3rd DemoCrisis Summit in partnership with the Israeli Bar Association: Protecting the judiciaries across borders

Monday 08.09.2025

14:00-19:00 IDT / 13:00-18:00 CET

Malka Brender Hall of Justice, Tel Aviv University.

Registeration (Required)
Watch the livestream online

Hybrid participation: Live stream + Q&A for registered online attendees (EN/HE)

Hosts: DemoCrisis Civic Action Network × Israel Bar Association

Overview

Across the world, democracies face acute challenges. Institutions once thought resilient are being undermined, and judicial independence is increasingly contested.

Following our launch at the European Parliament (Brussels, 2023) and our second gathering in Warsaw under the auspices of Poland’s Ministry of Justice (2024), the third DemoCrisis Conference convenes at Tel Aviv University to deepen comparative learning and practical cooperation among judges, lawyers, scholars, and civil society.

Programme

8 September 2025, 14:00-19:00 IDT / 13:00-18:00 CET
DemoCrisis Summit

3rd DemoCrisis Summit in partnership with the Israeli Bar Association: Protecting the judiciaries across borders

 Malka Brender Hall of Justice, Tel Aviv University

14:00-14:30 Registration & Reception
14:30-15:00

Greetings and Opening Note

Adv. Amit Becher, Chairman of the Israeli Bar Association
Mr Dan Sobovitz, Co-Founder and Acting Managing Director, DemoCrisis
Prof. Ishai (Yishai) Blank, Tel Aviv University
Prof. Issi Rosen-Zvi, Tel Aviv University
15:00-16:00

Session 1: Informative Overview – Democratic Backsliding in Poland & Israel

Chair: Moran Yemini
Speakers:

  • Adv. Paulina Kieszkowska,  Co-founder, Free Courts (Poland)
  • Adv. Avichai Mandelblit, Former Attorney General of Israel; Dean, Faculty of Law, Academic Centre of Law & Business
16:00-16:15 Break
16:15-17:40

Session 2: Implications of democratic backsliding for the judiciary

Chair: Adv. Hadar Israeli 
Speakers:

  • Hon. Judge Monika Frąckowiak, President, Regional Court in Poznań (Poland)
  • Hon. Judge Tamás Matusik, Senior Judge, Budapest-Central District Court; former President, Hungary’s National Judicial Council
  • Justice (ret.) Yoram Danziger, Supreme Court of Israel
  • Justice (ret.) Ayala Procaccia, Supreme Court of Israel
  • Adv. Donny (Doni) Toledano, Private practice
  • Dr. Ronit Levine-Schnur
17:45-19:00

Session 3: The role of Bar Associations under democratic backsliding

Chair: Adv. Nadav Weisman
Speakers:

  • Adv. Paulina Kieszkowska
  • Adv. David (Dudi) Tadmor
  • Adv. Yonit Kalmanovitz
  • Dr Ofra Bloch
Programme and speakers subject to change.

*We acknowledge that hosting this year’s conference in Israel is a delicate decision, given the war and the wider political climate. Yet, Israel’s liberal, democratic, and anti-war camp is in dire need for support and is also in a position to inspire civil society in other countries, also experiencing democratic backsliding. Holding the event in Israel is in no way an act of endorsement of the Israeli government policies.