Published:
Monday, July 21, 2014
The ACLU of Washington has many wonderful interns who assist with our work. We would like you to meet some of them.
Aaron Rabinowitz’s interest in working with the ACLU began with his grandparents’ involvement. As he grew up, they would e-mail him when the ACLU won a legislative victory, since they knew he was interested in politics. Aaron’s grandparents also took him and his cousins to see exhibitions on Japanese American internment on Bainbridge Island during World War II, reminding them that organizations like the ACLU are instrumental in preventing such civil rights violations from happening again. Aaron also joined the ACLU mailing lists at a young age, and has been an avid follower of our issues and work for a long time.
This summer, Aaron is an ACLU-WA intern focusing on criminal justice issues. He is working on the LEAD Project, a pilot program aiming to address and reform low-level drug and prostitution crimes in King County, as well as assisting on the ACLU’s ongoing efforts to repeal the death penalty.
Aaron grew up in Connecticut and Massachusetts, and spent time in Switzerland, Israel, and Italy as well due to his father’s career in medicine. During high school he became very involved with school debate and political youth groups such as Junior Statesmen of America, and two summers ago he served as research assistant to the famed Professor Alan Dershowitz from Harvard Law School. That experience increased his interest in social justice and immersed him in debates on constitutional rights.
Aaron recently returned from a year studying in Israel at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies’ Conflict Resolution Program. He gained a much more nuanced view of the Arab-Israeli conflict, and had the opportunity to do work with the Domari community of East Jerusalem, a society of gypsies that have a history of political persecution throughout the Middle East. This fall Aaron will begin studies at George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He hopes to attend law school after graduation.
In his free time Aaron likes to be active. He describes himself as a bit of a health nut, and in March completed the full Jerusalem Marathon, finishing 9th in his age category. He is very excited to go kayaking on Lake Washington and is exploring the state’s many parks and hiking trails. He also enjoys cooking, reading, and writing music.
