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Our Lab.

Senior Research Associates

Post-docs

Senior Research Associates

Orly Idan

Orly Idan is a lecturer in psycholinguistics, language in the context of conflict, and academic research at Reichman University (Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya) and a senior associate researcher at the Psychology of Intergroup Conflict and Reconciliation Lab, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She was a postdoctoral associate at the Salutogenic Research Center and the Conflict Management Program at Ben Gurion University of the Negev, focusing on salutogenic interventions in conflictual settings. Her PhD dissertation from Tel Aviv University focused on resilience sources, socio-emotional self-perceptions, family climate and hopeful thinking among students. She completed her M.A degree in psycholinguistics at Tel Aviv University. Her current research interests and teaching domains focus on the role of linguistic cues in inducing emotions, in particular within the context of intractable conflicts and negotiations; discourse and narrative analysis in the context of conflict and health; a comparison of native and foreign language use relating to conflict, in particular Hebrew and Arabic; and, attitude change in the context of intractable conflicts.

Selected Publications

Ben-David, Y., & Idan, O. (2020). Eyes wide shut: Political ideology as a tool of discursive
avoidance among Israeli-Jewish students in the context of escalating conflict. Political Psychology. doi: 10.1111/pops.12702.

Hameiri, B., Idan, O., Nabet, E., Bar-Tal, D., & Halperin, E. (2020). The paradoxical thinking ‘sweet spot’: The role of recipients’ latitude of rejection in the effectiveness of paradoxical thinking messages targeting anti-refugee attitudes in Israel. Journal of Social and Political Psychology, 8(1), 266-283.

Idan, O., Halperin, E., Hameiri, B. & Reifen Tagar, M. (2018). A rose by any other name: Subtle linguistic cues reduce anger and increase support for conciliatory policies. Psychological Science, 29(6), 972-983.

Senior Research Associates

Orly Idan

I'm a political psychologist who has been fascinated by the concept of hope for at least a decade. My interest in hope (and its absence) began in 2012 with my first experimental studies on hope inducement. Since then, I've published a book and numerous articles and book chapters on hopeand despair as political phenomena and lectured on hope to a wide range of academic and non-academic audiences. In 2024 I founded the International Hub for Hope Research (ReHOPE) at the Hebrew University's ICR Lab. I serve as a Senior Research Associate at the Hebrew University and teach a new graduate-level course titled: Theoretical, Empirical, and Applied Aspects of Hope. [Personal Page]

Oded Adomi Leshem

Selected Publications

Leshem, O. A., & Halperin, E. (2024). Introducing the Bidimensional Model of Hope and its conceptual and methodological utilities. Frontiers in Psychology.

Leshem (2023), “Hope Amidst Conflict,” Oxford University Press.

Leshem & Halperin, E. (2023), "Threatened by the worst and hoping for the best: Unraveling the relationship between threat, hope, and public opinion during conflict." Political Behavior.

Oded Adomi Leshem

Post-docs

Itschak Trachtingot

Dr. Itschak Trachtingot, serves as Head of the Department of Jewish Education at Herzog College, Lecturer in Psychology and Special Education at the Hebrew University, Herzog College and Jerusalem College. Researcher on issues related to identity, social affiliation, acculturation and conflict resolution.

a research fellow for a postdoctoral fellowship in the lab, and conducts research on the position of the ultra-Orthodox regarding the Arab-Israeli conflict, under the supervision of Prof. Eran Halperin. The study examine the attitudes and behaviors that cause from conflict between the position of ultra-orthodox as not Zionists, and practice that most of them express hawkish positions against arabs.

my doctorat work dealt with the development of a psychological concept known as "minority consciousness" as a psychological factor concerning aspects of identity structure among populations from a psychological-social point of view.

Selected Publications

Trachtengot, I. (2014). Going out to work among ultra-Orthodox yeshiva members: the reasons, fears of it and perceptions towards it. Journal of the Study of Haredi Society, 1, 43-65 .(in Hebrew).

Maytles, R., Bergman, Y. S., & Trachtengot, I. (2021). Caregiving burden and depressive symptoms among ultra‐orthodox Jews: The moderating role of sense of community. Journal of Community & Applied Social Psychology.‏ https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2514

Black, S., Trachtengot, I. & Horenczyk, G. (2022). Community Post Traumatic Growth: Israeli Haredim Coping with Corona Virus. Contemporary Jewry.

Itschak Trachtingot

PhD Students

Anat Ruhrman

I am currently a PhD student at the Hebrew university and Leiden university under the supervision of Prof. Eran Halperin, Prof. Dr. Jojanneke van der Toorn, and Dr. Ruthie Pliskin. I received my BA in Philosophy and Political Science, as well as my MA in Conflict Resolution and Mediation, from Tel-Aviv University. Motivated by the search of means to enlarge the well-being of individuals and societies invovled in intractable conflicts, I seek to better understand the impact of repeated exposure to conflict-related violence on intergroup empathy and find means to promote intergroup empathy.

Selected Publications

Pliskin, R., Ruhrman, A. & Halperin, E. (2020). Proposing a multi-dimensional, context-sensitive approach to the study of ideological (A)Symmetry in emotion. Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences. 34:75–80.

Halperin, E., & Ruhrman, A. (2016). Hatred. In V. Zeigler-Hill, & T. K Shackelford (Eds.) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Difference (pp. 1-4). Springer.

Shira Hebel-Sela

I am currently a Ph.D. candidate in the direct Ph.D. program at the Psychology Department at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin and Dr. Boaz Hameiri (Tel Aviv University). I received my BA in Psychology and International Relations from The Hebrew University. In my PhD research, I explore the concept of tailored intergroup interventions through a multifaceted approach, conducting both small-scale studies and large-scale intervention tournaments to advance our understanding of effective strategies for promoting positive intergroup relations. In addition to that I am also a Swiftie and a die hard basketball fan.

Selected Publications

Hebel-Sela, S., Knab, N., & Hameiri, B. (2023). Paradoxical Thinking Interventions in Intergroup Conflicts. In E. Halperin, B. Hameiri, & R. Littman, Psychological Intergroup Interventions (1st ed., pp. 114–125). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003288251-10

Hebel-Sela, S., Hameiri, B., & Halperin, E. (2022). The vicious cycle of violent intergroup conflicts and conspiracy theories. Current opinion in psychology, 101422.

Hebel-Sela, S., Stefaniak, A., Vandermeulen, D., Adler, E., Hameiri, B., & Halperin, E. (2022). Are Societies in Conflict More Susceptible to believe in COVID-19 Conspiracy Theories? A 65 Nation Study. Peace and Conflict: Journal for Peace Psychology.

Research Gate I Google Scholar

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Daan Vandermeulen

I am a PhD student of psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I obtained my Bachelor's and Master's degree at Leuven University (Belgium). My research focuses on the antecedents and consequents of group emotion. Some of my projects investigate why certain group-relevant events cause widespread group outrage, while other seemingly similar events fail to do some. Other research focuses on how perceiving to share emotions with other group members may improve action tendencies towards these group members. Finally, I work as a statistical and methodological consultant for the NGO Digital Public Square and applied research center Achord.

Eli Adler

I am a Ph.D. student at the Hebrew University and Aalto University, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin (HUJI) and Dr. Yoni Levi (IDC & Aalto University).

After completing my BA in psychology and biology and my MA in clinical psychology, I worked as a researcher in high-tech companies before going back to academy.

My main interest lies in the field of psyche-soma relations in intergroup contexts. I'm passionate about exploring how physical and neural markers can shed new light on psychological and social processes and vice versa. In my current research, I'm using neuroimaging (Magnetoencephalography; MEG) to assess interventions for intergroup conflicts attenuation by allowing people to change their perspective.

Selected Publications

Adler, E., Hebel, S., Adomi Leshem, O., Levy, J., & Halperin, E., (under review). A Social Virus: Intergroup Dehumanization and Unwillingness to Aid Amidst COVID-19 - Who are the main targets? International Journal of Intercultural Relations.

Hebel, S., Stefaniak, A., Vandermeulen, D., Adler, E., Hameiri, B., & Halperin, E., (under review). Are Societies in conflict more susceptible to believe in COVID-19 conspiracy theories? A 67 Nation Study. Science Advances.

Zebarjadi, N., Adler, E., Kluge, A., Jääskeläinen, I. P., Sams, M. E., & Levy, J., (2021). Rhythmic neural patterns during empathy to vicarious pain: Beyond the affective-cognitive empathy dichotomy. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 15, 380.

Josephine Gellersen

I am a social psychologist and a PhD student under the supervision of Prof. Eran Halperin and Prof. Tamar Saguy, at the Department of Psychology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. I received my BA in Psychology and my MRes in Behavioural and Social Sciences from the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. My main research area focusses on the peace-promoting vs. peace-disruptive qualities of emotions and related identity processes in contexts of intergroup conflict. I am particularly interested in the emotion of hope on the one hand, and feelings of betrayal and failed expectations on the other. I am curious as to how such sentiments relate to political attitudes and behaviour, also by affecting group members’ social identity. Behaviours I am interested in include political party vote choice, as well as violent and non—violent forms of collective action.

Selected Publications

Gellersen, J., Kuppens, T., & Stroebe, K. (2021). Populist Voting in the 2016 U.S. Presidential Election: Voter Deficiencies or a Reaction to Disadvantages?. DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/rxvdy

Lee Aldar

I am a PhD student in my final year, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin, Dr. Ruthie Pliskin, and Prof. Daan Scheepers. My current research examines the psychological underpinnings of group legitimization processes in varying social and political contexts, primarily through testing socio-psychological interventions. I received my Honours BA in Political Science and IR from the University of British Columbia and MA in Conflict Research, Management and Resolution from The Hebrew University.

Selected Publications

Aldar, L., Pliskin, R., Hasson, Y., & Halperin, E. (2025). Intergroup psychological interventions highlighting commonalities can increase the perceived legitimacy of critical voices. Communications Psychology , 3(1), 63.

Aldar, L.,* Pliskin, R.,* Hasson, Y., & Halperin, E. (2025). Legitimizing inclusion: Psychological interventions increase support for minority inclusion in the political game, but less so during wartime. Political Psychology.

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Nimrod Nir

Social and Political Psychologist.

Selected Publications

Nir, N. & Halperin, E. (2019). Effects of humor on intergroup communication in intractable conflicts: Using humor in an intergroup appeal facilitates stronger agreement between groups and a greater willingness to compromise. Political Psychology, 40(3), 467-485.

Nir, N. & Halperin, E (2019). Intergroup Hate in Conflict: The case of the Korean Conflict. In J. Park, M. Lee, H. Choi, Y. Kwon, S. Sloman, & E. Halperin(Eds.). 2019 Annual Reports of Attitude of Koreans toward Peace and Reconciliation. Seoul: Korea Institute for National Unification.

Nir, N. & Halperin, E (2020). The Dual Effects of COVID-19 on Intergroup Conflict: The case of the Korean Peninsula. In J. Park, M. Lee, H. Choi, Y. Kwon, S. Sloman, & E. Halperin(Eds.). 2020 Annual Reports of Attitude of Koreans toward Peace and Reconciliation. Seoul: Korea Institute for National Unification.

Nur Kassem

I am Nur Kassem, a Ph.D. student under the supervision of Dr. Anat Perry and Prof. Eran Halperin. I finished my studies in Clinical Psychology at the Hebrew University, and I have earlier received a bachelor's degree in Psychology and English Literature. My research investigates the interplay of language and emotions in conflict regions. Moreover, I intend to examine the behavioral, physiological, and neural mechanisms concerning empathetic accuracy among groups in power relations.

Nitzan Attias

I am a PhD student in Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin and Dr. Meital Balmas-Cohen. I received my BA in Psychology and Communication & Journalism, as well as my MA in Experimental Psychology (direct track), from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. My research focuses on personality intergroup meta-perceptions. Specifically, I seek to identify and explore the particular personality traits that individuals find most troubling when perceived by outgroup members.

Selected Publications

Balmas, M., Attias, N., & Halperin, E (in-press). The warm war: The effect of Ukrainian president’s communal personality traits on empathy and pro-social behavior towards the Ukrainians. Journal of Conflict Resolution.

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Noa Cohen Eick

I am a Ph.D. student in the Department of Social Psychology at Groningen University, The Netherlands, and in the Department of Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel, under the supervision of Prof. Martijn van Zomeren and Prof. Eran Halperin. I received my B.A. in Psychology and Counseling and Human Development from the University of Haifa. I recently completed my master’s studies in Applied Neuropsychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
My main research interest is understanding the psychological factors underlying participation in collective action for social change and its practical implications. Specifically, I’m studying the unique motives for sustained collective action.

I am also a co-lab manager.

Selected Publications

Cohen-Eick, N., Shuman, E., van Zomeren, M., & Halperin, E. (in-press). Should I Stay or Should I Go? Motives and Barriers for Sustain Collective Action Toward Social Change. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin.

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Mabelle Kretchner

I am a PhD student supervised by Eran Halperin, Julia Elad-Strenger and Sivan Hirsch-Hoefler. I received my undergraduate degree in Psychology and my MA in Social Psychology and intergroup relations from Reichman University. My current research focuses on the emotional underpinning of the political divide, also known as "Affective Polarization" using this knowledge to develop tailored emotional based intervention to combat Affective Polarization and it negative consequences to societies and democracies. I am also part of the international MORES project studies how moral emotions, especially positive ones, contribute to the stabilisation of political identities, and how they, negative ones, trigger division and polarization.

Selected Publications

Halperin, E., Kretchner, M., Hirsch-Hoefler, S., & Elad-Strenger, J. (2024). The affective gap: a call for a comprehensive examination of the discrete emotions underlying affective polarization. Cognition and Emotion, 38(4), 442-450.

Kretchner, M., Elad-Strenger, J., Hirsch-Hoefler, S., Orian-Harel, T., & Halperin, E. (2024). The disappointing (not hateful) divide: Uncovering the negative emotions that underlie affective polarization. OSF Preprints.‏

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Leah Bloy

I am a PhD student at the Hebrew University Business School. I graduated with honors from the Open University with a Bachelor's degree in Psychology and management and earned a Master's degree in Psychology from the Hebrew University. I specialize in researching survey methodology and focus on developing data science tools to detect and treat survey errors and biases. As part of my work at the PICR lab, I study the psychological mechanisms that lead to differences in response styles between high and low power groups, which have the potential to distort research results.

Ilana Ushomirsky

I'm a PhD student in the Psychology department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin. I received my B.A. in Psychology and Cognitive Sciences from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Batya Feigin

I am a Ph.D. student in the Psychology Department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin. I graduated with a B.Sc. in Psychobiology and the 'Amirim' honors program in Natural Sciences at the Hebrew University. My main research interest is in radicalization processes towards political violence and terrorism. In particular, I aim to better understand how group dynamics influence an individual's transition from radical attitudes to radical behavior and explore ways to mitigate intergroup aggression.

Shay Yoos

I am currently pursuing a PhD at the Hebrew University under the supervision of Prof. Eran Halperin and Dr. Matthew Simonson. I hold a BA in Business and Political Science from The Open University and an MA in International Development from The Hebrew University. My research is driven by a commitment to exploring pathways for enhancing recovery among communities affected by violent collective trauma stemming from political conflict. Specifically, I am studying the communities impacted by the October 7th massacre, with a focus on understanding the political implications of this tragedy and the effects of collective trauma on both individual and collective hope.

Naomi Sternberg

I am a phd candidate in social psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under Prof. Eran Halperin's supervision. My academic background includes a master's degree in Middle Eastern history and a bachelor's in political science and Middle Eastern history from Tel Aviv University. As a peacebuilding practitioner facilitating Israeli-Palestinian women's dialogues, I aim to bridge field experiences with academic research on intergroup relations. I also speak five languages and host podcasts discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from various perspectives.

Lab Manager

Lab Managers

Noga Mostovoy Elzafan

I am a PhD student in social psychology at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, supervised by prof. Eran Halperin. I received my M.A in environmental studies from Tel - Aviv University and my B.A in psychology and sustainability from Tel - Hai College. My main field of interest is Environmental Psychology, in particular, understanding and revealing new ways and causes that will motivate groups and individuals to adopt more environmentally friendly behaviours and involvement.

I am also a co-lab manager.

Selected Publications

Mostovoy, N., Romano, G. H. C., Rabinowitz, D., Soroker, S., & Carmi, N. (2021). The municipal council, my neighbors and me: Social environmental influences in the city. Journal of Environmental Management, 288, 112393.

Carmi, N., & Mostovoy, N. (2017). The effect of group size on energy consumption by communal electricity users. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 54, 50-56.

Adva Gruenwald

I am a Ph.D. student in the direct Ph.D. program in the Psychology Department at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin. I received my B.A. in PPE (Philosophy, Political Science, and Economics) from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

I am a co-lab manager.

MA Students

Uri Nevo

I am currently a MA student of Clinical Psychology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, supervised by Prof. Eran Halperin. I received my BA in Philosophy and psychology from the Hebrew university. My research concerns the relationship between uncertainty and ideology.

Gil Dickmann

I am a Political Campaigner, Creative Director, Sneaker Collector, and an MA student in the Psychology department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem under the supervision of Prof. Eran Halperin. I have spent the past decade running political and social campaigns for various parties and organizations both in Israel and abroad. In the next decade, my goal is to merge my professional skills with academic insights to gain a deeper understanding of political and democratic behavior among the masses and to influence it positively.