Bernard Lewis. Photo. Princeton University.

Bernard Lewis

Historian

Over his long academic career, Bernard Lewis has arguably become the world’s greatest historian of the Middle East, specifically the history of Islam and the interaction between Islam and the West.

Lewis’ sage – and sometimes controversial – opinions are still sought-after and relevant. The Israeli commentator Ehud Yaari recently characterized Lewis as possessing an ability to see into the future.

In Michael Oren’s 2015 book “Ally: My Journey Across the American-Israeli Divide” the former Israeli ambassador to the United States shares some insights on Lewis, not surprising as Oren had studied under him at Princeton University.

Lewis is also well-known for his earlier public debates with Edward Said concerning the latter’s book “Orientalism” (1978), which criticized Lewis and other European Orientalists.