The Association for Israel Studies is an international scholarly society, chartered in the U.S., devoted to the academic and professional study of Israel. The Association's membership is composed of scholars from all disciplines in the social sciences and many in the humanities.

PURPOSE

Formed in 1985, the Association for Israel Studies is an international, interdisciplinary scholarly society devoted to the academic and professional study of modern Israel. AIS is open to all individuals who are engaged in, or share an interest in, scholarly inquiry about Israel, the Zionist movement, the Yishuv, and pre-state Palestine more broadly. The Association's membership is composed of scholars from all disciplines in the social sciences and many in the humanities. The Association is committed to academic freedom and freedom of expression.

SCHOLARLY AFFILIATIONS

AIS also sponsors panels at meetings of the International Studies Association and the American Political Science Association (APSA). Since 2016 the AIS is an affiliated member organization of the American Historical Association (AHA). It is authorized to participate in the work of AHA, through such activities as the organization of panels and workshops at the annual AHA conference. Since 2016 the AIS is an affiliated member organization of the Association for Jewish Studies (AJS). In Israel, AIS works in cooperation with various scholarly associations, institutes and universities.

INSTITUTIONAL MEMBERS 2023

GOLD:

• Center for Israeli Studies, American University

• Schusterman Center for Israel Studies, Brandeis University

• Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies, Concordia University

• The Michael and Elaine Serling Institute for Jewish Studies and Modern Israel at Michigan State University

• The Taub Center for Israel Studies, New York University

• Department of Israel Studies, University of Haifa (English program), (Hebrew program)

SILVER:

• The Ben–Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel & Zionism, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

• The Crown Family Center for Jewish and Israel Studies, Northwestern University 

• Department of Jewish Studies & The Allen and Joan Blinder Center for the Study of Jewish Life, Rutgers University

• The Arizona Center for Judaic Studies, The University of Arizona

• Institute for Israel Studies/Schusterman Center for Jewish Studies University, The University of Texas at Austin

• The Helen Diller Institute for Jewish Law and Israel Studies, University of California, Berkeley

• The Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

• The Program in Jewish Culture and Society, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

• Gildenhorn Institute for Israel Studies, University of Maryland

• The Schwalb Center for Israel & Jewish Studies, University of Nebraska

• Mosse/Weinstein Center for Jewish Studies, University of Wisconsin-Madison

AFFILIATE MEMBERS 2023

• Avda Center 

• Heksherim Research Institute for Jewish and Israeli Literature & Culture, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

• Judaic Studies, University of Cincinnati 

• Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, University of Connecticut

• Center for Jewish Studies, Wesleyan University 

BY-LAWS OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR ISRAEL STUDIES 

PRESIDENT 
Dr. Raphel Cohen-Almagor
Chair in Politics, and Director of the Middle East Study Group (MESG)
Hull University, CANADA
R.Cohen-Almagor@hull.ac.uk

VICE-PRESIDENT 
Dr. Csaba Nikolenyi
Professor of Political Science and Director of the Azrieli Institute of Israel Studies
Concordia University, CANADA
csaba.nikolenyi@concordia.ca

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Dr. Asaf Shamis
Department of Israel Studies
University of Haifa, ISRAEL
ashamis@staff.haifa.ac.il

EDITOR, ISRAEL STUDIES REVIEW
Dr. Oded Haklai
Director of the Laboratory for Ethnic Conflict Research
Comparative Politics, International Relations
Queen’s University, CANADA
haklai@queensu.ca

EDITOR, ISRAEL STUDIES REVIEW
Dr. Adia Mendelson-Maoz
Department of Literature, Language and Arts
The Open University of Israel, ISRAEL
adiamen@openu.ac.il

BOOK REVIEW EDITOR, ISRAEL STUDIES REVIEW
Dr. Rami Zeedan
Jewish Studies Program
University of Kansas, USA
rzeedan@ku.edu

ASSISTANT TO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

Stephanie Colley

Department of Israel Studies
University of Haifa, ISRAEL

scolley@campus.haifa.ac.il

COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER
Ronnie Tal
comm@aisisraelstudies.org

AIS CONFERENCE COORDINATOR
Anina Selve
conf@aisisraelstudies.org

Arieh Saposnik, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (2021-2023)

Yael Aronoff, Michigan State University (2019-2021)

Donna Robinson Divine, Smith College (2017-2019)

Ilan Troen, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Brandeis University (2015-2017)

Menachem Hofnung, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2013-2015)

Gad Barzilai, University of Washington and University of Haifa (2011-2013)

Aviva Halamish, The Open University of Israel (2009-2011)

Rachel Brenner, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2007-2009)

Alan Dowty, University of Notre Dame (2005-2007)

Joel Migdal, University of Washington (2003-2005)

Gershon Shafir, Univeristy of California, San Diego (2001- 2003)

Hanna Herzog, Tel-Aviv University (1999-2001)

Pnina Lahav, Boston University (1997-1999)

Ilan Peleg, Lafayette College (1995-1997)

Ian Lustick, University of Pennsylvania (1993-1995)

Gregory Mahler, University of Mississippi (1991-1993)

Mark Tessler, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (1989-1991)

Robert Freedman, Baltimore Hebrew University (1987-1989)

Myron Aronoff, Rutgers University (1985-1987)

AIS contact information:

By Mail:

University of Haifa
Department of Israel Studies
Eshkol Tower, 1407
199 Abba Khoushy Ave.
Haifa, 3498838
Israel

By Email:

ais@aisisraelstudies.org