SCOPUS 2017

Focus on Young Faculty
DR. DANNY ORBACH: A HISTORIAN
OPENS OUR EYES TO MILITARY
DISOBEDIENCE
Dr. Danny Orbach is a military
historian with a keen interest
in the “uncanny and unusual
corners of history.” He specializes
in military revolts and violent
disobedience and one of his most
recent publications highlights
clandestine anti-Nazi operations
carried out within the unlikely pockets
of conservative German society.
Orbach’s 2016 book, The Plots Against
Hitler, details, in part, the relatively
unknown rescue of Jews by German
officers serving in military intelligence
and engaging in underground
resistance.
His latest book, Curse on This
Country: The Rebellious Army of
Imperial Japan, is based on his
doctoral dissertation and post-doctoral
research at Harvard University.
Published this year by Cornell
University Press, it examines Japanese
military disobedience and the ways
in which Japan was pushed into the
Pacific War.
Orbach, who also spent two years
on a Monbusho Scholarship at Tokyo
University is more than thrilled
to assume a position at Hebrew
University as Senior Lecturer of
History and East Asian Studies.
“The Hebrew University is a very
distinguished place; a place of history
and tradition,” he notes.
Although Orbach feels he greatly
expanded his intellectual horizons
through his study abroad, he never
considered accepting a permanent
position at a university overseas.
“Coming back here is also a way
of showing gratitude and giving
something back to Israel where I was
educated and where I grew up.”
IN PURSUIT OF JUSTICE: DR. NETTA
BARAK-CORREN OFFERS BEHAVIORAL
INSIGHTS INTO THE LAW
Dr. Netta Barak-Corren is a
Lecturer in the Faculty of Law
with a focus on empirical and
behavioral analysis of public law,
in particular in the areas of law and
religion, equality, and conflict resolution.
Her current research focuses on how
people make decisions in moral conflicts
and on law’s diverse and sometimes
unexpected impact on discrimination.
Since arriving at the University,
Barak-Corren has spearheaded a new
undergraduate program in law and
psychology to help students consider
the significance of combining these two
fields. “This is a natural combination,
as law is primarily interested in guiding
human behavior for the common
good,” she explains.
A former student of Computer Science,
Barak-Corren consults on a voluntary
basis for Israel’s Ministry of Finance and
Ministry of Economy on how to motivate
women to pursue STEM education, using
behavioral insights.
“Equal opportunity is a topic that
has long been close to my heart. I
hope that through my work with the
ministries, I will be able to assist in the
formulation of research-based policy
that will get women and minorities
into STEM fields,” she says. “I would
consider it a success if the government
would increase its use of evidence
in policymaking as a result of this
project. This is perhaps the single most
important quality of good governance
in our times after honesty, fairness, and
accountability.”
A graduate of the Hebrew University,
Barak-Corren received her LLB and
her BA in Cognitive Science. After
clerking for then-Supreme Court
President Dorit Beinisch, Barak-Corren
did her LL.M. and SJD at Harvard Law
School, with her doctoral dissertation
entitled When Law and Religion
Conflict: A Behavioral Examination.
Barak-Corren is the winner of
numerous grants and awards, including
the Next Generation Award, the Sinclair
Kennedy fellowship, and the Howard
Raiffa and Fisher-Sander prizes.
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