Recognizing Jewish Heritage: Ian Wendrow, 2L

Ian Wendrow, 2L, worked as a freelance journalist reporting on environmental justice before deciding to pursue a law degree. “I felt like I wasn’t making as much of an impact as I could just reporting on environmental issues. Even if, in the future, I’m just representing one person, I’ll be able to see the tangible difference I’m making in people’s lives.”

Wendrow, the grandson of a holocaust survivor, has been inspired by his Jewish faith throughout his legal education and is interested in reviving the Jewish Law Students Association. “There’s a very strong overlap between Jewish practice and history and the law. Besides the Torah, there’s the Talmud, which is a compilation of rabbinic discussion for several centuries. And it’s everything from kosher law to whether it’s okay to take doubles of wine at shabbat.”

“Our faith is not only about study but putting it into practice and emphasizing the faith through deeds. It is important for me, as I go into practicing law, that what I do positively reflects on my heritage.”

Wendrow also revived the Detroit Mercy Law chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, which seeks to bring together law students dedicated to harnessing the law as a tool to advance social justice and social movements. He also has worked as an extern at the Great Lakes Environmental Law Center.