Culture, Literature & History

Prof. (Emeritus) David Menashri

Founding Director, Alliance Center for Iranian Studies, Tel Aviv University

Professor (Emeritus) David Menashri is the founding director of the Alliance Center for Iranian Studies and a Senior Research Fellow at the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University. During his distinguished academic career, he served as Chair of the Department of Middle Eastern and African History, Dean for Special Programs, and the first holder of the Nazarian Chair for Iranian Studies. An internationally recognized scholar, he has held visiting appointments at leading universities, including Princeton, Cornell, UCLA, Yale, Oxford, and the University of Chicago. In the late 1970s, he conducted extensive field research in Iran shortly before the Islamic Revolution. His research focuses on modern Iran, Shi'i Islam, Iranian-Israeli relations, the Persian Gulf, Central Asia, and education in the Muslim world. Prof. Menashri has authored or edited ten influential books and numerous scholarly articles. Beyond academia, he has served in leadership roles in several international organizations promoting peace, education, and public engagement

Dr. Soli Shahvar

Director, Ezri Center for Iran and the Persian Gulf, University of Haifa

Dr. Soli Shahvar is an Israeli historian and Associate Professor of Middle Eastern and Iranian Studies at the University of Haifa, where he also serves as Director of the Ezri Center for Iran and the Persian Gulf. He earned his M.A. (cum laude) from Tel Aviv University and his Ph.D. from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Before joining the University of Haifa, he taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Ben-Gurion University, and Tel Aviv University. His research focuses on the modern history of Iran, Iran–Israel relations, the Persian Gulf, the Caucasus, and the Baha'i community in Iran. Dr. Shahvar has authored and edited numerous books and scholarly articles on Iranian politics, diplomacy, nationalism, and religious minorities. Widely recognized as a leading authority on contemporary Iran, he frequently contributes to academic and public discussions on Iranian history, regional geopolitics, and prospects for peaceful relations between the peoples of Iran and Israel.

Dr. Daniel Dana

Lawyer, author and founder of the Peace and Love International Movement

Dr. Daniel Dana is an Iranian-born lawyer, author, Christian priest, and human rights advocate who has devoted much of his life to promoting peace, religious tolerance, and democratic change in Iran. Born in Iran as Jamshid Hassani and raised in a Shi'ite Muslim family, he later became involved in opposition activities against the Islamic Republic. After practicing law and defending political prisoners and victims of religious persecution, he was forced to leave Iran and eventually received political asylum in Australia. While in Australia, Dr. Dana studied Christian theology and was ordained as a Christian priest. He later settled in Israel, where he continued his work as an international lawyer, lecturer, and activist. He is the founder of the Peace and Love International Movement (PLIM), which promotes nonviolent opposition to extremism and encourages friendship and cooperation among the peoples of the Middle East, particularly between Iranians and Israelis.