By Shira Li Bartov January 28, 2026(JTA) — Jonathan Dekel-Chen, the father of a former Israeli hostage, has been appointed to join Columbia University as a professor of history with a course load that includes instruction about modern Israel. Sagui, who like his father is a dual Israeli and U.S. citizen, was released during a temporary ceasefire in February 2025. Dekel-Chen, currently a history professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, will join Columbia’s School of International and Public Affairs in July. He will teach courses on Jewish history in Eastern Europe and the Russia-Ukraine War, Russia’s engagement in the Middle East and modern Israeli history. He specializes in modern Jewish history, particularly in Eastern Europe.