By Levi D’Amato
Dr. Or Honig is joining the Bud Shorstein Center for Jewish Studies as an Israel Institute Visiting Scholar. He will teach courses on Israel focusing on Israeli diplomacy and security concerns, and he will be with the center for the next three academic years. His courses will be cross-listed with Political Science.
Honig has taught at Tel Aviv University in the political science and security studies programs. He has published numerous articles on intelligence, counterterrorism, and Middle East politics.
“I love history, but as a political scientist, my goal is to compare, conceptualize, and create models to understand how the world works,” says Honig. “My teaching is driven by this passion for both the concrete knowledge of the region and the ability to generalize and apply broader rules.”
Honig’s courses use different approaches to international diplomacy and Israel on the world stage. He is interested in comparing Israeli wars, conflicts, and historical figures to similar situations in elsewhere. For example, Honig looks at the Irish-British conflict in comparison with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to stimulate theoretical conversations. He also compares David Ben-Gurion to Winston Churchill in terms of his leadership characteristics during the Israeli 1948 war.
“One of the courses I’m most excited about this fall semester is “Israel and the World,” Honig says. “It’s not just about diplomatic history; it’s about understanding the complex and unique interactions Israel has with various countries, societies, and cultures.” This fall Honig will also teach “International Relations of the Middle East,” which brings students a wider understanding of the region, while developing their theoretical knowledge.
“It is critical that US universities have the resources to offer serious and objective courses on Israel,” said Professor Norman JW Goda, Director of the Shorstein Center.
In the spring 2025 semester, Honig will teach two courses, titled “Intelligence and National Security” and “Israeli Policy and Conflict in Comparative Perspective.” These courses involve critical thinking and make historical parallels between current and past events. They examine how the Israeli intelligence community and how it has evolved over time.
“Dr. Honig will fit in wonderfully because he is a political scientist who studies the hard-core issues surrounding Israeli security and diplomacy,” said Goda. “His courses are an important supplement to what is already a very fine academic program on Israel in the Shorstein Center. It includes offerings from Dr. Roy Holler in Israeli literature and film, Yehoshua Ecker in Palestine before 1948, Iris Cohen on Israeli culture and media, and Patricia Sohn on internal Israeli politics.”
Honig’s appointment is made possible through the generosity of the Israel Institute, David and Julie Marco, and Richard and Louise Weiner.