Established in 2006, the underlying purpose of the center is to bring Israeli and U.S. legal scholars and practitioners together to explore cutting-edge legal issues the state of Israel has grappled with in recent years, such as: How should personal liberty be balanced against national security in the battle against terrorism? What legal and business conditions are needed to nurture a burgeoning hi-tech sector? What influence, if any, should religion have on the state?
The Center for Israeli Legal Studies is co-directed by Columbia Law School Dean Emeritus David M. Schizer and by Professor Zohar Goshen, an Israeli who is one of the world’s leading scholars in business law. Goshen has a permanent half-time appointment at the Law School, where he spends every fall semester. Each spring, he teaches at Ono Academic College School of Law in Israel. Goshen also has extensive connections in the Israeli legal academy, the business community, and the elite Israeli bar. He served as the chairman of the Israel Securities Authority [Israel’s SEC].
