Israel Matzav

Baruch Dayan HaEmet (May the True Judge Be Blessed)

Professor Barry Rubin, who was an inspiration and a wealth of knowledge for just about anyone who wrote a pro-Israel blog, passed away this morning. He was 64.

His Facebook page carried this message: 

To our great sadness, Barry Rubin passed away this morning. He was surrounded by his wife and children. Your love, support, and prayers have been greatly appreciated. There will be shiva and a funeral, details to follow soon. 

Barry Rubin’s was a rare voices of clarity in the Israeli academia and in Jewish media. He was one of the good guys. A native of the United States, Barry Rubin was director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center, editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA), and a professor at the Interdisciplinary Center (IDC) in Herzliya, Israel. He was also editor of the journal Turkish Studies.

His latest book, Israel: An Introduction, has just been published by Yale University Press. Other recent books include The Israel-Arab Reader (seventh edition), The Long War for Freedom: The Arab Struggle for Democracy in the Middle East (Wiley), and The Truth About Syria (Palgrave-Macmillan).

He wrote regularly in his blog, Rubin Reports, which was regularly featured on the JewishPress.com website. He is also Middle East editor and columnist at PJMedia.

Barry Rubin described his professional life: 

It’s like an iceberg. What you see is only a small portion of what goes on behind the scenes, including contacts with people all over the region, sometimes people whose lives would be in danger if it were known they were talking to me. As an Israeli, I often find it’s much easier to talk with Turks, Iranians and Arabs because we are on the same page – especially in private – about understanding the reality of the region compared to the fantasies often held in Western academic, media and governmental circles. 

He is survived by his wife Judith Colp Rubin and their two children.

It was amazing seeing Barry forge ahead book after book, conference after conference, long after I knew he had been diagnosed with cancer.

May his memory be blessed. 

Labels: Barry Rubin

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:03 PM