New York State Bar Association Forges Deeper Ties With Israel Bar Association
3.11.2024
The Israel and New York State bar associations signed an agreement to work together on areas of mutual interest such as fighting for judicial independence, combating hatred and defending the rule of law.
The New York State Bar Association has signed more than 30 such agreements — formally known as memorandums of understanding — with bar associations around the globe. With more than 70 chapters on every continent except Antarctica, the agreements serve as the basis for joint educational programming, visits from legal scholars, and the creation of international business relationships. In recent years, the New York State Bar Association entered into similar agreements with bar associations in Serbia, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Milan, Osaka and the Philippines.
Signing for the New York State Bar Association at the March 4 ceremony was its president, Richard Lewis, and Jay Safer represented the association’s International Section, which each year holds a global conference in a different location. This year, the global conference will be in Seoul, South Korea.
The agreement was formalized in New York City during meetings with NYSBA leadership. “I can’t thank the Israel delegation enough for traveling to New York at this difficult time in the country’s history,” Lewis said. “I am grateful to Israel Bar Association President Amit Becher for having the foresight to forge this alliance with us. I admire the fight he and his colleagues are waging for judicial independence in their homeland.”
Becher, president of the Israel Bar Association, and Tamar Ulman, the association’s deputy president, signed the agreement during the whirlwind visit.
“I’m thankful for the hospitality and for the opportunity to establish a deep connection with the New York State Bar Association,” Becher said. “To know how many friends we have supporting us means so much to us. I want you to know that when we are needed, we will be there. It’s important for us that the U.S. legal community and the Israel legal community will remain strong and unified.”
