Dr. Shimon Stern

Dr. Shimon Stern was born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1935. He completed his academic studies at the Hebrew University. His PhD dissertation dealt with the development of the urban fabric of Haifa during the Mandate Period and was considered an innovative study in the understanding of Haifa specifically and “mixed cities” in general. 
He commenced his academic career in the Department of Geography in the University of Haifa and served as department chair.
He started teaching in 1976 in the Department of Land of Israel studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University and served as department chair.

Area of Expertise: Historical Geography of the Land of Israel and the Jews in the Modern Period, a topic on which he has published extensively. Noteworthy studies deal with Haifa, Nazareth, city and port planning during the Mandate period, the German activities in the Land of Israel during the 19th cent., a close study of the life of the German scholar Titus Tobler, and the geography of Jewish communities in western Europe and North America.
Over the years he taught a large variety of courses dealing with historical geography and settlement geography of the Land of Israel from the Ottoman Period until, and after, the founding of the State of Israel. He supervised many advanced students. Continues to publish studies on various topics.

Publications list: