Mr. Yair Sheleg is currently a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI), exploring issues of religion and state, specifically the evacuation of Jewish settlements and the issue of non-Jewish immigration. He also writes for the Israeli daily newspaper Ha'aretz.
Mr. Sheleg was born in Bat Yam, Israel in 1964. For his military service, he enlisted in the Hesder program of the Israel Defense Forces, which combines study at a religious academy with military service, after which he studied Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
In 1994, Mr. Sheleg and fellow journalist and Ma'ariv editor, Amnon Dankner, co-founded the "Shaharit" (morning prayer) Group, a group of religious and secular journalists and educators who study Jewish topics together. Prior to joining the Ha'aretz staff, Mr. Sheleg was the head writer and assistant editor for the Yesha (Judea, Samaria, and Gaza District) newspaper Nekudah and wrote for the weekly Kol Ha'ir for eight years.
Mr. Sheleg has published numerous articles and several books including: The New Religious Jews – Recent Developments among Observant Jews in Israel (Keter Publishing, 2000), and The Social and Political Ramifications of Evacuating Settlements in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip (Israel Democracy Institute, 2004).
He and his wife Bambi, also a journalist, have three children and reside in Jerusalem.