Panel Discussion, Music Memorial, and Reception in the Walter A. Slowinski Courtroom
Wednesday, October 18, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.
(About the Exhibit)
The exhibition “Jewish Women Lawyers and Women Lawyers of Jewish Descent” was created by the German Women Lawyers Association (Deutscher Juristinnenbund). It explores the lives and experiences of 17 Jewish women lawyers in Germany before 1945. The panels not only underscore the impact of National Socialism on Jewish women lawyers, but also highlight their pioneering spirit during the Weimer Republic – the group includes the first woman lawyer in Hamburg, the first in Prussia, and one can go on. These Jewish women were leaders in forming the German Women Lawyers Association during the Weimar republic.
The exhibit consists of panels describing how the Third Reich impacted the lives of these Jewish women. Some were sent to concentration camps. Some survived. Some did not. Others emigrated to the United Kingdom, Palestine, or the United States. Many tried to recreate their life in the law with some success, while others were not able to do so. The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law is proud to exhibit these panels both to commemorate these women and underscore the importance of women lawyers in the life of the law.
The exhibition will be displayed in Catholic Law’s Louise H. Keelty and James K. Keelty, Jr. Atrium from October 18 - November 7, 2023.
In addition to the exhibition, visines with academic and personal writings of some of these women will be on display from October 18 - November 7, 2023.
Panel Discussion, Music Memorial, and Reception
Walter A. Slowinski Courtroom • Wednesday, October 18, 2023
(PROGRAM)
- 2:00 pm Welcome
• Stephen C. Payne, Dean and Knights of Columbus Professor of Law, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law - 2:05 pm Mary Smith, Esq., President, American Bar Association
- 2:10 pm Hon. Annette Weerth, Legal Advisor, Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany, Washington, D.C.
- 2:15 pm German legal profession and Jewish Lawyers in the Third Reich
• Kenneth Ledford, Prof. of History and Law, Case Western University - 2:30 pm Descendants Panel
• Moderator: Dr. Lauren B, Strauss, Prof. Jewish history and culture and Israel Studies, American University; Director Jewish Studies Program, American University
• Dr. Ken Hoffman, Nephew of Felicitas Schulsinger, the first female lawyer in Leipzig
• Richard Auerbach, Grandson of Ella Auerbach, the first woman lawyer in Bad Hamburg
• Elsa Roberts Auerbach, daughter of Lilly Melchior Roberts, corporate lawyer in Berlin and international law librarian, University of Michigan Law School - 3:20 pm Musical Memorial
“Ein Jüdisches Kind”, composed in Terezin by Carlo Taube, Lyrics by Lile Weber
• Sharon Christman and Ivo Kaltchev, Benjamin T. Rome School of Music, Drama, and Art, The Catholic University of America - 3:35 pm Closing
• Marshall Breger, Professor, The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law
Reception, Louise H. Keelty and James K. Keelty, Jr. Atrium
The event will also be available to attend via Zoom. Login credentials will be posted on this site the day of the event.