Bio
Dr. Keren E. Fraiman is Spertus Institute’s Dean and Chief Academic Officer. She also holds a faculty appointment as Professor of Israel Studies.
She previously served as Director of Research and Evaluation at The iCenter for Israel Education, where she continues to serve on the faculty of the iFellows Masters Concentration in Israel Education program.
In January 2020, Dr. Fraiman was selected for the prestigious Wexner Field Fellowship, presented by the Wexner Foundation in partnership with the Jim Joseph Foundation.
She received her PhD in International Relations and Security Studies from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and her BA in Political Science and Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations from The University of Chicago. Her work has been supported by the US Institute of Peace, the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism, and the Chicago Project on Security and Terrorism.
A former Schusterman Israel Scholar, Dr. Fraiman has worked at the Crown Center for Middle East Studies at Brandeis, served as an officer in the IDF, and led trips to Israel as a Facilitator both for Encounter and Birthright Israel.
Publications
- The Routledge Handbook of Judaism in the 21st Century, 1st Edition, edited with Dr. Dean P. Bell (Routledge)
- “Barriers to Entry: Exploring Educator Reticence for Engaging with the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.” In Teaching Israel: Studies of Pedagogy from the Field, edited by Sivan Zakai and Matt Reingold, Brandeis University Press, 2024.
- “Everything Has Changed: Reflections in the Shadow of October 7.” In Israel Education in the Days After, edited by David Bryfman and Dina Nusnbaum, Jewish Education Project, 2024.
- Peoplehood Papers 33: The Relations Between Peoplehood Education and Israel Education (2023). Edited by Shlomi Ravid, Keren E. Fraiman, and Benjamin M. Jacobs. Center for Jewish Peoplehood Education.