Cheryl A. Rubenberg (January 3, 1946 – 16 June 2017)Valerie J. Hoffman,
Cheryl A. Rubenberg 1946–2017
'' Review of Middle East Studies'', 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 Westchester, Florida, United States. Founded in 1965 by the Florida Legislature, the school opened to students in 1972. FIU is the third-largest univ ...

Life

Born in Pennsylvania, Rubenberg specialized in political science and obtained her B.A. at

Hunter College Hunter College is a public university in New York City, United States. It is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York and offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools ...

, and then earned an M.A. in

international relations International relations (IR, and also referred to as international studies, international politics, or international affairs) is an academic discipline. In a broader sense, the study of IR, in addition to multilateral relations, concerns al ...

Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

. 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 university, private research university in Coral Gables, Florida, United States. , the university enrolled 19,852 students in two colleges and ten schools across over ...

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

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

where her attention was drawn to Israel's foreign policy outreach and military assistance in Latin America, particularly in

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

. 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, also known simply as Gaza, is a small territory located on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea; it is the smaller of the two Palestinian territories, the other being the West Bank, that make up the State of Palestine. I ...

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 (''� ...

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

University of Calgary {{Infobox university , name = University of Calgary , image = University of Calgary coat of arms without motto scroll.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of arms , former ...

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

forensic Forensic science combines principles of law and science to investigate criminal activity. Through crime scene investigations and laboratory analysis, forensic scientists are able to link suspects to evidence. An example is determining the time and ...

and

clinical psychology Clinical psychology is an integration of human science, behavioral science, theory, and clinical knowledge for the purpose of understanding, preventing, and relieving psychologically-based distress or dysfunction and to promote subjective well ...

Florida Atlantic University Florida Atlantic University (Florida Atlantic or FAU) is a Public university, public research university with its main campus in Boca Raton, Florida, United States. The university is a member of the State University System of Florida and has s ...

. 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 The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is an ongoing military and political conflict about Territory, land and self-determination within the territory of the former Mandatory Palestine. Key aspects of the conflict include the Israeli occupation ...

, 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 Zionist paramilitaries attacked the village of Deir Yassin near Jerusalem, then part of Mandatory Palestine, killing at least 107 Palestinian Arab villagers, including women and childr ...

.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, thirty-three scholarly journals, and several electroni ...

, 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, Colorado. It was founded in 1984 and remains one of the few independent publishers in the United States. It publishes primarily in the fields of ...

, 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