Professor Menahem Ben-Sasson recently became Chancellor of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem after serving as President for eight years. He also previously served as Rector of the university.

Professor Ben-Sasson is an internationally renowned scholar and specializes in the History of the Jewish People. He is an expert on Maimonides and has authored nearly 40 books and articles on a wide range of subjects. Among these topics are the rise of local Jewish communities in Muslim lands, the relationship between religion and economics, and law and spirituality as sources of authority in Medieval Oriental Society.

An alumnus of the Hebrew University, Professor Ben-Sasson conducted postgraduate research at England’s Cambridge University, where he was a Rothschild Fellow at the Genizah Research Unit. He was a research fellow at The Russian National Academy of Sciences, and has held the position of visiting professor at leading overseas institutions, including Yeshiva University, The Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and The University of Pennsylvania. Professor Ben-Sasson has received many academic and research awards, among these, the Yitzhak Ben-Zvi Prize for the Study of Jewish Heritage and the Feher Prize for Jewish History. During 2017, the Commander’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany was awarded to Professor Ben-Sasson for his commitment to German-Israeli relations in the field of science. He further received an Honorary Fellowship from the Israel Museum International Council.

A former member of the Israeli Knesset, Professor Ben-Sasson represented the Kadima Party. He was appointed Chairman of the Knesset’s Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, and headed the Knesset lobby for higher education. The Hebrew University’s new Chancellor has been integrally involved in government relationships involving higher education in Israel and works proactively in support of Israel’s institutions of higher learning.

Professor Ben-Sasson is married with three children and seven grandchildren.