Yanay Israeli

Yanay Israeli serves as Assistant Professor of History and Judaic Studies at the University of Michigan, with his office located in 1719 Haven Hall. His research focuses on the social and legal history of the Iberian world between the 13th and 16th centuries, particularly examining how communities navigated judicial systems and power structures through legal documentation and petitioning.

Dr. Israeli's scholarly work centers on understanding access to justice for non-elites within medieval Castilian legal frameworks, with special attention to religious and ethnic minorities. His current book project, 'Royal Justice and the People: Petitioning, Power, and Legal Culture in Late Medieval Castile,' represents a significant contribution to understanding state formation through popular engagement with royal courts. His research also extensively explores the history of Jews and Jewish converts (conversos) in late medieval Iberia, examining religious identity formation and social boundaries.

His recent publications (2022-2024) in prestigious journals like Past & Present, Medieval People, and Law and History Review demonstrate continued scholarly productivity and impact. These works reveal consistent thematic focus on legal culture, petitioning systems, minority experiences, and the intersection of religious identity with judicial processes in medieval Iberia, showing methodological sophistication in historical analysis of legal documents.

Dr. Israeli teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses reflecting his research specialties, including 'From Baghdad to Amsterdam: Jews as a Minority Group in Medieval and Early Modern Times,' 'Legal Cultures: People, Courts, and Power in Medieval and Early Modern European Polities,' and 'Conversion and Inquisition in Early Modern Spain.' His teaching demonstrates commitment to sharing specialized knowledge across multiple academic levels while connecting historical research to contemporary understandings of justice and minority experiences.