Lebow was born in 1941 in France and was a refugee from Europe, the only member of his family to survive World War II.

From 2002 until becoming emeritus in 2012, he was James O. Freedman Presidential Professor of Government at Dartmouth College.

He taught courses on philosophy of science, scope and methods and ancient Greek conceptions of order and justice.

Simona Sharoni, a feminist scholar and activist, took offense at the joke and reported Lebow to the International Studies Association (ISA).

[4][5] Lebow emailed her to apologize, but said that focusing on minor offenses harms the general fight for women rights.