BackThe Office of the Israel Ombudsman, in conjunction with the College of Safed Law School in northern Israel, is operating a clinic for law students on the subject: The Office of the Israel Ombudsman. The purpose of the clinic is to increase awareness of the Ombudsman's Office among residents of northern Israel, an area with a high concentration of minority populations including Arabs and new immigrants.
Statistically, northern residents submit fewer complaints per capita than residents in other geographical regions of the country. The clinic exposes law students to the important role of the Ombudsman in ensuring individual rights and improving administrative practices in the public sector.
A clinical instructor from the Office of the Israel Ombudsman and a professional moderator from the College lead the clinic together. The Head of the Israel Ombudsman's Office, Dr. Esther Ben-Haim, Adv., and the Deputy Head Ms. Ronit Zandberg, Adv., delivered lectures to students of the College participating in the clinic and in other clinics aimed at assisting the public.
The law student members of the clinic, who include both speakers of Hebrew and Arabic, are assigned to aid existing local rights organizations by receiving the public and referring appropriate complaints to the Ombudsman's Office. Topics studied by the students include analysis of the Ombudsman's jurisdiction, principles of administrative law, procedures for accepting complaints, dealing with challenging complainants and more.
The Ombudsman, Mr. Matanyahu Englman, believes in the importance of addressing complaints of members of minority groups and that the clinic will promote accessibility to the Ombudsman's Office for residents in the north, aiding them in their efforts to receive proper public service and realize their rights. The project will also recruit student "ambassadors" to the Ombudsman's Office who are sensitive to the rights of the disadvantaged.
At this time the Ombudsman is considering similar programs with additional academic institutions.
Source: Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman, Israel
