Derek Penslar

Derek Penslar, born in nineteen fifty-eight, is a distinguished American-Canadian historian and university educator renowned for his expertise in the intricate relationship between modern Israel and diaspora Jewish societies. His scholarly pursuits also encompass global nationalist movements, European colonialism, and the dynamics of post-colonial states.

Raised in Los Angeles, Penslar pursued his undergraduate studies at Stanford University before earning his PhD in history from the University of California at Berkeley. Under the mentorship of notable advisors such as Richard Webster, Amos Funkenstein, and Gerald Feldman, he honed his academic focus and began his teaching career at Indiana University in Bloomington from nineteen eighty-seven to nineteen ninety-eight.

In nineteen ninety-eight, he transitioned to Toronto, where he took on the prestigious Samuel J. Zacks Chair in Jewish History at the University of Toronto. His academic journey continued as he became the inaugural holder of the Stanley Lewis Chair of Israel Studies at the University of Oxford from twenty twelve to twenty sixteen, contributing to both the Department of Politics and International Relations and the School of Interdisciplinary Area Studies.

Currently, Penslar serves as the William Lee Frost Professor of Jewish History at Harvard University, where he is also a resident faculty member at the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies. In addition, he directs the Center for Jewish Studies at Harvard. Recently, he was appointed to co-chair Harvard's Presidential Task Force on Combating Antisemitism, a role that has sparked significant public discourse due to his previous involvement in an open letter opposing certain Israeli government actions.