Irwin J. Mansdorf Archives - JNS.org

Follow us

© 2023 JNS, All Rights Reserved Concept, design & development by RGB Media. Powered by Salamandra

Irwin J. Mansdorf

Irwin J. (Yitzchak) Mansdorf, Ph.D., is a fellow at the Jerusalem Center of Public Affairs specializing in political psychology.

Israel's Iron Dome air-defense system fires an interceptor at rockets fired from the Gaza Strip, in Sderot on May 10, 2023. Photo by Flash90.

‘Scholars, be careful with your words’

Psychological warfare in the age of social media and political discord.

Irwin J. Mansdorf

August 10, 2023

Anti-judicial reform protesters interrupt Knesset member Simcha Rothman during a panel on the Law of Return, Tel Aviv, April 24, 2023. Credit: Courtesy of the Jewish Federations of North America.

Selfishness and Israel’s crisis

Both sides of the controversy over judicial reform are pushing Israelis to the extremes.

Irwin J. Mansdorf

August 8, 2023

One of the larger banners and posters seen at the March Against Racism national demonstration in London, in protest of the dramatic rise in race-related attacks, March 17, 2018. Credit: John Gomez/Shutterstock.

Jewish Americans are increasingly concerned about left-wing anti-Semitism

Our surveys show increased recognition that left-wing “woke” ideology bears some responsibility for anti-Semitism in the United States.

Irwin J. Mansdorf

July 24, 2022

UNRWA staff members protest against cuts in financial aid outside the agency's offices in Gaza City on April 14, 2019. Photo by Hassan Jedi/Flash90.

Hamas vs. Israel: Psychological asymmetry in action

One recurring example is the ability of an inferior military force to fight a superior one by resorting to tactics that the latter cannot and will not undertake.

Irwin J. Mansdorf

May 16, 2021

U.S. President Donald Trump speaking with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the normalization deal with Sudan, Oct. 23, 2020. Source: Screenshot.

American Jews, Israel and Donald Trump

For Israelis who remember the dark days following the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, this is a déjà vu moment: the collective blaming, polarization and delegitimization of whole sectors of society because of the behavior of a single fringe individual.

Irwin J. Mansdorf

January 20, 2021

A couple walking in the Mahane Yehuda Market in Jerusalem. March 20, 2020. Photo by Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90.

The new security threat

There is no way to achieve perfect “social distancing”—the refusers, deniers and conspiracy theorists will not be convinced by the evidence.

Irwin J. Mansdorf

March 22, 2020