The mock trial club, an up-and-coming new club combining general and Talmudic law cases, is now one of the largest clubs in the school with 24 members.
Led by Assistant Principal Rabbi Assaraf, the club meets once a month to study their cases and speak with their real-life attorney mentors. The club members met for the first time on Monday Nov. 28 to split into teams and receive their first case. To kick-off the club, students discussed a case on organ donation and its connection to the Torah and religious beliefs. Although the members range from 9th to 12th grade, the students must be hard-working and committed, according to club leaders.
Assaraf said that students work on their cases independently in and out of school.
“There isn’t really a forum for them to work in school, but it’s an after-school kind of club on their own within their teams,” Assaraf said. “Each team has a captain and they are going to have to do a lot of this independently while communicating with the attorney coaches on their own.”
While the club is fun for those who enjoy debating, it is very serious and requires a lot of preparation, according to club member Yael Bramy (12th).
“It’s not like one of those things that you can show up to once a week and no one penalizes you,” Bramy said. “You have to be very devoted and be very into the work and constantly be preparing and talking to your attorney. You have to be very on top of it.”
The mock trial club is one of the first clubs in the school to focus on a specific, professional field, enabling students to gain real experience with law.
“I’ve always had an interest in law. That’s what I want to do once I get through college and go into graduate school,” said Raquel Zohar (11th). “Definitely the path I choose to pursue in my life, and mock trial is going to give me an opportunity to get started on practicing that.”
By: Ava Horowitz (12th Grade)