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 FANTASTIC SUMMER FUN 29350 NORTHWESTERN HWY, SOUTHFIELD • 248-352-8000 WWW.FRANKLINCLUB.COM PROGRAMS ►Swim ►Tennis ►Gymnastics 13 WEEKS OF CAMPS FOR KIDS 2 TO 15 ► Basketball ► Minecraft ► Nerf ► Toddler ► Flag Football ► Nike Basketball ► Lacrosse ► Drama ► Eisenhower Dance ►Robotics ► FitGirl PLUS YEAR-ROUND PROGRAMS FOR ALL AGES! TODDLERS PRESCHOOLERS GRADESCHOOLERS ►Toddler Programs ►Preschool Academy ►Mommy & Me Classes ►Eisenhower Dance ►Drop in Basketball ►Basketball Leagues - ►Swim ►Tennis ►Karate ►Capoeira ►Fencing ► Yoga JOIN NOW. CALL 248.352.8000 FRANKLINCLUB.COM Family & Parent with Children Memberships include: Free childcare while you workout 22 April 30 • 2015 Discounts on Camps, Classes, Birthday Parties, Academy Tuition & more! Free before & after care at Summer Camp and more! 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.