Previous Events
Previous major events initiated by the Center include:
A celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Ethics Center
The Responsibility to Protect at 10: the Challenge of Protecting the World's Most Vulnerable Populations
'DEIS Impact- Festival of Social Justice
Richman Distinguished Fellow in Public Life Lecture: "The Courage to Listen" - Rev. Jeffrey Brown
Joseph B. and Toby Gittler Prize Lecture: Bystanders, Upstanders, and Justice - Martha Minow
Replacing the Rule of Force with the Rule of Law
Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa
For round-ups of other past events, see our News section or use the "Search" function above to search for a specific event or topic.
Upcoming Events
All events are free and open to the public, except where noted.
The Trials of Richard Goldstone
A reading, discussion, and reception featuring Richard Goldstone, Ethics Center International Advisory Board member and former chair; and Daniel Terris, Director Emeritus of the Ethics Center
Monday, March 18, 2019
Time: 5:00 - 6:30 pm
Location: International Lounge, Usdan Student Center
In June 2009, Richard Goldstone was a global hero, honored by the MacArthur Foundation with its prize in international justice. Four months later, he was called a “quisling” and compared to some of the worst traitors in human history. Why? Because this champion of human rights and international law chose to apply his commitments to fairness and truth to his own community.
In The Trials of Richard Goldstone (published in December 2018 by Rutgers University Press), Daniel Terris, Director Emeritus of the International Center for Ethics, Justice and Public Life, tells the story of this extraordinary individual and the price he paid for his convictions:
- He describes how Goldstone, working as a judge in apartheid South Africa, helped to undermine this unjust system and later, at Nelson Mandela’s request, led a commission that investigated cases of racial violence and intimidation. Goldstone later served as a justice on the newly established Constitutional Court of South Africa, to which he had been nominated by President Nelson Mandela.
- He considers the international renown Goldstone received as the chief United Nations prosecutor for war crimes committed in Rwanda and the former Yugoslavia – participating in the first tribunals to try political and military leaders on charges of genocide.
- Finally, Terris explores how Goldstone became a controversial figure in the wake of the Jewish jurist’s powerful, but flawed, investigation of Israel for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Richard Goldstone’s dramatic life story reveals that even in a world rife with prejudice, nationalism, and contempt for human rights, one courageous man can advance the cause of justice.
All are welcome. Refreshments will be served. Book sale and signing to follow the event. Books will be available for purchase at a special discounted price.
Order the book today!
This event is cosponsored by African and African American Studies, the Crown Center for Middle East Studies, International and Global Studies, Legal Studies, Near Eastern and Judaic Studies, and the Social Justice and Social Policy Program. For more information, please contact ethics@brandeis.edu.