Menahem Ben-Sasson is the thirteenth president of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem; Before assuming the role of president in 2009, Prof Ben-Sasson served as a Member of the Knesset and was chairman of its Constitution, Law and Justice Committee; Prof Ben-Sasson previously served as Rector of the Hebrew University and as Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Humanities; In 2012 the presidents of Israel’s research universities appointed him the chairperson of the Committee of University Heads of Israel; A historian of the heritage of the Jews of Islam, he has written some fifty books and scholarly articles on a range of subjects, including Jewish Communities in Muslim Lands, the Relationship between Religion and Economics, and Law and Spirituality as Sources of Authority in Medieval Oriental Society; He also specializes in the study of Maimonides, social and intellectual history, Geonic responsa and texts, and Saadya Gaon’s works and leadership
