NewTeam
Pazit Ben-Nun Bloom
PazitBen-Nun BloomReligSpace’s principal investigator, is an associate professor and the director of the Political Psychology Laboratory at the Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She studies the political psychology of enduring values and urban context by introducing comparative experiments and multi-method designs. She is the recipient of the Erik Erikson Early Career Award, recognizing exceptional achievement in the field of political psychology (2019), and she has received over $2,000,000 in grants, including the ERC starting grant (ReligSpace), ISF, NSF, and Marie Curie, among others. She has published over 40 articles and chapters in leading political science, social psychology, public policy, conflict resolution, and environmental journals, such as The American Political Science Review, the Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, the British Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Conflict Resolution, Personality and Social Psychology Bulleting, and Political Psychology. Pazit writes fiction, reads compulsively (when her two young boys allow it), dances Zumba, grows three types of peppers, and is always excited to travel new roads.
Amit Birenboim
AmitBirenboimAmit Birenboim, PhD, is a research collaborator on the ReligSpace project. He is a senior lecturer (assistant professor) in the Department of Geography and Human Environment at Tel Aviv University, where he also acts as the head of the Urban Vitality Lab. He received his academic degrees, a bachelor’s in geography and sociology and anthropology (magna cum laude), a master’s in geography (summa cum laude), a master’s in business administration, and a PhD in geography, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His research interests include the study of human spatial behavior, tourism, health geography, and the implementation of advanced technologies such as location tracking technologies, portable sensors, and virtual and augmented reality for monitoring and studying human behavior.
Elodie Druez
ElodieDruezElodie Druez is a postdoctoral researcher on the ReligSpace team, responsible for the French fieldwork in Paris. Her research focuses on experiences of racism and discrimination, political behaviors, and politicization. She is particularly interested in sub-Saharan migration and the Black middle class. Her work has been published in Terrains & Travaux and in Tracés. She received a research grant from the City of Paris on xenophobia and anti-Semitism (2018). Her PhD thesis is entitled "Is Blackness political? Racialization and politicization of university graduates of sub-Saharan origin in Paris and London" (2020). Elodie loves singing Greek and Turkish songs and salsa dancing.
Rasha Kardosh
RashaKardoshRasha Kardosh is a postdoctoral researcher in the ReligSpace project at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Broadly constructed, her research focuses on the cognitive underpinnings of ideologies and social perceptions. Rasha completed her PhD in 2021 at the Hebrew University. During her time in graduate school Rasha has received the Hebrew University Presidential Fellowship, The Hoffman Fellowship for social leadership in academia and the Israeli Higher Education Council Fellowship. She loves conversing with interesting people, exploring new places, drinking unhealthy amounts of coffee, reading and eating (also cooking, only if absolutely necessary).
Hila Levit
HilaLevitHila Levit is a doctoral researcher on the ReligSpace team, responsible for conducting the fieldwork in Tel Aviv. Her PhD research focuses on art and culture in marginalized neighborhoods of the city and their effect on physical and social environments. She is highly interested in the emergence of geographical hubs in the city, in which varied ethnic, religious, and cultural groups act. Hila is a trained urban planner with practical experience working in both the private and public sectors. She received her master's degree in urban planning (summa cum laude) from the Department of Geography and Human Environment at the Porter School of the Environment, Tel Aviv University. Her interdisciplinary MA thesis portrayed a holistic and complex understanding of how musical spaces emerge in cities. She is a former researcher at Planning for the Environment with Communities (PECLAB), Tel Aviv University. In her free time, Hila enjoys playing the drums, practicing Iyengar Yoga, reading books, and petting cats.
Orni Livny
OrniLivnyOrni Livny is the administrator on the ReligSpace team and a postdoctoral fellow at the Political Psychology Lab, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her research focuses on immigration and politics in Europe, and she is particularly interested in immigrants’ political behavior. Orni holds a PhD in political sciences from Tel Aviv University (2020), where she researched the positions of Social Democratic parties towards immigration. For her research, she interviewed former immigration ministers and politicians in London and Stockholm. Orni is a former senior news editor with Channel 2 news, Israel. She loves traveling, hiking, and discovering new places. In her free time, she listens to podcasts or watches (too many) TV series.
Nilli Maderer
NilliMadererNilli Maderer is an MA researcher on the ReligSpace project. Her MA thesis focuses on the influence of Muslim priming on attitudes regarding minority groups in a conflicted society. Nilli holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy and political sciences from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Her main fields of interest are spatial priming, protests, and how these shape in-group and out-group attitudes in Israel. Nilli is the CEO of a workers' organization, a feminist activist, and is involved in municipal activities in Jerusalem. In her free time, she loves to do pottery, travel, and practice yoga.
Nonna Mayer
Nonna Mayer is a research collaborator, responsible for the ReligSpace French fieldwork, and a research professor emerita of CNRS at the Centre d’études européennes et de politique comparée at Sciences Po, Paris. Her main research topics are electoral behavior, political participation, radical right populism, racism, and antisemitism. She coordinates the annual Racism Barometer of the National Commission for Human Rights and has published numerous articles in leading political science journals, as well as major books on the French far right and political behavior. Nonna has received several prestigious international awards, including the UEACES (University Association for Contemporary European Studies) Lifetime Achievement Award (2019), and is a Doctor honoris causa of Brussels Free University (ULB). She is a former president of the French Political Science Association and former visiting professor at NYU and the Stanford Overseas program. Nonna loves street art, crime stories, classical guitar, and Middle Eastern food (eating and cooking). Her favorite sport is swimming.
Twitter: @mayer_nonna
Allon Vishkin
AllonVishkinAllon Vishkin is a postdoctoral researcher on the ReligSpace team and a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on differences in emotion and motivation across cultures and acculturating groups. Allon’s work has been published in Emotion, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin and the Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. He received the President’s Scholarship from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (2016-2019) and a postdoctoral fellowship from the Israel Science Foundation (2020–2022). Allon enjoys playing chess and engaging in a good argument.