This book, written on the occasion of Israel's 50th Anniversary, underlines the tension between Israel, the unique Jewish State among nations, and Israel, a nation like many others. On the one hand, it analyzes her special features: the founding of the State, Israel's contributions to the development of the Law of Nations, and her complex relations with the United Nations. On the other hand, it cautions against originality where harmony is required. Citizens can only enjoy their rights and freedoms if constitutionalism and constitutional values are given a firm legal basis. Legislation and...

Dedicated to the memory of Peter E. Nygh (1933 2002), this book contains thirty original contributions authored by prominent private international law lawyers from all over the globe. Their themes include private international law, international litigation, arbitration, uniform law and European legal integration. Their treatises and approaches vary from thematic, in-depth studies to studies of a comparative nature. Born in Hamburg, Germany, and raised in the Netherlands and in Australia where his academic career started, Peter Nygh was one of the few scholars with excellent knowledge of both...

The volume is based on a symposium that took place in the Hamburg Max Planck Institute for Comparative and International Private Law. It has to be seen in the context of the international renaissance of the concept of codification. When the State of Israel was founded in 1948, it was essentially a common law jurisdiction. Since then, Israeli private law has continuously moved closer towards the model of the civilian systems of Continental Europe. It has now, for the first time, been laid down in a comprehensive and systematic Draft Civil Code. In an introductory article, Aharon Barak, the...