Fried-Gal Transitional Justice Program
Transitional Justice is a multidisciplinary field of contemporary research and practice. It is concerned with the study of processes that can enable societies that have suffered from widespread human rights violations (as a result of severe political and social disruption, armed conflict, military rule, authoritarian regimes, or even genocide) to transition successfully to sustainable conditions of peace, reconciliation, democracy, rule of law and respect for human rights. Such processes may include truth-seeking, acknowledgement, accountability, apologies, reparations, constitutional reform, community empowerment and redistribution of resources, among others.
The Fried-Gal Transitional Justice Program was established by the Hebrew University's Minerva Center for Human Rights and Faculty of Law in 2011 as a long-term interdisciplinary program for research, education and outreach activities related to transitional justice. It is the first academic program in Israel devoted to the field.
The Program draws on the rich comparative experience accrued in the field globally over the last several decades, and to the contribution of scholars, practitioners and institutions from other conflict/reconciliation settings around the world. However, whereas "classic" transitional justice theory and practice has focused on post-conflict transitions, the Fried-Gal Transitional Justice Program also seeks to explore the field’s potential during the course of an active conflict and the contributions it can make to the processes leading to a political settlement – with particular focus on the Israeli-Palestinian context.
The Program includes both introductory transitional justice courses as part of the Hebrew University's Law Faculty undergraduate curriculum, and an English-language MA program in human rights and transitional justice at the Faculty of Law. It also offers unique student workshops and international study tours to regions of transition (such as Rwanda, Northern Ireland and Cyprus); conferences, symposia and workshops with leading international and local scholars and civil society and government practitioners; and scholarships for minority students.
The Program benefits from the generous support of the Fried-Gal Transitional Justice Initiative, and from the guidance of an International Advisory Board of leading scholars and practitioners in the field.
Who We Are
Program Directors
Prof. Yuval Shany, Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Prof. Ruti Teitel, New York Law School
Academic Coordinator
MA in Human Rights and Transitional Justice
Hebrew University in Jerusalem Law Faculty invites applications for its one-year M.A. in Human Rights and Transitional Justice in English offered to graduates of B.A. programs in political science, international relations and other academic disciplines related to the fields of human rights and transitional justice.
The M.A. Program offers 20-25 academic courses with top legal experts from Israel, Europe and North America, including courses on international humanitarian law, counter-terrorism law, international courts and tribunals, transitional justice, the law of the United Nations, legal aspects of the Middle-East conflict, international criminal law, international human rights law etc.
The Faculty is comprised of top academics and practitioners, including past and present members of the UN Human Rights Committee, past and present legal advisers for governments and international organizations such as the UN and the ICRC.
Academically and practically inclined students with strong backgrounds in human rights, conflict resolution and transitional justice are invited to apply to the Program. We hope to see you become part of our growing family of leading human rights and transitional justice experts around the world!
For further details please visit
Fried-Gal Colloquium
Founded and chaired by the renowned scholar – and pioneer of the field - Prof. Ruti Teitel of New York Law School, the Fried-Gal Colloquium explores transitional justice from international, comparative and regional perspectives. Almost thirty years into the development of the field there is already significant experience in the conceptualization of transitional justice as well as its purposes, relevant actors, processes, mechanisms etc. There is also significant institutionalization, such as the international developments existing at the level of multilateral (UN) and regional institutions, the convening of the ad hoc tribunals, the International Criminal Court, as well as comparative country experiences from Europe (post world war, post communism; post Balkans); Latin America (post Dirty War democratization justice) and the Middle East (Arab Spring).
See the Colloquium's past schedules:
Student Workshops and Study Trips
Since its inception by the Minerva Center for Human Rights in 2009-2010, the Transitional Justice Student Workshop and Study Trip has annually been one of the most unique and highly sought-after educational opportunities offered at the Faculty of Law, and a key component of the Transitional Justice Program.
Ten students from diverse academic backgrounds are chosen each year, from among many dozens of applicants, to participate in an academic course in transitional justice that focuses in particular on one historic example of transition (or attempted transition) from conflict to peace. The course culminates in an intensive study trip to the region in question - including discussions and tours with political leaders; with judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys; with civil society practitioners and community leaders; with survivors’ groups, ex-combatants and ex-prisoners; and with students and leading academics at local universities.
The first such workshop and study tour focused on Rwanda - developed and taught by Dr. Sigall Horovitz, then a PhD student at the Faculty of Law, the course was offered in 2010, 2011 and 2012. A second workshop and study tour focused on the Northern Ireland conflict - developed and taught by Dr. Ron Dudai, who completed his PhD at Queens University Belfast, the course was offered in 2013, 2014 and 2015. The most recent workshop focuses on the conflict in Cyprus - developed and taught by Adv. Limor Yehuda, a PhD student in the Faculty of Law, it has been offered in 2017 and 2018.
Details of each of these workshops and study tours, including photographs and student testimonials, can be reached through the links on the left.
Courses
2019-2020 Courses
Introduction to Transitional Justice - Dr. Einat Ronen (62103)
Fried-Gal Colloquium in Transitional Justice: international, Comparative, and Regional perspectives - Prof. Ruti Teitel (62242)
Transitional Justice in Israel - Dr. Ori Avi-Guy (62319)
Lands, Town Planning and Preservation in Jerusalem - Adv. Sami Ersheid (62373)
Transitional Justice, Civil Society, and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – Dr. Jeremie Bracka (62287)
The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict and Intervention by International Bodies - Prof. Luis Moreno Ocampo (62013)
Narratives of Justice: Law and Literature in Transitional Contexts - Dr. Renana Kedar (62768)
Introduction to Dispute Settlement – Prof. Maya Steinitz (62025)
Indigenous Law and Property – Prof. Sari Graben
International Criminalization of Migration – Prof. Jennifer Chacon
Workshop and Study Trip in Transitional Justice and Conflict: Cyprus as a Case Study – Dr. Lior Lehrs (62499)
Conferences
The Role of Constitutional Design in the Resolution of Ethno-National Conflicts: Comparative Perspectives (December 2017)
On December 17-18, 2017, the Fried-Gal Transitional Justice Program and the Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem held an international workshop examining three principal case studies of ethno-national conflicts and attempts at resolution - Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Cyprus – in which a principal part of the peace agreement (signed or suggested) includes complex power-sharing arrangements. The workshop, bringing together leading international academics in the field, sought to advance new understandings of the role of constitutional design as a tool of transitional justice and to trigger a critical discussion about old and new suggested solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Participants included Christopher McCrudden, Ruti Teitel, Brendan O'Leary, Ahmet Sozen, Joseph Marko, Sumantra Bose, Jennifer Todd, Costas Constantinou and many local scholars.
Transitional Justice and Civil Society- Learning from International Experience (May 2014)
On May 26-27, 2014, The Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem held an international conference exploring possible implementations of the theoretical, historical, and comparative insights about to role of civil society in developing transitional justice mechanisms, institutions and concepts to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The conference sessions included, in addition to speakers who presented their research, discussants which evaluated the projects presented and discussed their possible implementations to the local conflict.
Transition in-to Democracy (October 2012)
On 29-31, October 2012, The Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem held an international conference examining the diverse and complex interactions between transitional justice and democracy. The relationship between the concepts of transitional justice, on one hand, and democracy, on the other, is complex and multifaceted. Much of the seminal literature and discourse on transitional justice focused on what has been called "paradigmatic transitions", i.e., dealing with past abuses by former authoritarian and other illegitimate regimes after a transition to democracy.
The Potential Role of Transitional Justice in Ongoing Conflicts (November 2011)
On November 13-15, 2011, the Minerva Center for Human Rights' Transitional Justice Program held its first major conference on the role of transitional justice in ongoing conflicts. Transitional justice is most commonly associated with "post-conflict" contexts, where human rights violations are no longer being committed and the conflict has ended (although typically the underlying social and political tensions have not yet been resolved). Arguably, the ideal environment for transitional justice mechanisms to succeed is one in which the guns are silent. An important and relatively underexplored aspect of transitional justice is the role that transitional justice mechanisms can play when the conflict, or situation of pervasive human rights violations, is still active and ongoing. This conference focused on the questions that arise in these scenarios.
Symposia and Guest Lectures
Flattening the Conflict? COVID-19 and Peacebuilding in Israel/Palestine (June 29, 2020)
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.
Watch on Youtube 
Public Lecture: Gender Dimensions in Transitional Justice, Prof. Fabián Salvioli (June 04, 2019)
The Fried-Gal Transitional Justice Program and Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Faculty of Law of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem hosted Prof. Fabián Salvioli of Argentina, the UN Special Rapporteur on transitional justice (and former President of the UN Human Rights Committee), for a lecture on “Gender Dimensions in Transitional Justice”. The discussion was chaired by Prof. Ruti Teitel of New York Law School, one of the preeminent scholars in the field.
For more photos and conference program: Click here | Watch on Youtube 
Transitional Justice and Global Politics: International and Global Perspectives (November 29, 2018)
The Minerva Center for Human Rights and Fried-Gal Transitional Justice Program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Faculty of Law, in cooperation with the Embassy of Switzerland in Israel, held an international symposium on November 29, 2018, on the interplay between global politics and transitional justice. The symposium brought together local and international scholars and practitioners engaged in transitional justice initiatives and research for an extremely fruitful day of discussions, mapping and critically evaluating the external political conditions under which transitional justice interventions are considered or attempted in different states. The discussions were chaired by Prof. Yuval Shany, Co-Director of the Transitional Justice Program, and included contributions from His Excellency Jean-Daniel Ruch, Ambassador of Switzerland to Israel.
For more photos and conference program: Click here | Watch on Youtube
And see this article (in French) by Dr. Pierre Hazan following the symposium
International Symposium: "Higher Walls: The Challenging Transition of East-Germany since 1990" (January 17, 2018)
The Minerva Center for Human Rights and the Fried-Gal Transitional Justice Program hosted a discussion on the transition of East Germany following the 1990 reunification. Guest speakers included Amb. Clemens von Gotze, Germany's Ambassador to Israel; Dr. Anna Kaminsky, Director of the German Federal Foundation for the reappraisal of the communist dictatorship; Professors Tomer Broude and Manuela Consonni of the Hebrew University; and Dr. Anja Mihr, DAAD visiting lecturer.
For conference program: Click here
On the Origins of "Genocide" and " Crimes against Humanity", Symposium on Philippe Sand's East West Street (April 23, 2017)
On April 23, 2017, the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day in Israel, the Center together with Mishkenot Sha’ananim hosted a special evening with leading human rights scholar and advocate Prof. Philippe Sands of University College London, discussing his recent book East West Street.
For conference program: Click here
The Politics of Commemorations in Divided Societies (May 16, 2016)
The Minerva center hosted a symposium on the politics of commemoration, focusing on Northern Ireland and Israel. Speakers at the symposium included Prof. Pierre Hazan (Special Advidor for Transitional Justice, Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue), Dr. Kris Brown (Transitional Justice Institution, Ulster University), Dr. Ron Dudai (Martin Buber Fellow, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem). Dr. Renana Keydar (Post-Doctoral Fellow, "Human Rights under Pressure" Research Program) chaired the Symposium.
For conference program: Click here
“Learning from Reality: International and Foreign Courts’ Interventions in the Israel/Palestine Conflict”, a Guest Lecture by Luis Moreno Ocampo at the Fried-Gal Colloquium on Transitional Justice (December 14, 2015)
The Public was invited to a lecture by the former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on "Learning from Reality: International and Foreign Courts' Interventions in the Israel/ Palestine Conflict".
For conference program: Click here
A Guest Lecture by Prof. Monica McWilliams, former head of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and a key participant in the Northern Ireland peace negotiations (November 30, 2015)
The public was invited to a lecture by Prof. Monica McWilliams on "The Role of Women Activists in the Northern Ireland Peace Process".
For conference program: Click here
“Woman in Gold”, Symposium on Stolen Art during the Holocaust (July 7, 2015)
The Minerva Center for Human Rights and the Transitional Justice Program, in conjunction with the Israel Museum, invited the public to a symposium on stolen art during the holocaust. Speakers at the symposium included Attorney E. Randol Schoenberg (the prosecutor in the case against the Austrian government), James Snyder, Shlomit Steinberg and Prof. Barak Medina.
For conference program: Click here
Symposium on “A Decade Since the Disengagement from the Gaza Strip” (June 16, 2015)
The Minerva Center hosted a symposium focusing on two aspects of Israel’s 2005 disengagement from Gaza – the State’s treatment of the settlers, and the question of the status of Gaza after the disengagement. Speakers at the symposium included Judge Dorit Beinisch, former President of the Supreme Court of Israel; former Supreme Court Judge Eliyahu Matza, who headed the National Commission of Inquiry on the treatment of the settlers; government officials, civil society practitioners and academics.
For conference program: Click here
A Guest Lecture by Luis Moreno Ocampo at the Fried-Gal Colloquium on Transitional Justice in the context of Israel- Palestine (May 7, 2014)
The Public was invited to a lecture by the former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on "The Challenges of the Inaugural Years of the International Criminal Court".
For conference program: Click here
A lecture by Prof. Naomi Roht-Arriaza on "Transitional Justice and Int'l Criminal Justice - Evolution of the Field(s)" (March 3, 2014)
The Minerva Center for Human Rights and the Transitional Justice Program invited the public to a lecture by Prof. Naomi Roht-Arriaza, Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Hastings College of the Law. The event was chaired by Dr. Ron Dudai, Martin Buber Society of Fellows and Minerva Center for Human Rights.
For conference program: Click here
Symposium on “Human Rights and Transitional Justice in Post-Pinochet Chile” (November 10, 2013)
The Minerva Center for Human Rights and the Transitional Justice Program, in cooperation with The Liwerant Center for the Study of Latin America, Spain, Portugal and their Jewish Communities invited the public to a symposium on Post-Pinochet Chile.
For conference program: Click here
Symposium on “Transition, Justice and Human Rights in Argentina” (October 14, 2013)
The Minerva Center for Human Rights and the Transitional Justice Program, in cooperation with the Department of Romance and Latin American Studies invited the public to a symposium on transition, justice and human rights in Argentina. The lectures were held in Spanish with simultaneous translation to English.
For conference program: Click here
Symposium on: “Transitional Justice and Political Apologies” (March 28, 2012)
The public was invited to a symposium on Transitional Justice and Political Apologies, with Adv. Sigall Horovitz, Dr. Nava Lowenheim, Dr. Zohar Kampf, Adv. Hassan Jabareen and Prof. Avraham Sela.
For conference program: Click here
An International Symposium on: “Genocide Prevention: The Interaction of Comparative Research and Transitional Justice” (May 30, 2011)
The Minerva Center for Human Rights invited the public to a symposium focusing on the prevention of genocide. The symposium explored the interface between lessons learned from the comparative research of past genocides, on the one hand, and the experience gained from post-genocide transitional justice processes, on the other.
For conference program: Click here
Symposium on “Justice and Reconciliation in the Aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide” (October 27, 2010)
The Minerva Center for Human Rights and the Transitional Justice Program, in cooperation with the Program in Genocide Studies and Prevention Center for Conflict Management in the National University of Rwanda, invited the public to a symposium on justice and reconciliation in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide.
For conference program: Click here
Discussion on “Transitional Justice and Latin America’s Fight against Impunity” (April 22, 2009)
The Minerva Center for Human Rights, in cooperation with the Academy-Community Partnership for Social Change, invited the public to a discussion on Latin America’s fight against impunity.
For conference program: Click here
An International Symposium: “The Contribution of the Eichmann Trial to the International Criminal Law” (January 14, 2008)
The Minerva Center for Human Rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Faculty of Law, together with the Bruce W. Wayne Chair of International Law, in cooperation with the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, held an international symposium on the contribution of the Eichmann Trial to International Criminal Law. The event honored retired Supreme Court Justice Gabriel Bach on the occasion of his 80th birthday. Justice Bach was a prosecutor at the Eichmann trial.
For conference program: Click here