on s ay, ay A , •
metro
:00 p.m.
Germany: 70 Years Later
R
abbi Yitzchak Mendel Wagner,
35 years old, is the first native-born
German rabbi since the Holocaust.
Using photos and fascinating personal
accounts, he explores the Holocaust
and Jewish life in Germany today.
How has Germany changed? Should
Jews live there? Discover the answers
to these pressing questions and more
on May 4th!
Rabbi Yitzchak Mendel Wagner,
the rabbi of Krefeld, Germany
■ LOCATION: Holocaust Memorial Center
■ ADMISSION: Free
■ Kosher desserts will be served.
EVENT CHAIRS:
Stacy and Andy
Doctoroff
Thank you to our supporters:
Lori and Alan Zekelman
Additionally
sponsored by:
GPNC
FOUNDATION
itE.aulkl
8".
Questions on events?
Call Lawrence Willim at 248.536.9604
HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL CENTER ZEKELMAN FAMILY CAMPUS
0/7• R
E0'4‘
28123 Orchard Lake Rd. • Farmington Hills, MI 48334 www.holocaustcenter.org
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Mr. Justice Bernstein
from page 21
law firms. Being a trial lawyer required
more internalization and memorization
than being on a court does.
For a Supreme Court justice, the most
difficult things for me are the confer-
ences, where the court decides whether
it is going to hear an appeal. A confer-
ence usually covers 26 cases. The level of
preparation is great. You have to know
those cases cold.
For oral argument, you have only
10 cases, five on one day, and five on
the next day, so the level of work in
preparing for oral argument is actually
easier than the level for preparing for
conference. These attorneys are argu-
ing their hearts. You have to know that
case backwards and forwards. I have to
memorize that entire case in order to be
able to participate at the level that I need
to participate.
IN: What message do you have for
members of the Jewish Bar Association of
Michigan?
RB: My key component is the fact
that being a lawyer is one profession
where you can change the world. Law
gives you a chance to change how the
government functions. It gives you a
chance to change how people will func-
tion. It gives you the chance to change
things in the most wondrous and
remarkable way. Law is really one of
those empowering professions that can
lead to change.
Being a Supreme Court justice, you
can make just as big a difference off the
bench as on the bench. It's the extracur-
ricular work you do. It's the work in the
community you do. It's so wondrous,
exciting and inspirational that it gives
you that energy.
I was just in Juarez. Mexico is doing
some very historic things with its legal
system. They are transitioning to a more
open and transparent system. They're
even starting to video some of the vari-
ous court proceedings. In Chihuahua,
which is the first state to do this, they
held a forum and invited 85 of the lead-
ing judges. I was asked by the U.S. con-
sulate in Juarez to come and address the
Mexican judges about transforming to a
more open system.
The reason I got the job was that the
U.S. State Department couldn't find any
other American judge who was willing
to do this. There were some security
issues. Who in Mexico do you think is
not supportive of this kind of system
taking shape? There are various [drug]
cartels that might not be so happy
about it.
The fact that a Michigan judge would
come down to Mexico to lead this forum
Richard Bernstein ran in the 2013
New York City marathon.
was the symbolism that was going to
begin the transformation — that was
going to create excitement.
Every time they asked a question, the
judges would thank me profusely for
coming and spending time with them
despite the danger. The story of this
meeting ran in all the Mexican newspa-
pers the day after and 12 major Mexican
publications.
Is the Mexican system going to
change overnight? Absolutely not. But
you can use this position to create hope
and instill the sense that tomorrow is
going to be better and galvanize people
and excite people, to energize people
and enthuse people.
The fact that you are a Supreme Court
judge gives the impetus for incredibly
great things to happen. As an attorney,
you don't have to take on every pro bono
case; you can take on a small case or
give someone consultation or advice.
I have eight years on this court, and
every day I use the position not just to
study and memorize my cases. A good
judge is the kind of judge who goes out
into the community and spends time
with people.
The most important thing that you
have to learn as a judge is don't become
distant. It's easy to do. You've got your
private garage, your private elevator, all
that stuff. It's very easy for a judge to
become distant. So I focus on it every
single day.
Good judges are incredibly active and
involved in the community and don't
ever let themselves become isolated
from people. Because at the end of
the day, this entire job is always about
people. ❑
The Jewish Bar Association of
Michigan's Annual Dinner and
Reception Honoring the Judiciary
will take place 6 - 8 p.m. Monday,
May 18, at the Westin Hote1,1500
Town Center, Southfield. $40.
(JBAM members $35 or $20 by
May 4 or before). A kosher din-
ner can be requested in advance.
To RSVP, go to bit.ly/1ExlIqB. For
information, call JBAM President
Rachel Loebl at (248) 733 - 5530.