Aharon Topper
Aharon was born and raised in Jerusalem, Israel, where he lives with his wife and daughter. He studied at Keshet, the first mixed religious-secular high school in Israel and then in the yeshivot of Petach Tikvah and Otniel. Drafted into the IDF, Aharon served first as a combat soldier in the Golani brigade befoe going on to become an intelligence officer. Following his army service Aharon studied law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (graduating magna cum laude), where he also served as editor-in-chief of Hukim: Journal of Legislation. Aharon has worked in various capacities in both the government sector (Office of the Deputy Attorney General (Criminal Law) and High Court of Justice Division at the State Attorney's office) and private sector (litigation department at Yigal Arnon and Co.). This combination has given him a unique perspective of the law, and how, by using the most up-to-date legal tools, it can be utilized to solve acute social problems and advance human rights. Aharon currently serves as a senior law clerk of the Chief Justice of Israeli Supreme Court, the Hon. Esther Hayut. Aharon has been involved in various social initiatives: he is a graduate of several leadership programs including MEET (Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow), which brings Israeli and Palestinian youth together through hi-tech and entrepreneurship; and LEAD – Young Israeli Leadership Development.. He was a founding member of Ore to Excellence, a nonprofit that promotes excellence in education, and served on its advisory board for a decade. Today Aharon is active in a grassroots initiative named Osim Galim (Making Waves) aimed at developing discourse based on mutual understanding rather than aggressiveness and oneupmanship, throughout all sectors of Israeli society.