Former Political Adviser To Late Israel Prime Minister Rabin Tapped To Lead New Institute For Israel Studies At The University Of Maryland

For Immediate ReleaseSeptember 30, 2009Contacts: Nicky Everette, 301-405-6714 or meve@umd.edu

For Immediate Release
September 30, 2009
Contacts: Nicky Everette, 301-405-6714 or meve@umd.edu
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Dr. Yoram Peri, former political adviser to late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and former editor-in-chief of the Israeli daily, Davar, joins the University of Maryland’s College of Arts and Humanities as the director of the new Joseph and Alma Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies as well as Abraham S. and Jack Kay Chair of Israel studies. Peri will be responsible for advancing the institute’s tripartite mission of teaching, research and outreach to public and policy communities.

“Dr. Peri’s arrival on campus has been much anticipated given his exceptional credentials and first-hand knowledge and experience of Israel and the Middle East,” said Dean James F. Harris in a letter to college supporters. “This appointment further strengthens not only our ability to deliver the very best teaching and research in Israel studies, but also further underscores our strength in resources dedicated to the study of the various regions in the Middle East.”

Peri said the institute will particularly focus on making the policy community, as well as the general public, aware of the ongoing policy debates within Israel and their effect on Israeli society. “My intent is to enrich public discourse of both policy and academic elements of the fairly new field of Israel studies by making a home at the institute for both scholars and policy experts,”  Peri said.

Peri has had a long career in academia, focusing primarily on Israeli society, politics, military, and the media. He most recently served as head of the Chaim Herzog Institute for Media, Politics, and Society at Tel Aviv University, where he was also professor of Political Sociology and Communication. A former senior fellow at the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University and at the U.S. Institute for Peace in Washington, D.C., Peri has also held visiting appointments at Harvard University, Dartmouth College, American University and the Hebrew University. 

Peri began his career nearly 30 years ago and has since authored two dozen chapters in scholarly books, 17 refereed journal articles, 10 monographs and five books. His most recent book, “Generals in the Cabinet Room: How the Military Shapes Israel Policy,” was given the “Best of the Best” award in 2007 by the Association of American University Presses and, “Brothers at War: The Rabin’s Assassination and the Cultural War in Israel,” won both the 2006 award for best book in the social sciences from the Israeli Political Science Association as well as the 2005 “Prime Minister’s Prize.” 

Parallel to his academic appointments, Peri has held a career as a journalist, served as president of Israel’s Association of Daily Newspaper Editors and as a member of the Press Council. He earned his B.A. and M.A. from Hebrew University and his Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, in Political Science and Sociology.

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