“By sponsoring educational programs and encouraging scholarship, the center will work to influence both the national and international debate on fundamental matters of societal concern,” said Glen Weissenberger, dean of the College of Law. “The center will help the legal community and law students gain a better understanding of Jewish law and how it fits into the framework of the legal landscape.”

Judaism encompasses a comprehensive way of life that involves specific laws and practices derived from the Torah and its commentaries that affect every aspect of life, from dietary mandates to ethical business practices. Some JLJS programs will focus on practical issues confronting professionals who are Jewish or who have Jewish clients or patients. Others will explore broader and more profound philosophical, theological and jurisprudential questions. The center will achieve its goals by collaborating with key Jewish institutions in Chicago, including the Spertus Institute for Jewish Studies, the Jewish Federation, local congregations and the American Friends of the Hebrew University. 

The center was founded and is co-directed by Roberta Rosenthal Kwall and Steven H. Resnicoff, two College of Law professors who together bring more than 45 years of legal education experience and a diverse portfolio of expertise to the center.

Kwall is the Raymond P. Niro professor of Intellectual Property Law and the founding director of DePaul’s Center for Intellectual Property Law & Information Technology. A noted expert on intellectual property law, she is the co-author of leading casebooks in both intellectual property and real property law. Prior to joining DePaul’s faculty, Kwall practiced intellectual property law at a major Chicago law firm and clerked for Judge Leonard I. Garth of the  3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. 

 “The Jewish tradition has always embraced the idea of pluralist thought and dialogue, but one must develop a certain level of knowledge in order to earn a seat at the table,” said Kwall.  “We hope to bring such people together to engage in meaningful dialogue as well as to elevate and enhance the Jewish education of others.”

 Resnicoff, an ordained Orthodox rabbi, is an internationally known scholar who has written and lectured extensively on a wide variety of subjects, including alternative dispute resolution, bankruptcy, commercial paper, legal ethics and medical ethics. He will draw on his formal Talmudic training, as well as law firm experience, to help analyze critical legal issues from both secular and religious perspectives.

“JLJS is the only law school center in Illinois, and one of only a handful in the entire country, which focuses on Jewish law and culture,” said Resnicoff.  “In addition to engaging in traditional Jewish law scholarship, JLJS will promote serious interdisciplinary scholarship and explore contemporary legal issues of special importance to the Jewish community as well to other religious groups.”

Established in 1912, the DePaul College of Law was among the first Illinois law schools to admit students regardless of race, gender or religion.  It also was among the first law schools to introduce educational innovations, such as courses in alternative dispute resolution, international criminal law and the development of pre-trial practice skills. For more information about JLJS, visit its website at http://law.depaul.edu/center_institutes/jljs.