Judge Escorts Diverse Legal Group to Israel

Judge Stacey Hydrick escorted 19 legal professionals from Atlanta to experience Israel up close on a weeklong mission beginning Nov. 16. The group included Georgia Supreme Court justices, superior court judges, the president of the Georgia NAACP, president of the Georgia State Bar, and many other well-respected attorneys.

The participants were Black, white, Jewish, non-Jewish, men, women, conservatives, and liberals. Hydrick recalled, “The number of burned homes, bullet holes in the walls, ceilings and floors, and the level of destruction was nothing like I had ever seen. While we have all seen some footage from Oct. 7, seeing the sites in person is indescribable.”

Note that the entire trip was funded by the Consul General of the Southeast/Israeli Foreign Ministry.

What made this mission unique was its deep dive into Israeli law. The group visited the Israeli Supreme Court and met with justices and members of the Ministry of Justice, including an international law expert and the district attorney tasked with prosecuting the Oct. 7 attacks.

Hydrick concluded, “The most interesting thing was that Israel doesn’t have jury trials. All cases, civil and criminal, are heard by either a single judge or a panel of three judges … completely opposite of what we do here the U.S. I often spend days picking a jury on a complex murder or rape trial. And then, we often wait days for a jury to return a verdict, which must be unanimous.”

The group met with IDF soldiers who described the measures taken to ensure that every operation complies with Israeli and international law; and they learned how the IDF coordinates truckloads of aid brought into Gaza post-Oct. 7. Hydrick was impressed with the ALMA research center on the Lebanon border that tracks open-source information and provides intelligence on threats to Israel from Hezbollah and other terrorist groups, followed by a session with a Druze judge who spoke about their culture and unwavering loyalty to Israel.

Hydrick related, “The Druze don’t share much detail about their beliefs, as they are kept secret. They are amazing, monotheistic, serve in the IDF, believe in equality for men and women, and in reincarnation.”

To round out the experience, Hydrick made sure to include Christian sites. “We visited the Church of the Holy Sepulcher where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected … the Christian participants touched the marble slab that was placed over the limestone burial site where Jesus was buried. Visiting this church was as emotional for them as praying at the Kotel was for we Jews. Personally, I loved watching them experience something so meaningful and important to them.”

Two non-Jews in the group left with these comments: “My recent trip to Israel took me to the site of the Nova Festival, and I’m still processing everything I saw there. Standing on that ground, hearing directly from the people who lived through the devastation of Oct. 7 — it changes you. Witnessing the aftermath up close doesn’t just inform you … it shifts your entire outlook. I’m grateful for the opportunity to learn, to listen, and to carry these stories forward.”

“It is hard to put to words the experience. Life changing best fits. We had a curated experience through the different regions and terrains of Israel: to bear witness to the horrors of Oct. 7, and the enduring beauty and patriotism of the Israeli people. It truly was a lifetime opportunity to be a part of the delegation and to see Israel through factual and direct lenses.”

After visiting the kibbutzim attacked on Oct. 7, Eric Fisher, a Jewish participant stated, “I was struck by the devastation at Kibbutz Kfar Aza. To see a community dedicated to building peace torn apart like it was shook me. And knowing that so much of that destruction was set up by many of the very people whom the kibbutz members were trying to help has made me rethink whether peace will ever be possible.”