Dear Member:

When I last wrote to you, we were an organization not even one year old.  Well our one year anniversary has passed and we celebrated with flying colors.  Actually, we celebrated it in Brandeis style by honoring member Larry Beaser, Esq. with out Benjamin F. Levy Community Service Award at The Top of the Tower, on December 17th, 2004.  We also inducted 27 new members at that time.  We were fortunate to join each other for Latkes and Vodka and to start a Brandeis tradition.  Since December, we have met Uriel Palti, the new Consul General for the State of Israel, had a joint CLE with The Brehons, the Justinians, and the Jagellonians, participated in our second Annual Stuart Agins Day of Service at the Jewish Relief Agency where we and students from Temple University School of Law packed and delivered Passover packages for needy people.  We have revamped our bylaws and created student memberships.  We are revitalizing our committee structure and improving our Web site.  In the future, we can expect more of same.

As I look back over this year I am enormously pleased with our progress, and would like to especially notice those members who have been so helpful, namely, Todd Berk, Lou Podel, Adam Laver, Hon. Sandra Mazer Moss and Hon. Myrna Field, John Rothschild, Gilda Kramer, Lisa Goldstein, Sayde Ladove, Natalie Klyashtorny, and Michael Berkowitz and of course, Mitchell Klevan.  I am sure that I have left out someone.  Our executive committee as a whole has been extremely participatory this year. 

However, and there is always a however, we can and must be better.  Our committees need to be stronger and meeting on a regular basis.  This can only happen with the integration of newer members into our organization.  We need to make mentoring a primary goal and practice tips and a referral base a priority.  Member Todd Berk has always said “if you’re Jewish, there is no excuse” (for not being a member).  In this day and age, when time out of the office is so precious, there must be more of a reason to become and stay a member of this organization.

One of the reasons is right here in this newsletter.  As you will note, this is not a Chancellor’s Newsletter as I have written in the past.  This is the Brandeis Law Society Newsletter and I and future Chancellors will get an article.  I would like to thank Howard Vigderman and Harper Dimmerman for agreeing to write the first practice tips articles in this edition.  Future editions will feature articles from any of our members who wish to write them.  Hon. Abe Gafni and Harris Bock, Esq. are just two of our members who have agreed to write articles in the future.

I welcome our new members:   David B. Gornish, Julie C. Shapiro, Louis E. Slawe, and Thomas R. Kline. 

So I will end this article by reminding all to attend Jewish Law Day, this May 18th, 2005, in which Jewish Women of the Judiciary will be honored, and the speaker will be Professor Suzanne Last Stone, who will speak about Jewish Law and the Death Penalty.  The Mincha Service will begin at 5:15 p.m. at the Jewish Community Services Building, 2100 Arch Street, Philadelphia, Pa.  Admission is free to all; complimentary valet parking is provided.  Brandeis Law Society is a sponsor so I hope that we’ll have a strong presence at the event and at the sumptuous reception which follows.   

Every activity that happens, every new member, every student who joins as a student member, is the result of work and dedication of our membership.  Thank you all for your time and efforts with regard to our law society.

On Sunday, July 10, 2005 over 4,000 cyclists will ride from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to Egg Harbor, NJ, all to benefit the American Cancer Society. In January 2005, the Philadelphia Bar Association Board of Governors once again unanimously passed a resolution authorizing the continuation of the Philadelphia Bar Association Bike-A-Thon Team for 2005.  In our first year as a formal team we had over 171 riders and raised over $100,000.00. However, in 2005 many in our Philadelphia Bar family lost their lives to this dreaded disease and many more bravely continued their battle against cancer. Despite all of our efforts one thing is clear, we all need to do more!

If you know someone that presently has cancer or has lost their fight against cancer there is no better way to honor their continued courage or memory than by becoming a sponsor of this event and making a dedication in their honor/memory. The theme for this year’s Bike-A-Thon is “Who Are You Riding For?”  We all know someone touched by this disease and now it is time to act. Last year the Philadelphia Bar Team rode in honor and memory of many past and present members of the Philadelphia Bar Association and we were proud to wear the name of Stuart Agins, Esquire on our jerseys.

Anyone interested in volunteering for this event or riding with the Philadelphia Bar Team on July 10, 2005 can register on-line at ACSBIKE.ORG, or send an e-mail to wkalaw@aol.com.  We are also looking for volunteers to assist at the Bike-A-Thon Expo scheduled for July 9, 2005 at Dave & Busters and to assist on the day of the event.

For information please call or e-mail Jeffrey Abramowitz, Esq. at 215-568-4980, wkalaw@aol.com.

Imagine a first time homeowner, who bought a home when she was a newlywed.  Seven years later, she is divorced and struggling, saddled with credit card bills and an ever-increasing mortgage arrearage balance.  Or, imagine the recent college graduate eager to start a career as a teacher, with a credit history compromised by late tuition payments and a cellular phone account that the provider “wrote off,” who obtains a car loan at a rate verging on usury, with a total payoff almost double the car’s actual value.  Or, imagine being counsel to a debtor who has previously filed for bankruptcy; it is the eve of a Sheriff’s Sale, and you learn that your client has undergone a major change in circumstances within the past year – since her last bankruptcy filing – caused by a medical crisis experienced by her unemployed husband. for full text click here

Few news stories about the life of one person and one family have received greater public attention and scrutiny, and generated more discussion, than the recent chronicles of the life and death of Terri Schiavo.  While her case was making its Sinai-like way through the courts and legislative bodies, discussions concerning the case swirled around water coolers, coffee houses, and chat rooms.  While one could debate the benefit of what was no doubt often heated discussion, it is clear that the case increased public awareness of end-of-life issues and highlighted the need for end of life planning. for full text click here