Rami
Benbenishty
Professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Bar-Ilan University. He studies how children and young people are doing, and what helps them do better.
About
Rami Benbenishty is a professor emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and at Bar-Ilan University. His work is about the safety, welfare and well-being of children and young people around the world, in community settings such as schools and in out-of-home care such as foster families and residential homes.
He earned his Ph.D. in social work and psychology at the University of Michigan in 1981. Much of his research goes beyond describing problems. It builds systems that let schools, districts and welfare services measure how children are doing, and use that evidence to decide what to do next.
His work has been recognized in Israel and internationally. He is a Chevalier of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques in France, received the EMET Prize in Israel, and received the Distinguished Career Achievement Award of the U.S. Society for Social Work Research.
- Affiliations
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Bar-Ilan University (professor emeritus)
- Education
- Ph.D., University of Michigan, 1981
- Focus
- Child welfare and protection, school climate, bullying and violence, monitoring in human services
- Works with
- Ron Avi Astor (UCLA), Anat Zeira (Hebrew University)
- Writing
- 18 books, 58 chapters and 243 journal articles
Areas of work
Four threads run through his research and practice.
Child welfare
How professionals judge risk, when children are removed from home and returned, and how young people fare after leaving foster and residential care.
School climate, bullying and violence
Monitoring systems that let schools, districts and ministries see how safe students feel, and act on what they find.
Identity-based victimization
How students' culture, gender and background shape who is targeted at school, and how schools respond.
YAAR Consulting
Research design, quantitative analysis and evaluation for ministries, agencies and organizations.
A career in brief
- B.S.W., Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Ph.D. in social work and psychology, University of Michigan
- Joins the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
- Moves to Bar-Ilan University
- Awarded the EMET Prize
- Professor Emeritus; founds consulting work at YAAR
- Elected to the U.S. National Academy of Education
Selected books
Most were written with long-time collaborators, and most are published by Oxford University Press.
- 2025A decade-long follow-up of alumni of residential placementsBenbenishty, Zeira and Refaeli. Bar-Ilan University, in Hebrew. Won Bar-Ilan’s President Prize for Best Scholarly Book.
- 2020Decision Making and Judgement in Child Welfare and ProtectionEdited with Fluke, López, Knorth and Baumann. Oxford University Press.
- 2019Bullying, School Violence, and Climate in Evolving ContextsWith Ron Avi Astor. Oxford University Press.
- 2018Mapping and Monitoring Bullying and ViolenceWith Ron Avi Astor. Oxford University Press.
- 2018Welcoming PracticesWith Astor, Jacobson, Wrabel and Pineda. Oxford University Press.
- 2013From Evidence to Outcomes in Child WelfareEdited with Aron Shlonsky. Oxford University Press.
- 2005School Violence in ContextWith Ron Avi Astor. Oxford University Press.
Honors
A selection. The full list is in the vitae.
- EMET Prize for Art, Science and CultureOffice of the Prime Minister, Israel, 2016
- Distinguished Career Achievement AwardSociety for Social Work Research, 2017
- National Academy of EducationElected International Associate, 2019
- American Academy of Social Work and Social WelfareElected Fellow, 2018
- Chevalier de l’Ordre des Palmes AcadémiquesMinistry of Education, France, 2011
- Michael Landau Prize for the Sciences and ResearchMifal Hapais, Israel, 2010
- Outstanding Book AwardAmerican Educational Research Association, 2007
- Rector’s PrizeThe Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2002