The Centenary of the Founding of the Mishpat Ivri Society in Moscow

Moscow State University (MSU) hosted an international conference commemorating the centenary of the Society for the Study of Jewish Law, founded in Moscow. The conference was organized by the EAJC and the Jewish Law Association, which has continued its activities throughout the past 100 years as the successor to the original Moscow-based society.

Rabbis, professors, and judges from 11 countries discussed the past, present, and future of Jewish law. Remarkably, the international association of Jewish law experts survived the cataclysms of the 20th century to hold its jubilee conference in Moscow, where it was originally established with the participation of Moscow Rabbi Yaakov Mazeh.

Professor Alexander Golichenkov, Dean of the Faculty of Law at Moscow State University, participated in the conference (Prof. Alexander Golichenkov — Dean of the Law School Moscow State University).

The conference participants met with Rabbi Alexander Boroda, President of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia (FEOR), Dayan Pinchas Goldschmidt, Rabbi of the Moscow Choral Synagogue and President of the Conference of European Rabbis, as well as a delegation of Moscow rabbis, to discuss the status of the Jewish community in Russia, the operation of rabbinical courts in the Diaspora, and the impact of developments in Israel on Diaspora communal life.

Productive meetings were held with Moscow lawyers who incorporate the principles of Jewish law into their practice.

Of particular note were the meetings with Rabbi Alexander Boroda, President of the FEOR, and Pinchas Goldschmidt, Rabbi of the Moscow Choral Synagogue and President of the Conference of European Rabbis.

Dozens of academic papers were presented at the conference, including a presentation by Supreme Court of Israel (BAGATZ) Justice Prof. Daphne Barak-Erez on the topic of  Jewish Texts and Legal Discourse.

In addition to its symbolic and academic significance, the conference carries profound practical relevance in light of the ongoing debate within Israeli society regarding the application of Jewish law in contemporary legal practice.

The EAJC is pleased to support this prestigious event.