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Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

National Police Week, May 13-19

Posted by: Jennifer Davis

The following post is a joint effort by Jennifer Davis and Betty Lupinacci. This week memorializes National Police Week, when law enforcement officers honor their colleagues who have died in service. May 15 was first proclaimed Peace Officers Memorial Day by President Kennedy in 1962. There is a series of events surrounding the day—a memorial …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Nauru – 50 Years of Independence

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

Fifty years ago, on January 31, 1968, Nauru became an independent nation. It is the smallest island republic in the world with a land area of just 8.1 square miles (“about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC“) and a population of around 10,000 people. Prior to independence, from 1947 onward, the island was subject to a …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Disappearance of a Prime Minister

Posted by: Kelly Buchanan

On this day fifty years ago, December 19, 1967, it was announced that the then-Prime Minister of Australia, Harold Holt, was officially presumed dead. Mr. Holt, who had been Prime Minister for 22 months, from January 1966, had disappeared two days earlier while swimming in the ocean at Cheviot Beach near Portsea, in the state of …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Releasing Agunot from the Chains of Marriage in Selected Countries

Posted by: Ruth Levush

Last week I blogged about Israeli legislative and judicial efforts to assist Jewish women who cannot divorce their husbands (עגונות, agunot,  literally “chained”; עגונה, agunah in singular). In accordance with Jewish law, which applies to matters of marriage and divorce of Jewish residents and citizens of Israel, a valid divorce requires the consensual delivery by the husband and receipt …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Elor Azaria and Alexander Blackman: Adjudication of Unlawful Military Shootings

Posted by: Ruth Levush

What impact do prolonged periods of stress and fear have on a soldier’s behavior? Do the horrors of war and terrorist acts justify conduct that would otherwise be unlawful? While such circumstances do not seem to amount to justification for violating the law, it is notable that “exceptional stressors” and constant threats faced by soldiers were recently considered …

Ornate red and ivory wall decoration, with plaque and symbols

Handling of Sexual Offenses in the Israeli Military

Posted by: Ruth Levush

On December 18, 2016 the Tel- Aviv Military Court convicted a brigadier general in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) of sexual offenses against female soldiers serving under his command. The conviction is believed to be of the highest ranking IDF soldier of such crimes, based on the officer’s admission as a result of a plea bargain. The officer had initially been …