schiff@bgu.ac.il
Orcid: 0000-0002-4164-799X
Ofer Shiff is a professor of Jewish history at Ben Gurion University, where he served as director of the Ben Gurion research Institute for the Studies of Israel and Zionism from 2001 to 2004. He also served as the head of "Israel Studies Program" and he currently serves as the co-editor of the Hebrew periodical Iyunim Bitkumat Israel, and as the head of the Ben-Gurion Institute University Press.
He is the author of Survival through Integration: American Reform Jewish Universalism and the Holocaust (Brill, 2005) and the Downfall of Abba Hillel Silver and the Foundation of Israel (Syracuse University Press, 2014). Shiff's main research interest is the understanding of the complex relations between homeland and diaspora. Until recently the focus of his research was on aspects of the American-Jewish copings with Israel and various related issues such as Zionism, Jewish sovereignty, Aliya, Holocaust consciousness, negation of Galut and the quest for a “new Jew". The current emphasis of his research is on the Israeli side of the homeland-diaspora equation. He currently leads a research group that focuses on the challenges posed by the Jewish world as they are perceived in different periods and by various social, cultural and political groups within Israeli society. His most recent publications in this area were two volumes in Hebrew, which he edited, on Homeland and Diaspora relations (“Homeland in Exile" and “Israeli Exiles")
Shiff's main research interest is the understanding of the complex relations between homeland and diaspora. Until recently the focus of his research was on aspects of the American-Jewish copings with Israel and various related issues such as Zionism, Jewish sovereignty, Aliya, Holocaust consciousness, negation of Galut and the quest for a “new Jew". The current emphasis of his research is on the Israeli side of the homeland-diaspora equation. He currently leads a research group that focuses on the challenges posed by the Jewish world as they are perceived in different periods and by various social, cultural and political groups within Israeli society. His most recent publications in this area were two volumes in Hebrew, which he edited, on Homeland and Diaspora relations (“Homeland in Exile" and “Israeli Exiles")
Selected List of Publications
Authored Books:
1. Ofer Shiff (2001) יהודים משתלבים, אוניברסליזם אמריקני מול ציונות אנטישמיות ושואה Assimilation in Pride: Anti-Semitism, Holocaust and Zionism as a Challenge to the American Jewish Reform Ideology, The Weizmann Institute for the Study of Zionism (TAU), the Ben-Gurion Research Center (BGU), the Arnold and Leona Finkler Institute of Holocaust Research (Bar-Ilan University), and Am-Oved Publishing House (Hebrew)
2. Ofer Shiff (2005) Survival through Integration, American Reform Jewish Universalism and the Holocaust, Brill cademic Publishers, (English)
3. Ofer Shiff (2010) הציונות של המנוצחים, המסע של אבא הלל סילבר אל מעבר ללאומיות The Defeated Zionist – Abba Hillel Silver and his attempt to transcend Jewish Nationalism, Resling Publishing House, (Hebrew).
4. Ofer Shiff (2014), The Downfall of Abba Hillel Silver and the Foundation of Israel, Syracuse University Press.
References to published reviews of books:
1. Bat Ami Zucker (2002) 'היה יהודי בביתך ואוניברסליסט בצאתך' 'Be a Jew in your home and a universalist outside it" Musaf Haaretz Sfarim, June 5, 2002.
2. Leon Shelef (2003) 'על יהודים משתלבים: אוניברסליזם רפורמי אמריקני מול ציונות אנטישמיות ושואה מאת עופר שיף', 'About Ofer Shiff's "Assimilation in Pride"' Israeli Sociology 5: 260-272
3. Haviva Halamish (2003),'ציונות ושואה' 'Zionism and Holocaust:O. Shiff, Yehudim Mishtalvim, Gesher :14695-98
4. Gavriel Alexander (2003), 'המתח בין התנועה הרפורמית לציונות, עופר שיף "יהודים משתלבים"', 'The Tension between the Reform Movement and Zionism' Kivunim Hadashim Vol. 9: 238-241
5. Allon Gal, (2003) "Integration as a means for Survival" ''השתלבות כהשרדות, Zemanin 80: 104-108
6. Mira Katzburg-Yungman (2003), 'Book Reveiew on O. Shiff Yehudim Mishtalvim', Nativ no. 91:97
7. Dalia Karpel (2010) "Silver Lining" Musaf Haaretz, May 13, 2010.
8. Eric Herschthal (2010) "The Best Critique of Beinart Yet", The Jewish Week, May 6, 2010.
9. Zohar Segev (2010) 'לאומיות של פזורה: סיפורה של היהדות האמריקנית בצל השואה והקמתה של מדינת ישראל, על ציונות של המנוצחים: המסע של אבא הלל סילבר אל מעבר ללאומיות מאת עופר שיף, 'Diaspora nationalism: the Story of American Jewry in the aftermath of the Holocaust and the foundation of Israel,Israel vol. 17: 277-282.
10. Chaim Waxman (2011) 'עופר שיף, הציונות של המנוצחים: המסע של אבא הלל סילבר אל מעבר ללאומיות' Ofer Shiff 'The defeated Zionist: Abba Hillel Silver and his attempt to transcend Jewish Nationalism'. Identities - Journal for Jewish Culture and Identity vol. 1: 121-124
11. Seth J. franzman (2014) 'American Prophet?' Jerusalem Post, May, 8, 2014.
12. Martin Lockshin, (2014) 'Rabbi Silver, Israel and the Diaspora', The Canadian Jewish News, May 22, 2014.
13. Seth J. franzman (2014) “The Downfall of Abba Hillel Silver', The Jewish Book World Magazine, October 10, 2014
14. M. M. Silver (2015) “The Downfall of Abba Hillel Silver", The Journal of Israeli History, 2015, Vol 34, No. 1, 109-116.
15. Abraham Hoffman (2016) “The Downfall of Abba Hillel Silver", Western States Jewish History 48 (Spring/Summer)
16. Hagit Cohen (2016) , Zion, A Quarterly for Research in Jewish History, issue 2: 272-277
(b) Editoroship or collective volumes:
1. Eliezer Ben Raphael, Avi Bar-Eli and Meir Chazan and Ofer Shiff (2009) היהודים בהווה: כינוס ופיזור The Jewish People Today: Ingathering an Dispersion, Yad Izhak Ben Zvi (Hebrew)
2. Ofer Shiff (2014) מולדות בגולהHomelands in Exile, Iyunim Bitkumat Israel, Thematic Series (9), Ben-Gurion University Press.
3. Ofer Shiff (2014) גלויות ישראליותIsraeli Exiles, Iyunim Bitkumat Israel, Thematic Series (10), Ben-Gurion University Press
(c) Refereed articles in collective volumes:
1. Ofer Shiff (2003) 'Jewish Continuity, from the Reform-Judaism Perspective', in Ben-Rafael and Ro'i, Y.
(eds.) Contemporary Jewries: Convergence versus Divergence, 2003, Brill Academic Publishers, pp. 161-180 (English)
2. Ofer Shiff (2005)'התמודדותה של התנועה הרפורמית האמריקנית עם השואה 1933-1948' 'The American Reform
Movement's Coping with the Holocaust, 1933-1948", in The Holocaust in Jewish History, Hitoriography, Historical Consciousness and Interpretation, Yisrael Gutman (ed.) Yad Vashem, pp. 423-451.(Hebrew)
3. Ofer Shiff (2006) "The Challenge of Secularism to Jewish Survival in Abba Hillel Silver's Thinking", in
Thomas Gergely, Eliezer Ben-Rafael and Yosef Gorny (eds.), Contemporary Jewries: Judaism between Tradition and Secularism, Brill, pp. 173-185 (English).
4. Ofer Shiff (2009)מודל הפלורליזם התרבותי במנהיגותו של בא הלל סילבר' ' 'The Cultural Pluralism Model in Abba
Hillel Silver's Leadership', in The Jewish People Today: Ingathering an Dispersion, Avi Barelli, Meir Chazan and Ofer Shiff (eds), Yad Izhak Ben Zvi, pp. 335-349 (Hebrew)
5. Ofer Shiff (2010) 'Cultural Pluralism as an American Zionist Option for Solidarity and its Relevance for
Today's European Jewry' in Julius H. Schoeps and Olaf Glockner (eds.), A Road to Nowhere? Jewish Experiences in Unifying Europe, Brill, 2011, pp. 45-61 (English)
(d) Refereed articles in scientific journals:
1. Ofer Shiff (1994) 'The Integrative Function of Early American Zionism', The Journal of Israel History, Vol.,15, no. 1: 1-16 (English).
2. Ofer Shiff (1994)'האמריקניזציה של התגובות לאנטישמיות במלחמת העולם השנייה ולאחריה' ' 'The Americanization of the Responses to Anti-Semitism in World War II and Thereafter', Gesher 129: 45-58 (Hebrew)
3. Ofer Shiff (1995) |הכשרת פרחי הוראה להתמודדות בנושא השואה' "Teaching Teachers About the Holocaust, Beshvil Hazikaron, Yad Vashem, 6: 9-11 (Hebrew)
4. Ofer Shiff (1995) 'At the Crossroads between Traditionalism and Americanism, 19th Century Philanthropic Attitude of American Jews toward Palestine', Jewish History, vol. 9, no. 1:35-51 (English).
5. Ofer Shiff (1995) 'חגיגת חגים יהודיים בגיטו ורשה כמייצגת שתי ראיות של מרי בעת השואה' 'Celebration of Jewish Holidays in the Warsaw Ghetto", Mechkarei Hag 6:164-180 (Hebrew).
6. Ofer Shiff (1995) 'מודל של מנהיגות חסידית בשואה' 'A Model of Hasidic Jewish Leadership during the Holocaust' Machanaim 8: 122-131 (Hebrew).
7. Ofer Shiff (1995) |הכשרת פרחי הוראה להתמודדות בנושא השואה' "Teaching Teachers About the Holocaust, Beshvil Hazikaron, Yad Vashem, 6: 9-11 (Hebrew)
8. Ofer Shiff, Jacob Bar-Zohar, Derora Kefir and Tali Zeiger (1996)'הכשרת פרחי הוראה להתמודדות עם נושא השואה: הערכת תוכנית והצעה למודל חדש' 'Holocaust Teaching in Teacher-Colleges - An Evaluation and Suggestion of a New Model', Dapim 23: 7-26 (Hebrew)
9. Ofer Shiff (1996) 'טקסי החנוכה כדרך התמודדות של היהדות הרפורמית-אמריקנית עם השואה' "American Reform Hanukkah Celebrations During the Holocaust", Mechkarei Hag 7, 1996: 186-195.
10. Ofer Shiff (1998) 'ארבעה ניסיונות תיווך בין טקסטים יהודיים ואמריקניים: סופרים יהודים-אמריקניים לנוכח איום האנטישמיות במלחמת העולם השנייה'' 'Four Texts of American Jewish Writers During the Holocaust attempting to bridge the gap between their Jewish and American Surroundings', Hatizyonut 21: 355-370 (Hebrew)
11. Allon Gal and Ofer Shiff (1999) 'אבא הילל סילבר: יהדות וציונות' 'Abba Hillel Silver - Judaism and Zionism', Iyunim Bitkumat Israel 8: 687-698 (Hebrew)
12. Ofer Shiff (1999) 'Jewish-Israeli Identity Between Traditional and Modern Responses to Antisemitism', in Nationality -Identity- Education The Question of National Identity in Complex Societies. Gottfried Brauer, Peter Fenn, Amos Hofmann, Itzhak Schnell, Gerhald Stephan (eds.), Hamburg: Verlag Dr. Krovac, pp. 121-144 (English)
13. Ofer Shiff (2000) 'סולידאריות יהודית אמריקנית כאידיאולוגיה של שונות' 'Different and Internal Tensions as a Basis for an Israeli-American Jewish Solidarity', Iyunim Bitkumat Israel, 10: 693-708 (Hebrew).
14. Ofer Shiff (2000) 'מבט אחר על האמריקניזציה של הציונות' A New Perspective on the Americanization of Zionism', Iyunim Bitkumat Israel , 10: 180-206 (Hebrew).
15. Ofer Shiff (2000) 'הזיקה המסורתית-דתית לארץ-ישראל : נסיונות ראשונים לאמריקניזציה' 'The Americanization of the Traditional-Religious Identification with Eretz- Israel', Gesher , 141: 47-58 (Hebrew).
16. Ofer Shiff (2000)'הדיאלקטיקה של הזיקה הרפורמית-אמריקנית המוקדמת לארץ-ישראל' 'The Dialectic Nature of the American-Reform Attitude towards Eretz Israel from the second half of the nineteenth century until the 1930s', Hatizyonut, 22: 15-36 (Hebrew).
17. Ofer Shiff (2000)'אוניברסליזם מול פרטיקולריזם: משנתו ההיסטורית של ג'וליין מורגנשטרן לנוכח השואה' “Confronting the Holocaust: Julian Morgenstern's Universalistic Teachings During the 1930's and 1940's", Dapim Le'Cheker Ha-Shoa: 60-89 (Hebrew)
18. Ofer Shiff (2005) 'הקהילה היהודית האמריקנית בפרספקטיבה של 350 שנות היסטוריה יהודית אמריקנית.' "The Question of Jewish Continuity in the Perspective of 350 Years of American Jewish History", Gesher 150: 49-57 (Hebrew)
19. Ofer Shiff (2009) 'התגובה היהודית לאנטישמיות: מנגנון בריחה או דפוס התמודדות?' 'American Jewish Response to Antisemitism after the Holocaust - A Coping Pattern or an Escape Mechanism?' Morsehet Journal for the Study of the Holocaust and Antisemitism, 3 (86): 139-154. (Hebrew)
20. Ofer Shiff (2009) 'American Jewish Response to Antisemitism after the Holocaust - A Coping Pattern or an Escape Mechanism?' Morsehet Journal for the Study of the Holocaust and Antisemitism, 7: 207-226 (English)
21. Ofer Shiff (2009) 'The Cultural Pluralism Perspective of North American Jewry during the Holocaust', in Judit Liwernat (ed.), Identities in an Era of Globalization and Multiculturalism, Brill, pp. 323-344 (English)
22. Ofer Shiff (2009)'אבא הלל סילבר ותפיסת היהודי החדש של התפוצה בעקבות הקמתה של מדינת ישראל' 'Abba Hillel Silver and Diaspora Zionism's concept of the "New Jew" after Israel's foundation' Israel vol. 16: 227-249 (Hebrew)
23. Ofer Shiff (2010) '"ומרדכי לא יכרע ולא ישתחווה": מאבקו הציוני המורכב של אבא הלל סילבר בנאציזם' '"But Mordecai Bowed Not Down" – Abba Hillel Silver's Early anti-Nazi Struggle', Iyunim Bitkumat Israel Vol. 20: 413-436 (Hebrew)
24. Ofer Shiff (2011) 'Abba Hillel Silver and David Ben-Gurion, A Diaspora Leader Challenges the Revered Status of the "Founding Father"', Studies in Ethnicity and Nationalism volume 10, issue 3: 391-421 (English)
25. Ofer Shiff (2011)'לקח השואה והתקומה בהשקפתו של אבא הלל סילבר' The Lesson of the 'Holocaust and Resurrection' in the Thought of Abba Hillel Silver', Zion, A Quarterly for Research in Jewish History, issue 4: 481-506 (Hebrew)
26 Ofer Shiff (2012) 'The influence of Abba Hillel Silver's diaspora Zionism on his decision not to immigrate to Israel', Journal of Israeli History, Vol. 31, No. 2, (September): 217-233
27. Ofer Shiff (2014) 'להמציא תקווה: שלוש נקודות מבט יהודיות אמריקניות ביקורתיות על מדינת ישראל' "To will the Impossible: Three critical American Jewish views of Israel", Theory and Criticism 42 (Spring): 289-298 (Hebrew)
