Study Abroad–Israel & More

• "Wintersession programs let you study abroad without missing out on your summer job."
• "December is a great time to visit Israel. It's warm!"
• "My favorite moment was participating with the Women of the Wall.  Praying with hundreds of women, amidst adversity, was probably the climax of my life."
• "I had never been out of the country before. This was a transformative experience."
• "The way Israel's legal system makes room for religious law is nothing like our own. I have such a rich and broader perspective on U.S. law after this trip."
• "Before the trip, I didn't know anyone else in the program. But now we are like family." 

By October 11, 2019: Students complete and submit the program application. Admission is rolling and students will receive a decision promptly upon submission.

After October 11, 2019: Students make their own arrangements for flights and housing.

October 15, 2019: $100 deposit due for admitted students.

In December 2019: Students may prepare for upcoming travel by enrolling in the program's course page on TWEN to view assigned readings and other information.

By December 27: Students should plan to arrive in Tel Aviv in time to attend the first class session in the morning of the 27th.

On or after January 5, 2020: Students travel home; those choosing the "take home" exam may travel on January 5.

WNE Law Faculty

Erin Buzuvis, Co-Program Director is a Professor of Law who researches and writes about gender and discrimination in education and athletics, including such topics as Title IX's application to campus disciplinary proceedings for sexual assault, Title IX and college athletics reform, intersecting sexual orientation and race discrimination in collegiate women's athletics, retaliation and related discrimination against female college coaches, and participation policies for transgender and intersex athletes. Additionally, she is a co-founder and contributor to the Title IX Blog, an interdisciplinary resource for news, legal developments, commentary, and scholarship about Title IX's application to athletics and education.  She has been quoted in stories about Title IX in such media outlets as the New York Times, NPR, Sports Illustrated, Inside Higher Ed, and in many other national and local publications and broadcasts.

Jennifer Levi, Co-Program Director is a Professor of Law and has dedicated her career to fighting for the rights of women; children; the poor; and gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered clients. Most recently, Professor Levi was Senior Staff Attorney for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders in Boston. Prior to that, she was a Visiting Professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law in Chicago, worked as an Associate Attorney for two Chicago law firms, and clerked in the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit in Boston. Professor Levi served as Cocounsel for the seven same-sex couples who sued the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for denying them the right to obtain marriage licenses in Goodridge et al v. the Department of Public Health. The appeal led to the landmark Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruling that stated it was unconstitutional for the Commonwealth to deny gays and lesbians the right to marry. 

Israeli Law Faculty in the past has included:

Frances Raday is Professor of Law and head of Graduate Programs at Haim Striks School of Law in Rishon LeZion, Israel, where she also directs the Concord Center for Integration of International Law in Israel. She is also Professor Emerita of the Elias Lieberman Chair in Labour Law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Professor Raday is a Mandate Holder of the UN Human Rights Council in the Working Group on Discrimination against Women; she was previously an Expert Member of the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women. She is Chair of Israel’s Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s Advisory Council; she was the founding chair of the Israel Women's Network Legal Center.

Professor Raday has acted as legal counsel in precedent setting human rights cases in Israel’s Supreme Court, including employees' rights in transfer of enterprises, inventors' rights to patents, freedom of association and collective bargaining, Palestinian employees' class action for full National Insurance rights, women’s constitutional rights to equality in religious ritual at public sites (Women of the Wall) and sex discrimination in retirement age.

She has been a visiting professor at Oxford University, University of Copenhagen, University of Tulane, University of Southern California, University of East Africa, Dar-A Salaam; and held a research appointment at the British Institute of International and Comparative Law. The author of numerous academic books and articles on human rights, labour law, and feminist legal theory, her many awards and honors include an honorary professorship from University College London and honorary doctorate from the University of Copenhagen. She holds an LL.D. from the Hebrew University and an LL.B. from the London School of Economics.

Avishalom Westreich is a Senior Lecturer (= American Associate Professor) at the Law School of the College of Law and Business in Ramat Gan, Israel, a Research Fellow at the Kogod Research Center for Contemporary Jewish Thought, Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem, and (Fall 2016) a Helen Gartner Hammer Scholar-in-Residence at the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute, Brandeis University. He holds degrees in Hermeneutic Studies (M.A. Summa Cum Laude), Law (LL.B.), Talmud (B.A.), and Jewish History (B.A. Summa Cum Laude), and completed his PhD at Bar-Ilan University in the President's Program for Outstanding Doctoral Candidates (2007). Dr. Westreich's research deals primarily with the dramatic changes in the family during the second half of the twentieth and the beginning of the twenty-first centuries and the ways in which Jewish law decisors face new kinds of dilemmas. Read more.

Classes will be held in the seminar rooms and lecture halls of the College of Law and Business in Ramat Gan. These modern facilities provide ample seating, proper writing surfaces, sufficient lighting, and adequate soundproofing. All of the classroom facilities support current technology, including wireless free Internet, projection capabilities, etc. Students will need to provide their own power adaptors.

Library and Internet resources will be available to students as if they were full-time students at the college. The law school has a comprehensive law library with extensive Israeli and international sources of law and commentary. 

Course materials and admission and local transportation to sponsored field trips are covered by tuition and fees.

$2,630 - per student for the two credit hours available for the program

$220 - fees and materials   

$50 - opening dinner

$2,900 - total (airfare is not included)

Checks or money orders should be made payable to Western New England University School of Law.

Students will be responsible for travel to and from Israel as well as meals and housing. Depending on a student's travel dates, departure city, and layover preferences, airfare can cost between $1000-$2000. Housing can generally be secured for $600-$1200, with the low end of this range reflecting hostel and shared housing options.

Day 1: Orientation and tour of the College of Law and Business in Ramat Gan, followed by a welcome dinner in Tel Aviv. 

Day 2, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: Lecture on "Fundamentals of Jewish Law"  by Professor Avishalom Westreich.

Day 3: No class (Saturday) - Optional trip to Dead Sea

Day 4, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: Lecture on Israeli Law matters relating to gender by local Isreali expert.

Day 5, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: Presentation of case study on the Women of the Wall, a group protesting gender segregation at the Jewish holy site, by Professor Frances Raday.  

Day 6: All day field trip to Jerusalem.

Day 7, 9:00 to 11:00 a.m.: Lecture on Islamic Law relating to gender. 
            2:00 to 3:00 p.m.: Meeting with gender advocates in Tel Aviv.

Day 8: All day field trip to Ramallah.

Day 9, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: Lecture on U.S. Law relating to gender and LGBT rights by WNE Faculty.

Day 10: Final exam (optional take home).

• Students will receive a letter grade based on their performance on the exam as well as on reflection papers that they submit throughout the duration of the course. 
• Students who successfully complete the course will earn a letter grade and two credits. Those students enrolled at institutions other than Western New England University should consult the policies of their home institution to determine whether it will allow their grade and credits to transfer. On request we will provide the student's home institution with any required documentation or paperwork necessary to facilitate the transfer of credits.
• Class attendance is mandatory.
• Students will be expected to meet with the professor on a regular basis for support and evaluation of the progress.

Many students finance their participation in the program with Direct PLUS loans from the Department of Education. Applications for Grad PLUS loans are available here.

For more information and assistance securing student loans, contact Western New England University's Enrollment Services Department enrollment-services or the financial aid officer at your own institution.

Students should make their own arrangements for housing in Tel Aviv; it is not included in the program tuition.  One popular and affordable option is the Hayarkon 48 Hostel, but students may instead stay in hotels or rental properties nearby.  We will use Hayarkon 48 as our meeting point for transportation to the College of Law and Business in Ramat Gan and field trips to Jerusalem. Local transportation will be by private bus, it is arranged by the program and is included in the program fees. 

• Nondiscrimination: Western New England University is committed to the principle of equal opportunity in education and employment. The University does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, color, creed, national origin, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, genetics, or disability in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquires regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Executive Director of Human Resources, Western New England University, 1215 Wilbraham Road, Springfield, MA 01119-2684. Inquires concerning the application of nondiscrimination policies may also be referred to the Regional Director, Office of Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, J.W. McCormack P.O.C.H., Room 222, Boston MA 02109-4557.
  
  
• Disabilities: Facilities at the College of Law and Business and throughout Israel are accessible to many individuals with disabilities. Please notify one of the Program Directors for any specific accommodations necessary for the student’s full enjoyment of the program and facilities. 
  
  
• State Department Travel Advisory: For the current U.S. State Department Travel Advisory notice, see here. The program director carefully monitors the news and also consults local guides, travel agents, and our host institution contacts about the risks of travel to Jerusalem and Palestine.
  
  
• Refunds: Students who wish to withdraw from the program must notify one of the Program Directors in writing as early as possible. Refunds will be paid within 20 days of withdrawal. Students who withdraw before the first day of the program, for any reason other than for changes made in the course offerings or for reasons relating to safety as determined by the U.S. State Department, may receive a 50 percent credit of charged tuition for a future wintersession program. Thereafter, refund for tuition is prorated on a daily basis after deduction of the 50 percent credit charged for tuition. After 50 percent of the program is completed, there is no tuition refund. Students who withdraw prior to the commencement of the program either because of significant changes in the course offering or based on a change in the U.S. State Department Travel Warning status will receive a full refund of all monies advanced to Western New England University within twenty (20) days after their withdrawal. If a student is permitted to withdraw for reasons relating to a warning issued by the Department of State during the course of the program, or if the program is terminated, that student will be refunded fees paid to Western New England University.
   
• Cancellation or other changes: Upon the closing of the application period, the director will confirm that enrollment is sufficient enrollment for the program to run and communicate that decision by email to the students who have expressed their commitment to the program. We have never canceled the program after it was confirmed in this manner. However, it is possible that the program could be canceled for such reasons as student attrition or security-related concerns. In the event of cancellation, Western New England University School of Law will communicate directly with admitted students by phone or email as soon as possible following the cancellation determination. A full refund of all fees and tuition will paid within 20 days of cancellation. In addition, the program director will use best efforts to make arrangements for each enrolled student to attend a similar program, if available. Similarly, if significant changes in the course offerings or other aspects of the program occur, those changes will be communicated promptly to any registrant who has paid a deposit or registered for the program and students will be permitted to withdraw. A full refund of all fees and tuition will paid within 20 days of withdrawal.