53rd Annual George A. Katz Torch of Learning Award Luncheon

HONOREES
ROBERTA (“ROBBIE”) KAPLAN founded
Kaplan Hecker & Fink LLP in July 2017, seeking
to build what she calls a “new fashioned, old
fashioned” law firm that combines a cuttingedge
civil and criminal litigation practice with a
groundbreaking commitment to using the courts to
serve the public interest. Robbie is best known for
successfully arguing before the U.S. Supreme Court
on behalf of her client Edith Windsor in United
States v. Windsor, the landmark case in which the
Supreme Court ruled that a key provision of the
Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that barred
legally married same-sex couples from enjoying the benefits of marriage was
unconstitutional.
WELCOME
MOTZI
INTRODUCTION
GREETINGS
EVENT PROGRAM
Pamela Nadler Emmerich
National President, National Board of Directors, AFHU
Ira Lee Sorkin
Honorary President, National Board of Directors, AFHU
Frances R. Katz
National Board of Directors, AFHU
Professor Tomer Broude
Dean of the Hebrew University Faculty of Law
One of Kaplan Hecker’s first cases was Sines v. Kessler, a high-stakes lawsuit against
the neo-Nazi and white supremacist leaders who engaged in a conspiracy to commit
the racially motivated violence that took place in Charlottesville in August 2017.
Together with lawyers from Paul, Weiss and Cooley, Robbie and her team secured
a landmark $26 million jury verdict against many individuals and entities. Robbie
received her A.B. from Harvard College magna cum laude and a J.D. from Columbia
Law School (where she teaches a seminar on advanced civil procedure).
AUDREY STRAUSS represents clients in whitecollar
criminal defense and regulatory matters. Prior
to rejoining Fried Frank in 2022, Audrey served as
U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
(SDNY), where she oversaw all criminal and civil
cases. During her tenure, she spearheaded a series of
high-profile cases, including prosecutions of whitecollar
crime, securities and commodities fraud, and
official corruption. Audrey was previously Counsel
to the U.S. Attorney and Deputy US Attorney. She
initially served as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the
SDNY from 1975 through 1982, during which time
she served as the Chief of the Securities and Commodities Fraud Unit and the
Criminal Division's Chief of Appeals. In 2012, Audrey was named Vice President
and Chief Legal Officer for Alcoa. She earned her JD from Columbia Law School
in 1971, where she was a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar and a Kent Scholar. She
received her Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Barnard College.
CAMPUS VISIT
LUNCH
CONGRATULATIONS
AWARD PRESENTATION
AWARD ACCEPTANCE
AWARD PRESENTATION
AWARD ACCEPTANCE
CLOSING REMARKS
Hebrew University Faculty of Law Video
B'tayavon and Bon Appetite
Vice Chairs Congratulatory Video
Dahlia Lithwick
Roberta (Robbie) Kaplan
Torch of Learning Award Honoree
Geoffrey S. Berman
Audrey Strauss
Torch of Learning Award Honoree
H. Rodgin Cohen
2012 Torch of Learning Award Laureate
Event Co-Chair