David Newman, at The Blogs

May 13, 2024, 3:04 PM

The Sinai Synagogue in North West London and its stained glass windows

Private photo

Readers of this column will no doubt think that the title of this article relates to an act of antisemitism taking place in London, where anti-Jewish activity is on the rise in recent months. But they would be wrong. It...

Dec 28, 2023, 10:12 AM

A new national library during wartime

The new National Library in jerusalem.
Souce: Public access photo

To be normal in these days of warfare, it difficult. I cannot bring myself to travel (not even to London) or to go to a concert or a play or an exhibition, while I think of what is going...

May 3, 2023, 12:40 PM

The Coronation, Israel and the UK Jewish Community

There will be three prominent Jewish personalities amongst the 2200 guests at this weeks coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. One of these, President Herzog, will represent the State of Israel amongst the many foreign heads of state...

Nov 8, 2022, 7:27 AM

The Late Night Ramblings of a Border Scholar

Copyright: David Newman personal picture

With the formal registration period now closed, we look forward to welcoming some 250 border scholars and practitioners from around the world for next February's World Convention of Border Scholars to be held in Israel, hosted by the Geopolitics...

Oct 14, 2022, 4:20 PM

Whatever happened to electoral reform?

As we approach our fifth elections in a little more than two years, it is surprising that the issue of electoral reform is not on the agenda. As someone who occasionally teaches courses on Electoral Systems around the world,...

Sep 11, 2022, 4:35 PM

British Jewry, Israel and King Charles III

King (then Prince) Charles with Chief Rabbis Lord Jonathan Sacks and Efraim Mirvis, wearing his special Kippa with the Prince of Wales emblem

Following the death of Queen Elizabeth, the British Jewish community were quick to send their condolences to the Royal Family. Chief Rabbi Efraim Mirvis composed a special prayer to be said in all of the synagogues during the Shabbat...

Jun 2, 2022, 10:07 AM

Queen Elizabeth, the Platinum Jubilee, the UK Jewish Community and Israel

The prayer to be said in UK Synagogues thic coming weekend, composed by Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.

This weekend, during the festival of Shavuot, most synagogues throughout the United Kingdom will recite the special prayer which has been composed by the British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, in honour of the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth Ist....

Apr 8, 2022, 11:27 AM

Closing the gaps in the fence – towards the World Conference of Border Studies

Palestinian workers from the West Bank city of Hebron carry personal belongings as they cross to Israel through a hole in security fence

Yesterdays terrorist incident which took place in the heart of Tel Aviv has been attributed to a Palestinian who crossed from the West Bank into Israel through one of the “gaps” in the so called Separation Barrier – a...

Mar 3, 2022, 12:54 PM

Rethinking Geopolitics post-Ukraine

The Russian-Ukraine border and Crimea. Source: One Nations Map

Next month I was due to be in Moscow to give a series of seminars on Geopolitical issues in the Middle East and Europe. The class of research students at Russian universities would include some employees of the Russian...

Feb 6, 2022, 12:08 PM

Mazel Tov to Queen Elizabeth

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth celebrates 70 years as Queen today, the longest serving monarch in the history of the country – outstripping two other previous remarkable queens – Elizabeth 1st (1558-1603) and Victoria (1837-1901). Later in the year, Covid allowing,...

About Me

David Newman is professor of Geopolitics in the Department of Politics and Government at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. Originally from the UK, he was awarded the OBE in 2013 for promoting scientific links between the UK and Israel. From 2010-2016, Newman was Dean of the faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at BGU. His three distinct, and vastly different, areas of expertise cover Border Studies, Israeli Politics and Society, and Anglo Jewish history of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Contact Me