By Avi Cole
Special to the Tribune
HALIFAX – The Jewish Law Students’ Association (JLSA) welcomed Alan Baker, the Israeli Ambassador to Canada, to Dalhousie (Dal) Law School in Halifax earlier this month.
PHOTO: SGT. ERIC JOLIN, RIDEAU HALL
Then Governor General Adrienne Clarkson received the credentials of Alan Baker, Ambassador of Israel, on Sept. 27, 2004, at Rideau Hall.
The Ambassador’s talk marked a newfound Jewish presence at Dal Law. Like Dal’s undergraduate population, the Jewish body at Dal Law has exploded over the last few years.
The JLSA currently has 25 members, almost double last year’s membership, and triple 2004’s. Next year, there could be as many as 40 Jewish law students studying at Dal, many from the Greater Toronto Area.
With its own language, culture, history, and traditions, at times law school can feel like a different country. This disoriented feeling is only enhanced when law school is eight months in Nova Scotia and more than 1,600 kilometres from Toronto – a long way from home. Fortunately, while family and friends can never be replaced, as Jews we have a community in almost every major city, waiting with open arms to embrace new arrivals.
Still, for Dal Law’s incoming Jewish students, it is difficult enough to adjust to new surroundings, let alone discover a new community. Thus, at the beginning of the school year, the JLSA identified a dual responsibility to its members – first, to introduce Jewish law students to one another and second, to introduce them to the larger Halifax community.
With strong support from both Halifax and Canadian Jewish communities, the JLSA not only met but surpassed its goals. During the past year, the JLSA organized Shabbat dinners, a Yom Kippur break-fast and mentoring sessions. As well, law students were regularly seen throughout Halifax, whether at shul, community Shabbat dinners, or with Halifax families for the High Holy Days. The result was that by year’s end law students found themselves part of two new families: the immediate family of Jewish law students at Dal, and the larger Jewish family of Halifax.
The JLSA was especially thrilled when Baker agreed to speak at the law school. As future judges, politicians, and diplomats, law students represent many of Canada’s future leaders. However, many of these future leaders have yet to formulate present opinions on Israel. Therefore, advocating for Israel among law students can make advocacy work 20 years from now an easier task.
While pressed for time, Baker made the most of his hour at Dalhousie, where he spoke on the issue of “Israel and International Law.” Baker touched on a number of topics, including Israel’s second-rate status in the UN, Israel’s legal relations with its neighbours, including the Palestinians, and the security fence. The response to his lecture was overwhelmingly positive, from both Jewish students and the significant number of non-Jewish students in attendance.
The JLSA recently elected a new, larger executive for the coming school year. Hopefully, in coming years as the Jewish population at Dal Law continues to grow, the JLSA will continue to grow alongside it.
Avi Cole is co-president of the Dalhousie Jewish Law Students’ Association and a second-year law student.
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