Maurice M. Roumani, born in Benghazi, Libya, is Professor of Politics and International Relations, Religion and Society of the Middle East and the Founder of the J. R. Elyachar Center for Studies in Sephardi Heritage at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel. He specializes in Ethnic Relations in Israel, Jews of Arab countries, the Middle East Conflict, and he is an expert on the History of Libyan Jews, Jewish-Muslim Relations and the impact of Holocaust policies in North Africa. Biography Roumani had his first education at the Hebrew School and when it closed down he continued his education at the Italian Istituto De La Salle. He received a Wien International Scholarship to study at Brandeis University in the United States. With the worsening political situation in Libya, Roumani arranged first for his brother and then for the rest of the family to join him in the US. Roumani received his B.A. with Honors from Brandeis University and his M.A. from The University of Chicago, where he studied International Relations and the Middle East with Hans Morgenthau and Leonard Binder. Following his studies at The Chicago school of Janowitz, Binder and Shils he continued at the School of African and Asian Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. Under the supervision of P. J. Vatikiotis, he received his Ph. D. about the absorption and integration of different social groups as reflected in the non-military functions of the Israeli army. He was offered a teaching position at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, where he established in 1981 the J. R. Elyachar Center for the Study of Sephardi Heritage. The center offered 22 courses in Sephardi history, literature, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, ladino and music. In addition to Ben-Gurion University, Roumani held teaching positions at George Washington University, American University, Hebrew University (Truman Institute), University of Maryland, University of Oklahoma, Università di Roma Tre, Gratz College and Collegio Rabbinico Italiano in Rome, Italy. He also held research positions at the Middle East Institute of Harvard University, at the Center for International Development and Conflict Management (CIDCM) of the University of Maryland, at the Oxford Center for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies of Oxford University,. Research Roumani continues his research projects about Libya and Libyan Jewry, the role of Colonialism and Arab Nationalism in North African and the Middle East, the Arab-Israel Conflict, ethnic relations, the applications of Holocaust policies in North Africa and Jewish-Muslim relations