Israeli Panorama – Reincarnation of Judges and Defendants in a Trial with Attorney Avigdor Feldman

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Photo: Vered Kahane

Israeli Panorama

A weekly series of meetings with creators and intellectuals, offering a diverse perspective on Israeli culture and society.

In collaboration with the Israeli Culture Department, Ramat Gan Municipality

The Reincarnation of Judges and Defendants in Court

With attorney Avigdor Feldman

Inspired by Amira Zian’s exhibition Reincarnation, attorney Avigdor Feldman embarks on a journey into the world of law from a fascinating perspective: Do judges and defendants also undergo processes of “reincarnation”? Is it possible to identify the souls of judges who have passed away in new judges, having left their souls behind in the form of precedents they wrote—wandering through the legal world and searching for a living body to enter? Can one place the “souls” of veteran judges upon one’s shoulders, even when the times, names, and circumstances change? Do judges adopt the perceptions, positions, and legacies of their predecessors?

And what happens on the other side of the courtroom—is it possible for a defendant to claim that they are the reincarnation of a righteous person who made a significant contribution to society?

Through stories, figures, and insights from the legal world, Feldman will examine the boundary between identity, memory, law, and reincarnation—and invite us to look anew at the legal system and the people who operate within it.

Avigdor Feldman is an Israeli attorney and publicist, known for his advocacy of human rights and his defense of defendants within the legal system. Over the years, he has handled prominent public cases, frequently criticized the legal system and its effects on Israeli society, and received the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award.

T.L.H.