Cheryl A. Rubenberg (January 3, 1946 – 16 June 2017)Valerie J. Hoffman,
Cheryl A. Rubenberg 1946–2017

Review of Middle East Studies Middle East Studies Association (often referred to as MESA) is a learned society, and according to its website, "a non-profit association that fosters the study of the Middle East, promotes high standards of scholarship and teaching, and encoura ...

, Volume 52, Issue 1 April 2018 , pp. 170-172 was a writer and researcher specializing in the Middle East, formerly an associate professor in the Department of Political Science at

Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest university in Florid ...

Life

Born in Pennsylvania, Rubenberg specialized in political science and obtained her B.A. at Hunter College, and then earned an M.A. in

international relations International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

. The latter topic was the object of her Ph.D.(1979) at the

University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, i ...

. Soon after, she joined the political science faculty at Florida International University. Her initial research focus was on

Latin America Latin America or * french: Amérique Latine, link=no * ht, Amerik Latin, link=no * pt, América Latina, link=no, name=a, sometimes referred to as LatAm is a large cultural region in the Americas where Romance languages — languages derived f ...

where her attention was drawn to Israel's foreign policy outreach and military assistance in Latin America, particularly in Guatemala. Her interest in the Israeli Palestinian conflict arose out of a visit she made to a Palestinian Refugee Camp in Beirut. In 1989 she moved to the

Gaza Strip The Gaza Strip (;The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.761 "Gaza Strip /'gɑːzə/ a strip of territory under the control of the Palestinian National Authority and Hamas, on the SE Mediterranean coast including the town of Gaza.. ...

for a year, together with her husband, Dr. Martin Rubenberg, she teaching English, while her husband volunteered to work as an

oncologist Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

at a nearby hospital. They raised funds to enable four students to study at the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

, and adopted another, Ayman Wishah, after hosting him while he studied

forensic Forensic science, also known as criminalistics, is the application of science to criminal and civil laws, mainly—on the criminal side—during criminal investigation, as governed by the legal standards of admissible evidence and criminal p ...

and clinical psychology at

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, and satellite campuses in Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, and Fort Pierce. FAU belongs to the 12-ca ...

. Rubenberg was denied full professorship because of her position regarding Palestinians and Israel, and resigned to become an independent scholar. Her lectures were boycotted, her husband's medical practice suffered and both she and her husband were shunned at their local synagogue, according to her obituary, for the same reason. Her husband Marty predeceased her, dying in June 2016.

Works

She was the author of several books about the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, including ''Israel and the American National Interest'' (1989), ''Palestinian Women: Patriarchy and Resistance in the West Bank'' (2001), and ''The Palestinians in Search of a Just Peace'' (2003). She was also the editor of the ''Encyclopedia of the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict'' (2007). Rubenberg formerly served on the board of advisors of "Deir Yassin Remembered," an organization founded to commemorate the 1948

Deir Yassin Massacre The Deir Yassin massacre took place on April 9, 1948, when around 130 fighters from the Zionism, Zionist paramilitary groups Irgun and Lehi (group), Lehi killed at least 107 Palestinian people, Palestinian Arabs, including women and children, in D ...

.McGowan, Daniel
U.S.-Based Group Planning Memorial at Site of Deir Yassin Massacre
''Washington Report on Middle East Affairs'', October/November 1995

Works

* ''Palestine Liberation Organization: Its Institutional Infrastructure''. Belmont, MA: Institute of Arab Studies, (IAS monograph series), 1983.
''Israel and the American National Interest: A Critical Examination''

University of Illinois Press The University of Illinois Press (UIP) is an American university press and is part of the University of Illinois system. Founded in 1918, the press publishes some 120 new books each year, plus 33 scholarly journals, and several electronic proje ...

, 1986, reprint 1989. * ''The United States, Israel, and Guatemala: Interests and Conflicts''. Latin American and Caribbean Center, Florida International University. Dialogues), 1988. * With Abbas Alnasrawi. ''Consistency of US Foreign Policy: The Gulf War and the Iran–Contra Affair''. AAUG Monograph Series, No 23, 1989.
''Palestinian Women: Patriarchy and Resistance in the West Bank''

Lynne Rienner Publishers Lynne Rienner Publishers is an independent scholarly and textbook publishing firm based in Boulder, CO. It was founded in 1984 and remains one of the few independent publishers in the US. It publishes primarily in the fields of international stu ...

, 2001.
''The Palestinians: In Search of a Just Peace''

Inc, 2003. * (ed.) ''Encyclopedia of the Israeli–Palestinian Conflict''. 3 volumes.

, 2010.

References

External links

Deir Yassin Remembered
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rubenberg, Cheryl 1946 births 2017 deaths Florida International University faculty Middle Eastern studies in the United States American Arabists American women academics Jewish American academics Jewish women writers Hunter College alumni Johns Hopkins University alumni