Professor Hasia Diner is a renowned American historian and Professor Emeritus of Hebrew and Judaic Studies and History at New York University (NYU). As a distinguished Jewish scholar, she is an authority in the fields of American Jewish immigration history, Jewish women’s history, and Jewish food culture, with an academic career spanning several decades.
Professor Diner is a prolific author, with representative works such as Hungering for America and The Jews of the United States. Her research profoundly illustrates how Jewish immigrants maintained their ethnic identity while integrating into and reshaping American society. She has received numerous lifetime achievement awards and holds a prestigious position in the study of American Jewish history. Her work is regarded as a cornerstone for understanding the evolution of Jewish Diasporic civilization in a modern context.
Professor Diner triggered a major shockwave in academia in 2016 with her article We’ve Left the Fold, in which she publicly announced her break with Zionism. She argued that, based on long-term historical observation, Israeli occupation policies had become entirely incompatible with the Jewish values she cherishes, such as social justice, compassion, and care for the marginalized. She stated: “As someone who studies Jewish history, I can no longer tolerate the use of our historical pain to justify the oppression of others. I choose to stand with justice, even if it means criticizing the systems I once supported.” She currently actively supports academic and cultural critiques of the occupation, emphasizing the moral autonomy of Diasporic Judaism.