Department of Humanities and Arts, the Technion, and the Harry S. Truman Institute, Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

Address:  ¾ Hanarkis Street Zikhron Ya’aqov 30900
Telephone: (Home) 972-6-6291979;  Fax: 972-9-6291935
E-Mail Address: dtsimhon@actom.co.il

General Research Interests:
Minorities in the Middle East with a special reference to Christians and Jews; Jewish-Muslim relations in the Modern Middle East in the 20th century
Palestine during the Mandate
Modern history of Iraq

CURRENT RESEARCHES:
 I.    Some Aspects of the Government's Policy Toward the Arab Minority in the State of Israel 1948-1967 With a Special Reference to the Christian Arabs.
 II.   The Christians in the State of Israel, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and under the Palestinian National Autonomy - a comparative study of their social and political position.
 III. Jewish - Christian Relations in Palestine and in the State of Israel.
 IV.  Appropriating and Re-appropriating the Past: Middle Eastern Jews and Arab authors on the Jewish past and Jewish-Arab relations in the Middle East.
 V. The Jews of Modern Iraq.
 

 SCIENTIFIC PUBLICATIONS:
 A. Books
The Christian Communities in Jerusalem and the West Bank Since 1948, An Historical, Social and Political Study, New York, Praeger, 1993

 B. Chapters in Collective Volumes
1. "The Arab Christians and the Palestinian Arab National Movement
During the Formative Stage", in G. Ben-Dor (ed.), The Palestinians and the Middle East Conflict, Ramat Gan, Turtledove Publishing, 1978, pp.73-98.

2. "Activity of the Yishuv on Behalf of Iraqi Jewry 1941-1948", in S.E.Troen and B.Pinkus, Organizing Rescue, National Jewish Solidarity in the Modern Period, London, Frank Cass, 1992, pp. 222-268; Hebrew Edition by the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Press, 1988, pp. 221-260.

3. "Jewish-Muslim Relations in Modern Iraq", in Kirsten E. Schulze, Martin Stokes And Colm Campbell (eds.), Nationalism, Minorities and Diasporas: Identities and Rights in the Middle East, London, Tauris Academic Studies, 1996, pp. 95-116.

4. "Palestinian Christian and the Peace Process: The Dilemma of a Minority", in Ilan Peleg (ed.), The Middle East Peace Process: Interdisciplinary Prospectives, New York: SUNY Press, 1998, pp. 141-158

5. "The Christians in the State of Israel: Between Religion and Politics", in E. Rekhes (ed.) The Arabs in Israeli Politics: Dilemmas of Identity, Tel-Aviv University, the Dayan Center, 1998, pp. 63-72 (In Hebrew)

6. “Christianity and Christian Communities in Israel Today”, in Elie Schiler and Gabi Barkai (eds.), Christian Churches, Communities and Orders in Israel, Jerusalem, Ariel (137-138), 1999, pp. 15-22 (in Hebrew)

 C. Refereed Articles in Scientific Journals
1. "The Christian Communities in Jerusalem and the West Bank", in Middle East Review, vol. 9, no. 1 (Fall 1976), pp. 41-47; also in Anne Sinai and Allen Pollak (eds.), The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the West Bank, New York, pp. 237-244.

2. "The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem During the Formative Years of the British Mandate in Palestine", in Asian and African Studies, vol. 12, no. 1 (March 1978), pp. 77-121.

3. "Demographic Trends of the Christian Population in Jerusalem and the West Bank 1948-1978", in The Middle East Journal, vol. 37 no. 1 (Winter 1983), pp. 54-63.

4. "The Greek Orthodox Community in Jerusalem and the West Bank 1948-1978: A Profile of Religious Minority in a National State", in Orient, vol. 23, no. 2 (June 1982), pp. 281-298.

5. "The Armenians and Syrians: Ethno-Religious Communities in Jerusalem", in Middle Eastern Studies, vol. 20, no. 3 (July 1984), pp. 352-369.

6. "The Status of the Arab Christians under the British Mandate in Palestine", in Middle Eastern Studies, vol. 20, no.4 (October 1984), pp. 166-192.

7. "Between the Hammer and the Anvil: The National Dilemma of the Christian Minority in Jerusalem and the West Bank", in Orient, vol. 24, no. 4 (December 1983), pp. 637-644.

8. "The Anglican (Evangelical Episcopal) Community in Jerusalem and the West Bank", in Oriente Moderno nuova serie, anno 2, nr. 1-12 (Gennnaio-Dicembere 1983), pp. 251-258.

9. "Continuity and Change in Communal Autonomy: The Christian Communal Organizations in Jerusalem 1948-1980", in Middle Eastern Studies, vol. 22, no. 3 (July 1986), pp.390-417.

10. "The Beginnings of Modernization of the Jews in Iraq During the Nineteenth Century", in Pe'amim, no.36 (1988), pp. 7-34. (In Hebrew).

11. "The Political Configuration of the Christians in Israel", in Ha-Mizrah He-Hadash, vol. 32 (1989), pp. 139-164. (In Hebrew).

12. "The Political Background of the Mass Immigration of the Jews of Iraq to Israel 1950-1951", in Y.Avishur (ed.), Studies in the History of the Babylonian Jews and their Culture", no.6 (1989), pp.89-113. (In Hebrew).

13. "The Government of Iraq and the Mass Immigration of the Jews to Israel", in Pe'amim, no. 39 (1989), pp. 64-102. (In Hebrew).

14. "The Latin (Roman Catholic) Patriarchate of Jerusalem from the Second Half of the Nineteenth Century till Today - Institutional and Social Aspects", in Ha-Mizrah He-Hadash, vol. 34 (1993), pp. 115-138. (In Hebrew).

15. "Why the Majority of the Jews of Iraq Immigrated to Israel in Operation Ezra and Nehemya", in Iyunim Bitkumat Israel, vol. 1 (1991), pp. 379-404. (In Hebrew).

16. "The National Dilemma of the Arab Christians in Jerusalem and the West Bank", in Iyunim Bitkumat Israel, vol. 3, (1993), pp. 469-496. (In Hebrew).

17. "The British Mandate and the Status of the Religious Communities in Palestine", in Cathedra for the History of Eretz Israel and its Yishuv, no.80 (June 1996) pp. 150-174. (In Hebrew).
 

Forthcoming Publications:
Book:
The Jews of Modern Iraq 1921-1952

Articles:
“The Christians in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip”, in the Middle East Quarterly, Winter 2000

“The Christians in Israel – Issues of Integration and the Search of Identity” in Gabi Sheffer and Moshe Ma’oz (eds.) , Minorities and Diasporas in the Middle East.

 LECTURES AND PRESENTATIONS AT CONFERENCE, ACADEMIC MEETINGS AND SEMINARS

Presentation of Papers at Conferences:
1.  1976, "The Arab Christians and the Palestinian Arab National Movement During the Formative Stage", presented at the International Conference on The Palestinians and the Middle East Conflict at the University of Haifa.

2.  1976,  "The Status of the Arab Christians under the British Mandate in Palestine", presented at the annual conference of the Israel Oriental Society at the University of Haifa.

3. 1978, "The Role of Minorities in Conflict in the Middle East", presented at the International Workshop on Conflicts Resolution at the University of Haifa.

4.  1986,  "Demographic Trends of the Christian Population in Mandatory Palestine", presented at the International Conference on The Demography of Palestine, 1880-1948 at the University of Haifa.

5.  1987,  "The Arabization of the Anglican Bishopric in Jerusalem", presented at the International Conference on Indigenous Responses to Western Christianity at the Harry S. Truman Institute, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

6.  1988, "The Political Background of the Mass Immigration of the Jews of Iraq to the State of Israel", presented at the conference on The Mass Immigration to the State of Israel at the Ben Zvi Institute, Jerusalem.

7.  1991, "Some Aspects of the Immigration of Jews from Iraq to India and the Far East during the Nineteenth Century", presented at the first international conference on Babylonian Jewry at the Babylonian Heritage Center, Or Yehuda.

8.  1992, "The Status of the Religious Communities in Mandatory Palestine", presented at a conference on The Heritage of the British Mandate in Palestine, organized by the Ben-Zvi Institute and the Tel-Aviv University.

9.  1993, "The Clandestine Escape from Iraq and its Impact on the Mass Immigration of the Jews from Iraq to Israel", presented at a conference on Immigration, Underground and the Hagana in the Muslim States, the University of Haifa.

10. 1994, "The Jewish Community Leadership in Iraq During the 1940's", presented at a conference on The Babylonian Jewish Leadership Throughout the Ages, the Babylonian Jewry Heritage center, Or Yehuda.

11. 1994, "Muslim-Jewish Relations in Modern Iraq and their Reflection in Jewish Memoirs", presented at the Annual researchers' Conference, the Ben-Zvi Institute, Jerusalem.

12. 1995, "Jewish Communities in the Arab World Today" and "The Changing Role of Women in the Jewish Communities of the Modern Middle East", at the Conference on The Jewish Diaspora in the 2000s,  sponsored by the United Jewish Federation Los Angeles.

13. 1995, "The Peace Process and Christian Palestinians" and  "Jewish - Muslim Relations in Modern Iraq", at the Founding Conference of the Western Jewish Studies Association, San Diego State University.

14. 1995, "The National Dilemma of the Palestinian Christians and their role in the Peace Process", presented at the XIth annual conference of the Association for Israel Studies, Baltimore.

15. 1995, "Jewish and Muslim Records of the Jewish Heritage and Jewish-Muslim Relations in Modern Iraq", presented at the Eighth International Conference of the Institute for Islamic-Judaic Studies, University of Denver.

16. 1996, "Christians' Involvement in the Political Life of the State of Israel", presented at the conference on the Christian Arabs in Israel at the University of Haifa.

17. 1996, "Were There Ever Arab Jews?", presented at the Annual International Conference of the Institute for Judaic-Muslim Studies,  on Appropriating and Re-appropriating the Past: History and Historiography in Islamic and Judaic Traditions, at the University of Denver.

18.  1996, "Research on Christian Women in Israel as a Case Study of the Arab Women in Israel", presented at a conference on Arab Women in Israel, the University of Haifa.

19.  1996, "The Christians in Israel: Between Religion and Politics", presented at the 4th conference of the program for the Study of the Arab Politics in Israel, The Arabs in Israeli Politics: Identity Dilemmas, Tel Aviv University.

20.   1997, " 'Confessionalism' in the Formation of Post-1948 Israeli Policy Toward the Arab Minority", presented at the Thirteen Annual Meeting of the AIS, Emory University.

21.  1997, "Eretz Israel and the State of Israel in the Formation of National Identity among the Jews of Iraq and Egypt - Jewish and Arab perspectives",  presented at the Fifth International Congress of Misgav Yerushalayim, Hebrew University Jerusalem.

22. 1997, "Muslim-Jewish Relations in Modern Egypt", presented at the Twelfth World Congress of Jewish Studies, Jerusalem.

23. 1998, “National Identity and the Mass Immigration of the Jews of Iraq and Egypt to the State of Israel”, Conference on the Search of Jewish Identity in Jewish Communities in the Middle East, the University of Haifa.

24. 1998, “The Search for National Identity among the Jews of Mandatory Iraq”, the Second International Conference on the Jews of Iraq, The Babylonian Jewry Heritage center, Or Yehuda

25. 1998, “Religious Freedom and Human Rights of the Christian Communities in Israel”, presented at the Fourth Tantur International Conference on Religion and culture: Religious Freedom and Proselytism: Ethical, Political and Legal Aspects.

26. 1999, “Issues of Integration and the Search of National Identity of the Christians in Israel”, presented at the International Conference on Minorities and Diasporas in the Middle East, The Harry S. Truman Institute for Peace and the Bar-Ilan University

Presentations at Seminars at Universities and Institutions:
1.  1979, "The Palestinian Arab National Movement under the British Mandate", presented at the seminar of the Israel Oriental Society on The Palestinian Arabs at the University of Tel-Aviv.

2.  1985, "The Demographic Development of Christian Communities in the State of Israel", presented at the seminar of the Israel Interfaith Association on The Arab Christian Communities of Israel at the Stella Carmel Hospice, Mount Carmel.

3.  1987, "Some Aspects of the Beginnings of Modernization of the Jews of Iraq in the 19th Century", presented at the  researchers' seminar on The Jews of Iraq during the 19th Century, The Ben Zvi Institute, Jerusalem.

4.  1987, "The Mass Immigration of the Jews of Iraq to Israel", presented at the research seminar, Ben-Gurion Research Center, Ben-Gurion University.

5.  1989, "The Hagana Clandestine Organization and the Leadership of the Jewish Community in Iraq", presented at a seminar on The Hagana in Iraq, at the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, Or-Yehuda.

6.  1989, "The Government of Iraq and the Mass Immigration of the Jews of Iraq to Israel 1950-1951", presented at a seminar on Middle Eastern Jews and their Mass Immigration to Israel, Organized by the  Ben-Zvi Institute at the Ben-Gurion University.

7.   1990, "The Illegal Emigration from Iraq, Its Impact on the Jewish Community and Its Mass Immigration to Israel", presented at a seminar on Illegal Emigration of the Jews from Iraq during the 1940s at the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, Or Yehuda.

8.   1990, "Jerusalem: The Holy City - The Capital of Israel", presented at the researchers' seminar,  the Hartford Seminary, Hartford.

9.   1992, "The Iraqi Government and the Clandestine Emigration through Basra", presented at a seminar on The Jews of Basra at the Babylonian Jewry Heritage Center, Or-Yehuda.

10. 1992, "The Reactions of the Local Churches in Jerusalem to the Balfour Declaration", presented at a seminar on The Balfour Declaration at the Christ Church,  Jerusalem.

11. 1994, "The Christian Communities in Jerusalem - Past and Present", presented at a symposium organized by the Israel Interfaith Association on the book Christian Communities in Jerusalem and the West Bank Since 1948, at the Hebrew Union College.

12.  1994, "The Mass Immigration of Iraqi Jewry to Israel", presented at the Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies: New Perspectives in Judaic Studies Lecture Series, San Diego State University.

13.  1994, The Changing Role of Women in the Middle East", presented at a World Affairs Council of San Diego panel on The Changing Role of Women in the Third World.

14.  1995, "The Creation of National Identity among the Jews of Arab Lands: The Cases of Iraq and Egypt", at the Program in Middle East Studies Lecture Series, University of California, San Diego.

15.  1995, "Jerusalem, the Key for Peace", presented at the Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies: New Perspectives in Judaic Studies Lecture Series, San Diego State University.

16.  1995, "Israeli Attitudes toward the Peace Process Presented at the forum of Middle East Advanced Studies , State University of California at Fullerton

17.  1995, "The Changing Role of Women in the Middle East with a special Reference to Israel", Presented at the Faculty colloquium, State University of California at Fullerton

18.  1995, "Between the Anvil and the Hammer: Christians in Jerusalem and the West Bank and Their National Dilemma", presented at the Research Seminar, The Middle East Institute, Columbia University in the City of New York.

19.  1995,  "Israel and the Peace Process after Rabin", presented at the Lipinsky Institute for Judaic Studies: New Perspectives in Judaic Studies Lecture Series, San Diego State University.

20.  1996, "The Arab Christians in Israel: Between Religion and Politics", presented at a symposium organized by the Ben-Zvi Institute on Jewish-Christian Reconciliation: An Impossible Mission?, at  The Bible Lands Museum, Jerusalem.

21.  1997, "Confessionalism" in the policy of the Israeli government towards the Arab minority during the years 1948-1956", presented at a seminar in memory of Prof. Jacob Shim'oni at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem.

22.  1997, "Muslim - Jewish relations in modern Iraq: Arab and Jewish attitudes", presented at the advanced studies seminar, Arabic language ad philosophy, Bar-Ilan university.