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Alex Joffe

Alex Joffe

Editor SPME / BDS Monitor

Alexander H. Joffe is an archaeologist and historian specializing in the Middle East and contemporary international affairs. He received a B.A. in History from Cornell University in 1981 and Ph.D. in Near Eastern Studies from the University of Arizona in 1991. From 1980 to 2003 he participated in and directed archaeological research in Israel, Jordan, Greece and the United States. Joffe taught at the Pennsylvania State University and Purchase College, and has been Director of Research for Global Policy Exchange, Ltd., and The David Project, Center for Jewish Leadership.

Joffe's work is uniquely broad. Since 1991 he has published dozens of studies on the archaeology of the Eastern Mediterranean and is a leading figure in contentious debates over the relationship between archaeology and politics in the Middle East. He has also authored numerous works on contemporary issues, including Middle Eastern environmental security threats from pollution and weapons of mass destruction. His work on the problem of dismantling intelligence agencies is widely cited by experts and democratic reformers alike.

In the past decade Joffe has written and spoken on topics as varied as the future of American Jews, the Palestinian refugee problem, and nationalism. During that time as well he has been deeply involved with combating the problems of campus antisemitism, the ‘boycott, divestment and sanctions' movement against Israel, and in educating Jews and others about threats to Israel and the West. His current projects include a biography of a British World War II general and several novels. He and his family reside near New York City.

All stories by: Alex Joffe

Whats next for Middle East studies?

Academic Middle Eastern studies at American universities for decades have focused mainly on a limited number of topics: the embrace of every academic fashion at the expense of language study, classical literature and history; the vilification of Israel and the…

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Campus antisemitism simmers as Trump Administration upends university funding. Left wing support for detained students grows as warnings increase about the ‘weaponization of antisemitism’ and that Jews will blamed for the ‘destruction of universities

Introduction The clash between the Trump Administration and the higher education industry, particularly Ivy League universities, over failures to address antisemitism and expunge DEI practices and pedagogy escalated to new proportions in April. As the administration froze Federal funds to…

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Call the Feds on Higher Education

What are the next steps for university leaders and donors after the Trump administration’s slew of executive orders on removing diversity, equity, and inclusion policies from American life, identifying and removing hostile foreign students, and protecting Jewish students? Some necessary measures are a…

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