Ofer Idels

I am a historian and scholar of Zionism and modern Jewish history. I currently serve as the Jenny Belzberg Postdoctoral Fellow in Israel Studies at the University of Calgary.

Across both my rigorous academic research and my public commentary, my work is driven by an attempt to reconstruct—rather than deconstruct—the foundations of the modern Jewish experience, bringing an innovative theoretical and methodological awareness to the study of Israel that explores the physical, cultural, and emotional experiences of Zionism.

I earned my PhD in 2021 from the Zvi Yavetz School of Historical Studies at Tel Aviv University, and subsequently served as a Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. This international academic journey has culminated in two books: Zionism: Emotions, Language and Experience (Cambridge University Press, 2024) and Embodying the Revolution (Rutgers University Press, 2025).

Today, my writing bridges the gap between the archives and the public square, with frequent essays appearing in The Times of Israel, Ynet, and my Substack newsletter.

Ofer Idels