The Brandeis Law Society Foundation has named Temple Law student Michael Besmer ’15 the 2014 Mayer Horwitz Scholarship Award recipient for his ongoing commitment to community service. 

Michael has made service a central part of his life since middle school, when he spent much of his free time volunteering on the Alzheimer’s wing of a local geriatric facility.  He continued his commitment to the facility even after his family relocated to Moscow during his high school years, returning each summer when school let out.  In college at Duke, Michael worked with Habitat for Humanity and raised money through his fraternity for Children’s Miracle Network.

Here at Temple Law, Michael has a leadership role in the Temple Jewish Law Students Association and participates in service events through that organization as well as the Brandeis Law Society.  He is also active as a member of the Collaborative, the Grad Network, and the East Falls Community Council, and helps to serve Jewish seniors in Philadelphia Shabbat meals at the Jewish Community Services Building.

Michael credits his Jewish faith with inspiring his commitment to service:  “As a Jew, the values of giving tzedakah and performing mitzvahs have been engrained throughout my life and I have diligently tried to uphold these values to the best of my abilities….my wife and I remain committed to various philanthropic Jewish causes and we have discussed providing our respective services to those in need on a pro bono basis in our professional future. I look forward to being able to do just that with my law degree upon graduation.”

The Mayer Horwitz Scholarship Award is given annually by the Brandeis Law Society Foundation, which is the charitable arm of the Louis D. Brandeis Law Society. The Society works to advance and enrich the personal and professional interests of its members of the Bench and Bar, and to promote opportunities for leadership development, social interaction, education and community service.