Yael Halevi-Wise, 59-60, was born in Israel and completed military service there. She went on to obtain a bachelor’s degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, a master’s degree from Georgetown and a PhD from Princeton. She has taught at Brandeis University, Cornell University and Princeton University in the past, and moved to Montreal more than 22 years ago to teach at McGill.

Yael is married to Daniel Wise, a professor in Mathematics and Statistics at McGill. Both Yael and Daniel have signed public letters over the years opposing pro-Palestine activities, including one in 2016 decrying attempts from McGill students to pass BDS motions.

Yael is the mother of Ari Halevi-Wise, an Israeli soldier who is included in this database. She was on sabbatical in Israel when the state’s onslaught on Gaza began, and told CityNews, “Like the medieval Jewish poet Yehuda Halevi said, ‘My body’s in the west, but my heart is in the east.’” She stated she had no plans to leave Israel, saying, “I’d rather be here with my people and work to bring supplies to do whatever needs to be done at a time of war.” Speaking of Ari’s service, Yael told The Canadian Jewish News that she is impressed by her son’s commitment and morale, but is sad for him and other Israeli soldiers.