Ron Robin

Ron Robin was born in 1951 in Tel Aviv

Ron Robin was born in Tel Aviv in 1951. His mother, Shani, was born in Jerusalem to the Shaltiel family. His father, Eli, was a South African citizen who came as a volunteer in Israel's War of Independence, and Robin grew up in South Africa before his family returned to Israel when he was 13.

He joined the IDF in 1969 and served in the intelligence community. He left the army as a major.

He earned a BA in romance languages and general history at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1978. In 1986 he received a PhD in modern US history from the University of California, Berkeley.

In 1986 he joined the faculty of the University of Haifa, where he taught communications and general history and became dean of students in 2000. In 2006 he moved to New York University, where he later helped set up its campuses in Abu Dhabi and Shanghai. His research links American culture with US foreign policy.

In 2016 he was elected president of the University of Haifa and planned its growth into a university of several campuses. In 2020 he resigned as head of the committee of university heads in protest of a decision by minister Ze'ev Elkin. He is married to Levia Wolf, and they have 4 children.