published its decision in regard to the Regulation Act in Judea and Samaria, deciding to repeal the law. The Regulation Act concerns changing the legal status of illegal construction. The decision was based mainly on Israeli constitutional law, focusing on the right to property and the right to equality. However, the ruling has international implications as well, including the proceedings before the International Criminal Court in The Hague and the intention for annexation in Judea and Samaria.

 

A recording of the event is available below.  

Human Rights in the Shadow of Corona (April 6)

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Minerva Center for Human Rights, in cooperation with the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), held a public symposium via Zoom on human rights aspects of the Corona crisis in Israel.

The webinar was chaired by Prof. Tomer Broude, Academic Director of the Minerva Center. Speakers included Prof. Yuval Shany, Vice-President of Research at the IDI (opening remarks), Adv. Sharon Abraham-Weiss, Executive Director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (emergency regulations and human rights during crisis), Prof. Aeyal Gross of Tel Aviv University Law Faculty (health as a human right and as a threat to human rights), Dr. Einat Albin of the Hebrew University Law Faculty (the right to work and workers’ rights), Adv. Ohad Amar of the Hebrew University Law Clinics (ensuring social rights during a public emergency), Prof. Michael Birnhack of Tel Aviv University Law Faculty (privacy in crisis), and Adv. Dina Zilber, Deputy Attorney-General of Israel for Public-Administrative Law (challenges of legal advice in a government war room).

290 people watched the symposium live via Zoom.

The symposium is part of an ongoing Minerva Center project, funded by the EU’s European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights program (EIDHR)

 

A recording of the event is available below.