When Dr. Aridan received his Ph.D. in History from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, he fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming an historian. Since his Aliya in 1980 he has worked at the Ben-Gurion Research Institute, which he considers his  ‘spiritual home' he has dedicated himself to furthering the dialogue between Israelis and Diaspora Jews. This goal is also reflected in his teaching and research on the relationship between Israeli diplomatic missions and overseas Jewish communities. This, he claims, is a fascinating field that has remained inexplicably and conspicuously terra incognita.

Dr. Aridan is currently writing a book on the relationship between Israeli diplomatic representatives and Jewish communities in English-speaking countries between the years 1948-1967.

Recent Publications

Books

·         'Henry Kissinger and the Yom Kippur War – Selected Primary Documents From the United States National Archives', Moshe Shemesh (ed) The Yom Kippur War (forthcoming).

·         'Anglo-Jewry and Zionism in British Elections,' Cherrick Center for the Study of Zionism ,the Yishuv and the State of Israel, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2008).

·         Britain, Israel and Anglo-Jewry, 1949-1957, Routledge, London, 2004.

·         Israel-Diaspora Relations, Israel Studies,(special volume),  10.1, 2005,  (Spring), co-edited with G. Sheffer.

Articles

·         The Role of the Anglo-Jewish Community in Anglo-Israel Relations,
in The Encycopedia of the Jewish Diaspora, ABC-CLIO (California, 2006).

·         'Anglo-Jewry and the State of Israel: Defining the Relationship, 1948-1956',
Israel Studies, 10.1, 2005 (Spring).

·         'The Issue of Dual Loyalties: Anglo-Jewry’s Suez Crisis', Jewish Journal of Sociology, 2005 (Autumn).

• 'Britain and the Gaza Raid', in Golani, M. (ed.), The Gaza Raid and the Israeli Policy of Retaliation during the Fifties,
  (Ministry of Defence,  Tel-Aviv, 1994, [Hebrew].

Research Fields

·         Israel-Diaspora Relations

·         Israeli Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

·         Anglo-Israel Relations

Professional Activities

·         Managing Editor, Israel Studies, sponsored with
The Schusterman Center for Israel Studies Brandeis University published by Indiana University Press.

     Dr. Natan Aridan