Dr. Ruth Shamir is a jurist in Israel and in the United States and is actively involved in both these countries in social and educational issues. She is a lecturer at the American-Jewish University and plays an active role in conferences organized by the Jewish Institute at the University of Nanking in China. Shamir has firsthand knowledge of the complexity of the evolving Jewish identity and its need for redefinition and renewal. She earned her PhD in cultural studies at the School of Arts and Humanities of Claremont Graduate University, California. Her doctoral thesis is the basis of this book. In Israel Dr. Shamir is a member of the Board of Governors of Beit Hatfutsot – The Museum of the Jewish People (The Diaspora Museum) and of the international institutions of the museum. She is also a member of Tel Aviv University’s Board of Trustees. Jewish Identity The Challenge of Peoplehood Today is Dr. Shamir’s third book.