Daniel Heller

Dr. Daniel Kupfert Heller is the Kronhill Senior Lecturer in East European Jewish History at Monash University’s Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation. Trained in the fields of History and Psychology, his areas of research specialization are East European Jewish history, Israeli-Palestinian relations, and the psychology of conflict and cooperation.

Daniel received his PhD in 2012 from Stanford University, where he was awarded the annual prize for best written dissertation in the History Department. Before arriving at Monash, he was an assistant professor at McGill University, where he received the 2016 H. Noel Fieldhouse Award for Distinguished Teaching, awarded annually to one professor in McGill University’s Faculty of Arts. In 2017, he was the recipient of the Principal’s Prize for Excellence in Teaching, awarded annually to one assistant professor across all faculties in McGill University.

Daniel is currently completing a book entitled The Pedagogy of Conflict: Teaching Controversial Issues in University Classrooms (under contract with Princeton University Press). Drawing upon years of experience teaching the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the book offers practical strategies for educators to foster open inquiry amidst political polarisation and pressure. Weaving evidence-based techniques with compelling stories from university classrooms worldwide, the book aims to empower educators to create inclusive classrooms where students learn to challenge assumptions, navigate emotions, and engage meaningfully with diverse perspectives.

Daniel’s first book, Jabotinsky’s Children: Polish Jews and the Rise of Right-Wing Zionism (2017), investigated the significant role Polish Jews and Polish politics played in shaping right-wing Zionist views on democracy and the use of force. The book received the Association for Jewish Studies' Jordan Schnitzer Award for Modern Jewish History and Culture: Europe and Israel. Following Jabotinsky’s Children, Daniel worked on a research project exploring the politics of Israeli aid programs for women in sub-Saharan Africa during the Cold War era. His findings were published in Jewish Social Studies and History Australia.