September 5, 2025
Roni Kuban
The Jules and Gwen Knapp Family Visiting Professorship
SDSU Department of Journalism (Fall 2025)
Roni Kuban is a journalist, director, playwright, and one of the most prominent television documentarists and interviewers in Israel, winning the Israel TV and Film Academy Award six years in a row.
Dekel Shay Schory
The Gloria and Rod Stone Visiting Professorship
SDSU Department of English and Comparative Literature (Fall 2025)
Dr. Dekel Shay Schory teaches Literature at Ben Gurion University. Following her passion for Israeli Graphic Literature, she has researched the short history of the genre in Israel and teaches courses on the subject. She is a senior editor for the Hebrew Literature Department at the Kinneret-Zmora-Dvir Publishing House.
Erez Ben-Yosef
The Mitch and Sara Wagner Visiting Professorship
SDSU Department of History (Fall 2025)
Dr. Erez Ben-Yosef teaches Archaeology at Tel Aviv University. He directs the Central Timna Valley Project and has been featured on the History Channel and Smithsonian Magazine.
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Yuval Avivi
The Robin and Leo Eisenberg Visiting Professorship
SDSU Department of English and Comparative Literature (Spring 2026)
Yuval Avivi is a writer, editor, literary critic, and radio host based in Tel Aviv. He is the editor and presenter of a daily literary show and regularly lectures at cultural and literary events at the National Library of Israel and other prominent cultural institutions. His writings have been featured in Haaretz, Globes, Al-Monitor, Mako, Timeout Tel Aviv, and more.
Udi Sommer
The Jean and Gary Shekhter Visiting Professorship
UCSD Department of Political Science (Winter 2026)
Dr. Udi Sommer teaches Political Science, Government, and International Relations at Tel Aviv University, where he is Head of the Barak Leadership Center. His research focuses on comparative politics, American politics, public law, and political methodology. He has received numerous grants and fellowships and regularly presents at major conferences worldwide.
Adi Shany
The Elaine and Peter Chortek z”l Visiting Professorship
UCSD Department of Economics and School of Management (Spring 2026)
Dr. Adi Shany teaches Economics at Tel Aviv University. Focusing on Israel, she examines how varied early-life interventions and circumstances affect individual human capital and health outcomes both in the short and long term.
Dan Rabinowitz
The Beverly and Joseph Glickman z”l Visiting Professorship
UCSD Department of Anthropology (Spring 2026)
Dr. Dan Rabinowitz teaches Anthropology and Sociology at Tel Aviv University and the Arava Institute. His fields of interest include the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the environment. He is an advocate for a multi-and interdisciplinary approach to environmental studies. Along with dozens of academic articles, he published the first comprehensive book in Hebrew about global warming.
Meir Edrey
The Joan z”l and Irwin Jacobs Visiting Professorship
UCSD Department of Archaeology (Winter 2026)
Dr. Meir Edrey is Professional Director and a research associate of the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies. He is also an adjunct lecturer in the Department of Maritime Civilizations. His research focuses on Maritime Civiliations in Ancient Israel.
Learn more here
Salon Dinner Reception:
Meet the Fall 2025 Visiting Professors
Wednesday, September 17 | 6 – 8 PM
At a Private Home in La Jolla
We warmly invite our Salon members to a private dinner reception to meet our Fall 2025 Israeli luminaries.
Learn more here.
RSVP by emailing Program Manager Hilary Taylor at hilary@mgsdii.org.
Not yet a Salon member?
Support Israel Studies at the $1,000 level annually to become a Salon member and receive invitations to our exclusive events throughout the year.
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