Guy Ziv named Helen and Daniel Sonenshine Professor of Israel Studies
On September 30th, the Center for Israel Studies (CIS) at AU launched Professor Guy Ziv’s new endowed professorship, The Helen and Daniel Sonenshine Professor of Israel Studies.
“Professor Ziv is a world-renowned scholar and a professor popular among students and colleagues,” said Professor Michael Brenner, Director of CIS. “The named professorship is a recognition of his outstanding research and teaching and his long-standing commitment for AU."
Professor Ziv, who will remain the associate director of CIS as well as an associate professor with SIS’s Department of Foreign Policy and Global Security, hopes to use this professorship to advance the work of CIS and provide a space for students to engage with Israel in a multifaceted way during a polarized time.
“Interest in Israel on North American college campuses has never been stronger, yet at most universities, courses and programs that engage with the country from a rigorous, intellectually pluralistic perspective, rather than a single ideological one, remain scarce. That gap makes Israel Studies more necessary, particularly in this highly polarized climate, than when the field first emerged. I’m proud to be part of a vibrant center at AU – the first such center, inaugurated by the late statesman Shimon Peres in 1998 – that continues to shed light rather than heat and enables our students to learn about Israel in a serious manner. I look forward to building on that work with this new professorship,” said Professor Ziv.
The gift for the professorship was donated by Helen and Daniel Sonenshinem, who have been an active part of the AU community after they moved to DC in retirement. Helen, an economist, has served on several boards of philanthropic associations. Daniel, a retired biologist, is one of the world’s leading experts on tick-borne diseases and still offers his voluntary services to the National Institute of Health.
The Center for Israel Studies at AU is dedicated to research and teaching about Israel, including both its Jewish and its Palestinian citizens. This semester, CIS is hosting Professor Mohammad Darawshe, a leading activist for a shared society for all citizens in Israel, and will organize an international conference on this topic in November.