UNC Asheville’s Center for Jewish Studies and the 28th Judicial District Bar will present "The Law: Handmaid of Justice or Consort of Inequity," a talk by Rabbi Arnold M. Goodman on the role of the law in the Holocaust at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 24, in UNCA’s Owen Conference Center.

Since 1982, Rabbi Goodman has been the spiritual leader of Congregation Ahavath Achim in Atlanta, the second largest conservative congregation in the nation. A member of both the Illinois and Israeli bar, he is a past president of the Rabbinical Assembly, a 1,100-member organization of Conservative Rabbis in the U.S., Canada, Israel and other parts of the world. He currently serves on the Rabbinical Assembly Committee of Jewish Law and Standards. Rabbi Goodman is a popular lecturer and educator and speaks frequently on issues such as constitutional law and human relations.

Rabbi Goodman’s remarks will be followed by a panel discussion led by a group of respondents including Ken Betsalel, chair of UNCA’s Political Science Department; the Honorable Harry Martin, chief justice of the Cherokee Supreme Court and retired justice of the N.C. Supreme Court; and Perry Fisher, president of the 29th Judicial District Bar.

Rabbi Goodman and the panel of respondents will address such questions as what role the law should play in mediating inequity and whether the international community can determine if given laws are just or unjust. Other discussion topics include what role should law play in creating a just world order, are these laws enforceable and what should the consequences be for those who violate these laws.

The event is free and open to the public. It is presented in conjunction with the Anne Frank Exhibition on view at Biltmore Square Mall October 15 through November 15.

For more information on the October 24 event, call UNCA’s Center for Jewish Studies at 828/251-6576 or visit the Web site.

Media Contacts:

• Dr. Richard Chess, UNCA Center for Jewish Studies Director, 828/251-6576
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant, 828/251-6526