Key Facts
Career & Education
About
Manfred Gerstenfeld (1937–2021) was a Dutch-Israeli author, consultant, and scholar specializing in antisemitism, post-Holocaust studies, Israeli affairs, Israel-Europe relations, and environmentalism in Judaism. Born in Vienna, Austria, he grew up in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where he earned a master's degree in organic chemistry and a high school teaching degree in Jewish studies from the Dutch Jewish seminary. He also studied economics at Erasmus University Rotterdam and obtained a PhD in environmental studies from the University of Amsterdam in 1999. Gerstenfeld's career spanned chemistry, economics, finance, and Jewish studies: in 1964, he moved to Paris as Europe's first financial analyst specializing in the pharmaceutical industry; in 1968, he relocated to Israel, serving as managing director of an economic consultancy firm partly owned by Bank Leumi, an academic reserve officer in the Israel Defense Forces, and a board member of the Israel Corporation and other companies. From 2000 to 2012, he served as Chairman of the Board of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA), where he founded and directed its post-Holocaust and anti-Semitism program, headed the Institute for Jewish Global Affairs, chaired its steering committee, edited The Jewish Political Studies Review, and co-published series including Jerusalem Letter/Viewpoints, Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism, and Changing Jewish Communities. He was also a member of the council (formerly vice-chairman) of the Foundation for Research of Dutch Jewry. Gerstenfeld authored or edited over 20 books, published in English, Hebrew, Dutch, French, Italian, German, and Norwegian, reflecting his fluency in multiple languages. He received awards including the 2012 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Journal for the Study of Antisemitism, the 2015 International Leadership Award from the Simon Wiesenthal Center, and the 2019 International Lion of Judah Award from the Canadian Institute of Jewish Research. Gerstenfeld was married to Marian and had two sons, Dan and Alon; he died on 25 February 2021 in Jerusalem, Israel. He faced controversies for his strong statements on antisemitism, particularly criticizing Norway's 'emotional anti-Semitism,' accusing Norwegian figures of supporting Hamas, and warning of anti-Israel sentiments in various movements, which drew rebuttals from Norwegian officials and Jewish leaders.