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About
Regina Tapoohi is an Australian-born Israeli attorney who immigrated to Israel in 1979 with her husband Izzy Tapoohi and their four children, fulfilling their Zionist aspirations. She holds an LL.B. and B.A. in Economics, Philosophy, and Law from the University of Melbourne, as well as a Dip. Ed. from the Victorian Teachers College. Before immigration, she lived in Melbourne, Australia, where she studied and taught English and Social Studies in technical high schools, later moving to Sydney in 1976 to run an import handicraft business. In Israel, she interned with Judge Menahem Goldberg at the National Labour Court in 1992 and in the International Department of the State Attorney’s Office. Admitted to the Israeli Bar in 1994, she worked in the International Department of the Advice and Legislature Office under the Attorney-General, addressing human rights issues from NGOs like Amnesty International. She then transferred to the State Attorney’s Office International Department, specializing in trans-border criminal law, including extradition, legal assistance, Hague Convention child abductions, and prisoner transfers. She led the implementation of the European Convention on the Transfer of Sentenced Persons in Israel in 1998 and represented Israel in international forums on prisoner transfers and cross-border child kidnappings. Elected to the Executive Board of the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (IAJLJ) in 2015, she has served since 2013 as Senior Delegate to the UN for IAJLJ, attending sessions, liaising with the Israeli UN mission, organizing events including a UN side event on UNRWA, and coordinating volunteers. She also organizes events for lawyers in the New York area and is an active member and donor to the Park East Synagogue in New York, NY, alongside her husband, including support for the Birthright Israel Foundation.