While studying at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, Grant Rumley recognized the wealth of clear and nuanced analysis of Near East affairs produced by graduate students and young professionals, but also realized that they often struggle to find a place to publish their work without an extensive portfolio. Thus, in late 2011, he along with J. Stuster, Egemen Bezci, and Geoff Levin founded The Jerusalem Review, creating a new and innovative platform for young writers to publish their analyses.

In it’s first years, The Review consistently published opinion and analysis articles covering a wide range of topics such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Turkish politics, and women’s issues in Morocco.  The Review also built a respected team of editors and staff writers, who subsequently gained employment at many respected publications including Foreign Policy and Buzzfeed. The Review experienced approximately a year long hiatus in 2014-2015 and finally appointed a new editorial staff and relaunched in October 2015.  Despite the personnel change, The Review remains committed to it’s core value of providing quality analysis and will add a bi-weekly Palestinian news roundup to it’s publications.

The Review considers Jerusalem it’s focal point. Not only is the city a fulcrum in the region for pragmatic reasons — the stagnant peace process, the territorial confrontations, the ever persistent question of its status as a capitol — but it’s also a focal point on a more esoteric level. As the author David Shipler wrote:  “Jerusalem is a festival and a lamentation. Its song is a sigh across the ages, a delicate, robust, mournful psalm at the great junction of spiritual cultures.”

The Review hopes to become a resource for students, academics, and policymakers and contribute to a robust discourse of Near East affairs.