Avishai Benish

Email: avishai.benish@mail.huji.ac.il

Research Interests:

Social rights take-up and advocacy

Regulation and welfare state governance

Administrative justice and accountability in privatized welfare services

Social law and socio-legal studies

Higher Education

2010 Postdoctoral Fellow at the Federmann School of Public Policy, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

2004 – 2009 PhD (Direct Track), Faculty of Law, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

2007 – 2008 LL.M., Columbia University Law School, New York. Graduated with distinction, Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar.

1996 - 2000 LL.B. in Law and Political Science (double major), Faculty of Law and Faculty of Social Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Graduated with distinction.

Appointments at the Hebrew University

2017 Assistant Professor tenured (senior lecturer), Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

2010 – 2017 Assistant Professor (lecturer), Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Additional Appointments

2018 – 2019 Visiting Scholar, Silver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, USA.

2017 Visiting Scholar, Max Planck Sciences Po Center on Coping with Instability in Market Societies, Sciences Po, Paris.

2014 – 2015 Visiting Professor, Center for the Study of Law & Society and the Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law and Israeli Studies, Faculty of Law, University of California, Berkeley, USA.

Additional Functions and Roles

2019 Head of Undergraduate Program, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

2017 Chairman, ESPAnet Israel, the Israeli national association of the European Network for Social Policy Analysis (ESPAnet)

Research Grants and Projects:

Between Rights and Care: Integrating Social Rights Advocacy into Social Work Practice (Israel Science Foundation): This research project (with Professor Idit Weiss-Gal) seeks to examine and conceptualize the integration of rights-based advocacy into social workers’ practice by offering a comprehensive and multifaceted empirical examination of how social workers under the reform engage in take-up practice; of their perceptions of the nature of take-up practice; and of whether and how they incorporate the rights discourse and its logic into their practice.

Social Rights Take-up (Israeli National Insurance Institute): This research project (with Professor John Gal, Professor Mimi Ajzenstadt & Dr. Roni Holler) explores the perceptions and practices of “take-up agents” in the public, private and non-profit sectors in the context of realizing the right to social security.

List of Publications:

Refereed articles:

Roni Holler & Avishai Benish (Forthcoming 2020) “Into the Promised Land: Modelling the Role of Take-Up Agents in Realizing Welfare Rights” Social Policy & Society

Avishai Benish (Forthcoming 2020) “The Logics of Hybrid Accountability:  When State, Market and Professionalism Interact” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

Avishai Benish & David Levi-Faur (Forthcoming 2020) “The Expansion of Regulation in Welfare Governance” The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science

Avishai Benish & Paola Mattei (2020) “Accountability and Hybridity in Welfare Governance” Public administration, 98(2) 281 – 290. [Link][SSRN]

Sharon Abraham-Weiss & Avishai Benish (2019) “The Story of Israel’s Supreme Court Ruling on Dignified Existence: Dignity does not Stop at the Doorstep of Poverty,” Law & Social Change, 10, 155 – 186. (Hebrew)]Link]

Avishai Benish, Dana Halevy and Shimon Spiro (2018) “Regulating social welfare services: Between compliance and learning,” International Journal of Social Welfare, 27(3), 226-235. [Link][SSRN]

Avishai Benish, Dana Halevy and Shimon Spiro (2018) “A professional learning-based approach to: A case study of the Youth Protection Authority in Israel,” Society and Welfare, 38(1). (Hebrew)[Link]

Avishai Benish and Liron David (2018) “The right of access the administration in the welfare state: The (non-)take-up of social rights and the duty to make social rights accessible,” Law and Government, 19, 395-427 [Link][SSRN]

Avishai Benish, Hanan Haber and Rotem Eliahou (2017) “The Regulatory Welfare State in Pension Markets: Mitigating High Charges for Low Income Savers in the United Kingdom and Israel,” Journal of Social Policy 46(2) 313-330 [Link] [SSRN]

Nissim Cohen, Avishai Benish, and Aya Shamriz-Ilouz (2016) “When the Clients Can Choose: Dilemmas of Street-Level Workers in Choice-Based Social Services,” Social Service Review 90 (4) 620-646. [Link] [SSRN]

Avishai Benish and Asa Maron (2016) “Infusing Public Law into Privatized Welfare: Lawyers, Economists and the Competing Logics of Administrative Reform,” Law and Society Review 50(4) 953-984. [Link] [SSRN]

Avishai Benish and Michal Kremer (2015) “Filling the Void: A Model for the Constitutional Right to Dignified Existence based on the German Constitutional Law,” Work, Society and Law 14 263-279. (Hebrew) [SSRN]

Avishai Benish (2014) “Outsourcing, Discretion, and Administrative Justice: Exploring the Acceptability of Privatized Decision Making," Law and Policy 36(2): 113-133. [Link] [SSRN] [JP]

Avishai Benish (2014) “The Public Accountability of Privatized Activation: The Case of Israel,” Social Policy and Administration 42(2): 262-277. [Link] [SSRN] [JP]

Avishai Benish and David Levi-Faur (2012) “New Forms of Administrative Law in Third Party Government,” Public Administration 90: 886-900. [Link] [SSRN] [JP]

Avishai Benish (2012) “New Public Management Reforms in Social Services: Lessons from 'Welfare-to-Work' Programs in a Comparative Perspective,” Social Security 90: 259- 290.  (Hebrew) [Link]

Avishai Benish (2012) “Social Services in the 21st Century: Trends and Challenges,” Social Security 90: 5-13.  (Hebrew) [Link]

Avishai Benish (2010) “Re-Bureaucratizing Welfare Administration,” Social Service Review 84: 77-101. [Link] [SSRN]

Avishai Benish and Roie Tsarfatie (2008) "When Labor Becomes a Commodity Again: A Critical Examination of Abnormally Low Bids in the Procurement of Employment Services" Tel Aviv University Journal of Law and Social Change 1: 93. (Hebrew)  [Link]

Avishai Benish (2008) “Contracting Out from The perspective of Public Law: Privatized 'Welfare to Work' Programs and the Limits of Oversight" Hebrew University Law Review (Mishpatim) 38: 283. (Hebrew) [SSRN]

Avishai Benish (2005) “Implementation of the 'Wisconsin Program' in Israel – Legal Aspects” Work, Society and Law 11: 121. (Hebrew)

Chapters and articles in books:

Avishai Benish & Jerome Pélisse (forthcoming 2020) “Administrative Justice in the Private Sector”. In The Oxford Handbook of Administrative Justice

Avishai Benish & John Gal (2018) “Abraham Doron and and Israeli Welfare State”, in John Gal & Avishai Benish, editors (2018) For the Welfare State: Selected Essays by Abraham Doron Tel Aviv: Resling. (Hebrew)

Avishai Benish (2018) “Trends and challenges in the welfare state in Israel and the world”, in John Gal & Avishai Benish, editors (2018) For the Welfare State: Selected Essays by Abraham Doron Tel Aviv: Resling. (Hebrew)

Avishai Benish (2018). The Privatization of Social Services in Israel. In: The Privatization of Israel (Paz-Fuchs, A., Mandelkern R. and Galnoor I., Eds.) (pp. 173-200). Palgrave Macmillan, New York. [Link] [SSRN]

Avishai Benish (2009) "Access to Justice in Welfare Services: The Case of the Administrative Tribunals in the 'Wisconsin Program," in John Gal and Mimi Ajzenstadt (Eds.) Access to social justice in Israel. Jerusalem: Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel. (Hebrew) [Link]

Tzvi Inbar, Shlomo Guverman and Avishai Benish (2003) “Constitution-Making and Amending,” in: Procedures for Ratifying and Amending a Constitution and Methods of Designing an Additional Knesset Chamber. Jerusalem: Israel Democracy Institute. (Hebrew)

Books:

John Gal and Avishai Benish, editors (2018) For the Welfare State: Selected Essays by Abraham Doron Tel Aviv: Resling. (Hebrew) [Link]

Mordechai Kremnitzer, David Kretzmer and Avishai Benish (2002) The Basic Laws as a Constitutional Foundation. Jerusalem: Israel Democracy Institute. (Hebrew) [Link]

Academic editing:

Editor (with David Levi-Faur and Oren Perez), Policy, Regulation & Governance eJournal [Link]

Editor, Social Welfare Law Section, Social Security Journal (Hebrew) [Link]

Shemer Orna

E-mail: orna@shemer.org.il

Higher Education

2004 Post-Doctoral Study. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work. Prof. Hillel Shmid.

1998 – 2003 Ph.D - Direct Course for the Ph.D. Degree. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work.

1995 – 1998 M.S.W. Rector's Prize for Excellence. The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work.

1991 – 1994 B.Sc Magna cum laude. Ben Gurion University of the Negev – Department of Social Work

Appointments at the Hebrew University

2016 Lecturer of the practice, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work, Israel

Additional Functions (Within the Past Five Years, partial list)

Ethics committee, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work.

Member of the editorial board of a "Meidaos" (מידע"ס), The Association of Social Workers of Israel.

ICSA Executive Committee Member.

The Specialty of Occupation Committee, The Association of Social Workers of Israel

Management committee member, "Gvanim" Association.

Research board member, Yad Tabenkin- the Research and Documentation Center of the United Kibbutz Movement.

Research Grants (Within the Past Five Years(

2019 Partnership and independence among young adults - The subjective, community and professional context of disability, The Center for Disability Studies, The Hebrew University, 12,500 IS, Dr. Shahar, E. & young Adults from Gvanim Association, PI-Co

2018 Family group conference, Ashalim, JDC & Ministry of Social Affairs and Social services,

220,000 IS, Prof. Roar-steriar, D. & Dr. Abud-Halabi, J., PI-Co

2017 Intercultural translation, JDC & Ministry of Social Affairs and Social services, 40,000 IS, Dr. Yohai Nadan, Co-PI

2016 Yad Tabenkin - Kibbutz 2020 - Holistic analysis of the changes in the Kibbutzim communities, 20,000 IS, Prof. Eliezer Ben-Rafael , Co-PI

2015 The Van leer Jerusalem institute - New Cooperatives initiatives in Israel, 25,000 IS, PI

List of Publication (Within the Past Five Years)

Books & Edited Books

Shemer, O., Rosenfeld, J.M., Dahan, O. & Daniel-Hellwing, A. (Editors). (2016). What have we actually done? Success Stories of the support-centers for students with learning disabilities. Tel Aviv: "Mofet" institution & Myers-JDC-Brookale Institute. (Hebrew)

Ben-Rafael, E. & Shemer, O. (Editors). (2020). Kibbutz 2020. Yad Tabenkin & The Kibbutz Research Institute, University of Haifa. (Hebrew).

Ben-Rafael, E. & Shemer, O. (Editors). (2020). The metamorphosis of the kibbutz. Leyden and Boston: Brill- International Comparative Social Studies. (English)

Chapters in Collections

Shemer, O. & Rosenfeld, J.M. (2015). "From actions to principles of action of learning from success and of integration of children with special needs in day-care centers". In: J.M., Rosenfeld, M. Gilat. & O. Shemer. (Eds). Inclusion of children with special needs in daycare centers in Israel – learning from successes in the "From risk to Opportunity Program" ("mesikun Le- sikuy" program). 57-63. Jerusalem: Myers-JDC-Brookale Institute, JDC Israel Ashalim & "Efshar" Association. (Hebrew)

Shemer, O. (2016). "Inter-cultural mediation: critical view on the development of a cultural-sensitive role". In: B. Bashir., G. Ben Porat, & Y. Yona, (Eds.). Multi-culturalism and policy. 226-263. Jerusalem: Van leer Jerusalem institute. (peer reviewed) (Hebrew)

Shemer, O. & Rosenfeld, J.M. (2016). "The learning from success journey of the managers of the support-centers for students with learning disabilities". In: O. Shemer, J.M., Rozenfeld, O. Dahan, & A. Daniel-Hellwing. (In press). What the hell did we do? Success Stories from the support-centers for students with learning disabilities. Tel Aviv: "Mofet" institution & Myers-JDC-Brookdale Institute. (Hebrew)

Shemer, O., Dahan, O., Daniel-Hellwing, A. & Rozenfeld, J.M. (2016). "What the hell did we learn on what the hell did we do?". In: O. Shemer, J.M., Rozenfeld, O. Dahan, & A. Daniel-Hellwing. (In press). What the hell did we do? Success Stories from the support-centers for students with learning disabilities. Tel Aviv: "Mofet" institution & Myers-JDC-Brookale Institute. (Hebrew)

Sadan, E., Shemer, O. & Blit-Cohen, E,. (2016). Community work in public health promotion: the case of Juvenile diabetes in Israel. In: O. Bar-on-Appel, N. Levin & N. dauwd. (Editors). Health Promotion in Israel. (pp. 247-261). Tel Aviv: Probook. (Hebrew)

Shemer, O., Rosenfeld, Y.M. (2018). Learning from the extraordinary successes - an activist pedagogy of inclusive reciprocity interaction. In: Einat, A. & Nechama, E. (Eds.). Let Them Dream. (pp. 19-25). Isarel: Kampus Biyalic-Rogozin & Hakibbutz Hameuhad Publishing House.

Shemer, O., Katz, N. (2018). The contribution of the learning from success to the practice of recovery. In: N. Hadas-Lidor & M. Lahman, (Eds). Against all odds. From Rehabilitation and Recovery in Mental health to community integration. Ono College. (Hebrew)

Shemer, O. (2020). Book chapters review. In: E. Ben-Rafael & O. Shemer. (Editors). Kibbutz 2020. Yad Tabenkin & The Kibbutz Research Institute, University of Haifa. (Hebrew)

Ariel, H. & Shemer, O. (2020). The subjectivity of the community-ness: The individual experienced in the kibbutz's transition from crisis to recovery. In: E. Ben-Rafael & O. Shemer. (Editors). Kibbutz 2020. (pp. 211-250). Yad Tabenkin & The Kibbutz Research Institute, University of Haifa. (Hebrew)

Shemer, O. (2021). Second wave Cooperatives: Alternative or passing phase? In: M. Topel. The Cooperation in Israel: Past, Present, Future. (382-423). Jerusalem: The Bialik Institute

Journal Articles

Shemer, O. & Agmon-Snir, H. (2019) The emergence of the emergence-based approach in community practice. Journal of Community Practice, 27:2,133-150. DOI: 10.1080/10705422.2019.1616345 (English)

Other publications (Within the Past Five Years, partial list)

Shemer, O. (Ed.). (2016). When Knowledge and practice meet: collection of practice-wisdom's articles from "Gishurim" ("Bridging") program – part B. Hebrew).

Agmon-Snir, H. & Shemer, O. (2016). Cultural competence in community work. Tel Aviv: Ministry of Welfare. (Hebrew).

Shemer, O. (2018). Leaders as Community Sensors and Modulators in Ramle's Multi-Cultural Partnership. "Gishurim" ("Bridging") program, Ministry of Welfare. (Hebrew, English – summery).

Shemer, O. (2017). On the Paths of participation: A Story about learning from un/participating People Living in Poverty. Meidaos, 84. (Journal of the Israel social work association). 32-41. (Hebrew). [An invited article to a festive issue - 80 years of social work in Israel ; Shemer, O. (2019). A Story about learning from the participation and the non-participation – of people living in poverty. ATD Fourth World UK. (English)

https://atd-uk.org/2019/04/15/in-the-paths-of-participation-learning-fro.../

Shemer, O. (2019). Invitation to Comprehensive Collaboration. Meeting point (נקודת מפגש, מכון חרוב),16. 8-13. (Hebrew)

Shemer, O. (2021). Merging knowledge in training social workers - the hidden story of the encounter between professional knowledge, knowledge from experience and academic knowledge. Meidaos, 95. 56-59. (Hebrew)

E-mail: edith@blitcohen.com

Higher Education

1997-2002       Ph.D., Social Work (School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew university,
                        Israel)

1990-1994       M.A., Social Work (School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew university,
                         Israel)  

1986-1989       B.A., Social Work (School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew university,
                         Israel) 

Awards and Excellence Scholarships (Within the Past Five Years)

2018    Distinguished Paper Award- ISEP: International Symposium on Education and
             Psychology. Osaka: Japan.

2018       Associate Professor, Social Work, School of Social Work and Social Welfare,
               Hebrew university, Israel

2016-2018       Senior Lecturer, Social Work, School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew                                university, Israel

2002-2016      Lecturer, Social Work, School of Social Work and Social Welfare, Hebrew
                        university, Israel 

Additional Functions (Within the Past Five Years)

2014-2020:  Head of the Joseph J. Schwartz, M.A. Programs

2011-2020:  Head of the Community Social Work track, BSW Program

2006-2020:  Member of the Learning committee, School of Social Work and Social Welfare

2005-2009:  Coordinator of the Community Learning Center, BSW Program, School of Social
                     Work and Social Welfare

2004-2011:  Member of the Prizes committee, School of Social Work and Social Welfare

2010-2020:  Member of the Dean's Student Award Committee for Social Involvement at the
                      University.

Research Grants (Within the Past Five Years)

2020         Research grant of 30,000 NIS from the School of Social Work and Social                                         Welfare with Dr. Itai Grinspan: A survey of Schwartz graduates.

2019         Research grant of NIS 30,000 from the Ralph Goldman Center for Jewish Welfare
                  and Ethics: Religious Activists Women.

2017         Research grant of 1500 $ from Cherrick Center: Ultra-Orthodox and their
                 participation in online networks. 

List of Publication (Within the Past Five Years)

Chapters in Collections

Cwikel, A. and Blit-Cohen, E. (2018). Charting strategies to social sustainability: lessons from community environmental struggles. In: M. Powers & M. Rinkel (Eds). Promoting Community and Environmental Sustainability: A workbook for global social workers and educators. Volume 2. Chapter 11, Pp. 171-192. Published by IFSW- The International Federation of Social Workers.

Cwikel, A., & Blit-Cohen, E. (2018). Strategies Used by Activists in Israeli Environmental Struggles: Implications for the Future Green Social Worker. In L. Dominelli, H. Bun & B. Raju Nikku (Ed.), The Routledge Handbook of Green Social Work. Chapter 36 (pp. 442-453). New York, NY: Routledge.

Journal Articles

עיסא, מ. ובליט-כהן, ע. (2020). חוויותיהם של מתנדבים ערבים-פלסטינים אזרחי ישראל המתנדבים במוסדות המדינה. ביטחון סוציאלי, (111), 1-28.

חורי-כסאברי, מ., בליט-כהן, ע., שנהב-גולדבר, ר. ומשנה, פ. (2020). שימוש בלתי פורמלי של עובדים סוציאליים במידע וטכנולוגיות תקשורת מקוונת. ביטחון סוציאלי, (110), 1-18.

ג'מאל-עבוד, ר. ובליט-כהן, ע. (2019). חוויותיהן של עובדות סוציאליות ערביות המטפלות באבות במרכזי ילדים-הורים ערבים בישראל. ביטחון סוציאלי, (107), 1-22.

שוורץ זיו, ת. ובליט-כהן, ע., אייזנשטדט מ. (2019). התארגנותן של נפגעות מדיניות הדיור הציבורי בישראל: הבחירה במאבק. ביטחון סוציאלי, (106), 1-34.

הרדל-זרייק, ה. ובליט-כהן, ע. (2018). עובדות סוציאליות קהילתיות פלסטיניות שעובדות בישראל: חוויות ואתגרים. ביטחון סוציאלי, (104), 1-30.

בליט-כהן, ע. וג'בר, א. (2015). שיתוף פעולה בין ארגונים פלסטיניים וישראליים בחברה האזרחית. ביטחון סוציאלי, (98), 217-240.

Blit-Cohen, E. & Makaros, A. (Accepted for publication). Personal Narrative as Shaping the Activist Identity of Religious Women in Israel. Journal of international Women's 

Blit-Cohen, E. & Makaros, A. (Accepted for publication). Personal Narrative as Shaping the Activist Identity of Religious Women in Israel.

.Journal of international Women's Studies

Persov, E., Udyavar Yehuda, R., Kantor, R., Blit-Cohen, E. & Sadan, E. (2020). Design Pedagogy for Learning Sustainability with Communities.

.Earth and Environmental Science Journal

Schwartz, T., Blit-Cohen, E. & Ajzenstadt, M. (2020). Activist mothers in need of public housing and the welfare services: Negotiating othering, mothering and resistance.

.The  British Journal of Social Work, 00, 1–19 https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcaa225

Yaari, M., Blit-Cohen, E. & Savaya, R. (2020). Management in Social Enterprises – Management Style, Challenges, and strategies.

.Journal of General Management, 46(1), 36-46. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306307020919529.

Blit-Cohen, E. (2020). Israeli-Palestinian Social Work Encounters. Journal of Social Work, 0(0), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017320949363

Yaari, M.; Blit-Cohen, E. & Savaya, R. (2019). Hybrid Organizational Culture: The Case of Social Enterprises.

The Journal of Social Entrepreneurship. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/19420676.2019.1702581.

Jammal-Abboud, R. & Blit-Cohen, E. (2019). "Building a Bridge between Arab Culture and What You Learn at the University": Social Workers with Fathers at Arab Child-Parent Centers in Israel. Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(4), 66-73.

Hardal-Zreik, H. & Blit-Cohen, E. (2018). Women Palestinian community social workers- Israeli citizenship: Between the personal and the political. British Journal of Social Work, 0, 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcy121.

Blit-Cohen, E. & Jammal-Abboud, R. (2017) The impact of Arab Israeli culture on the characteristics of the therapeutic encounter between women social workers and fathers in Arab parent–child centers, Journal of Social Work Practice, 31:3, 337-351, DOI: 10.1080/02650533.2016.1189404

Freund, A., Cohen, A., Blit-Cohen, E., & Dehan, N. (2017). Professional socialization and commitment to the profession in social work students: A longitudinal study exploring the effect of attitudes, perception of the profession, teaching, training, and supervision. Journal of Social Work, Vol. 17(6) 635–658. DOI: 10.1177/1468017316651991. 0.857.