Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
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.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Research area keywords
- East European Jewish History
- History of Zionism and the State of Israel
- History of Humanitarian Aid and International Development
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Training Educators to Lead Constructive Dialogue Across Differences
Heller, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & Zaid, F. (Chief Investigator (CI))
1/05/25 → 31/07/26
Project: Research
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The Kronhill Program for European Jewish Experience
Margolis, R. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Slucki, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wolski, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Heller, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Michaels, P. (Associate Investigator (AI))
12/07/21 → 12/07/26
Project: Research
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Benjamin Slome research fund
Margolis, R. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Slucki, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wolski, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Shenker, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Doron, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Heller, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Forgasz, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Margolis, R. (Chief Investigator (CI))
19/08/20 → 19/08/25
Project: Research
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Encounters with Poland: Fostering a deeper intercultural understanding
Heller, D. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)) & Slucki, D. (Chief Investigator (CI))
3/01/23 → 30/10/23
Project: Research
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Kerryn Baker Memorial Endowment for Gender Research
Margolis, R. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI)), Forgasz, R. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Slucki, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Wolski, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Doron, D. (Chief Investigator (CI)), Shenker, N. (Chief Investigator (CI)) & Heller, D. (Chief Investigator (CI))
10/08/20 → 31/08/23
Project: Research
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Mental health in the shadow of the Holocaust: Psychological interventions in Jewish displaced persons camps
Heller, D., 25 Dec 2023, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Contemporary History. 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
Open AccessFile -
הסיוע הישראלי ו״האישה האפריקאית״: הפוליטיקה המגדרית של פיתוח בין-לאומי, 1958-1973
Heller, D., 2023, לבטים פוסקולוניאליים: עיונים בתולדות יחסי ישראל ומדינות אפריקה. Schler, L. & Dubinsky, I. (eds.). Haifa Israel : Pardes Press, p. 153-181 29 p.Translated title of the contribution :Israeli aid and African Women: The gendered politics of international development Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter (Book) › Other
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Gender, development and the Arab-Israeli conflict: the politics of study tours for women from the Global South in the State of Israel, 1958–1973
Heller, D., 2020, In: History Australia. 17, 4, p. 678-694 17 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Israeli Aid and the 'African Woman': The Gendered Politics of International Development, 1958-1973
Heller, D., 2020, In: Jewish Social Studies. 25, 2, p. 49-78 30 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
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Book Review: Paul Brykczynski, Primed For Violence: Murder, Antisemitism and Democratic Politics in Interwar Poland
Heller, D., Oct 2019, In: Antisemitism Studies . 3, 2, p. 395-399 5 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Short Review › Other
Open Access
Prizes
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Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Scholarship
Heller, D. (Recipient), 14 Oct 2018
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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H. Noel Fieldhouse Award for Distinguished Teaching, McGill University
Heller, D. (Recipient), 1 Apr 2017
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Internal Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Development Grant
Heller, D. (Recipient), 28 Mar 2016
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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J.I. Segal English Non-fiction Award on a Jewish Theme, Jewish Public Library
Heller, D. (Recipient), 14 Nov 2018
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
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Jordan Schnitzer Book Award in Modern Jewish History and Culture: Europe and Israel, Association for Jewish Studies
Heller, D. (Recipient), 16 Dec 2018
Prize: Prize (including medals and awards)
Activities
- 11 Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Mental Health in the Shadow of the Holocaust: Survivors in Europe’s Displaced Persons Camps
Daniel Heller (Contributor)
17 Aug 2022Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Understanding the War in Ukraine and What Led to It
Paula Michaels (Contributor) & Daniel Heller (Contributor)
2022Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Ancient Jewish Responses to Pandemics
Daniel Heller (Contributor)
16 May 2021Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Jewish Women in Poland on the Eve of the Holocaust
Daniel Heller (Contributor)
14 Jun 2020Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar
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Polish Jewry Between the Two World Wars
Daniel Heller (Contributor)
20 Oct 2020Activity: Community Talks, Presentations, Exhibitions and Events › Public lecture/debate/seminar