Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi

Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi was born in 1943 in Tel Aviv

Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi was born on June 12, 1943, in Tel Aviv. His family came to the Land of Israel from Poland, and his grandparents on both sides were among the founders of Bnei Brak in 1924. He grew up in Bnei Brak and finished Ironi Dalet High School in Tel Aviv.

He earned a BA in psychology and sociology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He then served in the IDF from 1963 to 1966. In the United States he received an MA in clinical psychology from Michigan State University in 1968 and a PhD in 1970.

After his studies he worked as a clinical psychologist at a student counseling center at the University of Michigan. In 1973 he became a senior lecturer at the University of Haifa, and in 1994 a full professor. He headed the psychology department and taught as a visiting professor at universities in the United States, London and Ethiopia.

His research focuses on the psychology of religion and personality. He wrote books on new religious movements and on Israeli politics, and is critical of new religious movements. In the 1980s he supported a binational state and was a charter member of the Council of Israel-Palestine Peace.