Ultra-Orthodox Jew is first Hassid
to be named dean of U.S. law school

Aaron Twerski was appointed dean of the Hofstra University School of Law on Tuesday, making him the first Hassidic Jew to be dean of an American law school, the New York Daily News reported this week.

Twerski earned his law degree in 1965, and has taught at Hofstra University School of Law and other law schools, including Harvard, Cornell and the University of Michigan.

“When I tried to get into the teaching profession, I faced pretty substantial discrimination,” he told the Daily News. “I was told quite directly that it was because of the way that I was dressed.”

Twerski’s said that his goals for the law school include expanding programs in business litigation, family law and international law.

Over his 40-year legal career, Twerski has become a national expert in tort law, the newspaper said. His extensive writing on the topic include 60 law review articles, five books and a tome he co-wrote that has become the de facto guide used by courts and judges in product liability lawsuits.

“I’ve always had a love for tort law that may have been spurred by my background in Talmudic law,” he said. “It’s something that all of us come into contact on a daily basis. We’ve all had some issue of personal injury.”

A descendant of two influential rabbinic lines, Twerski is also an ordained rabbi but is the first in his family not to practice.

“Professor Twerski is an ideal choice to lead our excellent law school to even greater stature,” Hofstra said in announcing the appointment. “He is a nationally and internationally renowned scholar and a revered teacher, who possesses tremendous energy, leadership ability, enthusiasm and integrity.