Michael (Avi) Helfand
Dr. Michael (Avi) Helfand is a Senior Fellow of the Kogod Research Center at the Shalom Hartman Institute of North America. He is currently the Brenden Mann Foundation Chair in Law and Religion and Co-Director of the Nootbaar Institute for Law, Religion and Ethics at Pepperdine Caruso School of Law as well as Visiting Professor and Oscar M. Ruebhausen Distinguished Fellow at Yale Law School. Avi received his J.D. from Yale Law School and his
The Possibilities and Problematics of Advocacy
Session 1
Session 2
Over two sessions, Avi Helfand explores how one navigates communal affiliation, loyalty, and personal integrity using traditional Jewish texts and modern legal controversies.
Advocating particular positions exposes preferences, establishing alliances and commitments, while also coming at the price of neutrality. These sessions illuminate the ways we think through the layers of values that play out when we act as advocates, with a particular focus on legal advocacy.
NOTE: This program was part of our Summer 2021 Virtual Symposium, Torah of Possibility for an Uncertain Future
