He is Koret Distinguished Fellow at Shalem College in Jerusalem, where he previously was Senior Vice President and Chair of the Core Curriculum.

Gordis was born on July 5, 1959, in New York City, and was raised in Baltimore where he attended public high school.

His grandfather was Rabbi Robert Gordis,[1] a noted biblical scholar and one of the leaders of the Conservative Movement.

His uncle (his mother's brother) was Professor Gerson D. Cohen, who served as Chancellor of the Jewish Theological Seminary.

[8] Gordis has been harshly critical of American Jews who criticize Israeli government policies, sometimes publicly accusing them of either betraying Israel and the Jewish people (as in the case of Rabbi Sharon Brous[9]), having insufficient love for Israel (Rabbi Jill Jacobs[10]) or being a traitor to the Jewish people (Peter Beinart[11]).

[13] The book has been called by UK-based freelance writer and critic Stephen Daisely "the gold standard text in Begin studies".