Menahem Ben-Sasson

Menahem Ben-Sasson is a historian and Chancellor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he previously served as Rector (1997–2001) and President (2009–2017). He studied Jewish history and Islamic studies at the Hebrew University, obtaining his doctorate in 1982, and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Cambridge. His research focuses on the social and intellectual history of medieval Jewish communities in the Islamic world, particularly Jewish religious thought, Maimonides and the Cairo Genizah. He has held visiting appointments at several international universities and served as President of the World Union for Jewish Studies. From 2006 to 2009, he was a member of the Israeli Knesset and chaired its Constitution, Law and Justice Committee. His distinctions include the Ben-Zvi Prize for Jewish History, the Feher Prize and the Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2017).