From July 21 till August 18, 2019, four MA students of the NaUKMA Department of History have participated in the academic Jewish Studies Internship for the Advanced Students and Junior Faculty at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The internship members were able to work on their research topics in Jewish Studies at such institutions as the National Library of Israel, the library of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, the Central Zionist Archives, the Israeli Center for the Documentation of the Performing Arts, the Jabotinsky Institute in Israel, and other relevant Israeli libraries and archives, as well as consult with Israeli scholars.
The list of participants of the internship 2019 included four MA in Jewish Studies Program’s students:
– Sofiia Korn, research topic: “The Kabbalistic Manuscript 'Sefer ha-Heshek': Historical and Cultural Context” (tutor: Prof. Moshe Rosman, Bar Ilan University);
– Yelyzaveta Muchnik, research topic: “The Journalistic Activity of Vladimir (Ze’ev) Jabotinsky in 1891–1903”(tutor: Dr. Dimitry Shumsky, Hebrew University of Jerusalem);
– Valeriia Orzhykhovska, research topic: “The Influence of Social and Political Tendencies on the Activity of Jewish Theatrical Groups of the Right-Bank Ukraine in 1876–1905” (tutor: Dr. Hillel Kazovsky, Museum of the Jewish History in Russia);
– Kateryna Papakina, research topic: “The Image of the Jews in Kyiv During the Directory (Based on the Newspapers and Ego-Documents)” (tutor: Dr. Hillel Kazovsky).
The internship program included several lectures on Jewish Studies: “Holocaust Memory in Israel” by Prof. Dan Porat, “Jewish Studies: Schools and Trends in Jewish Historiography” by Dr. Ilia Lurie, and “Research Approaches to Studying East European Jewish History” by Dr. Semion Goldin.
Within the framework of the walking tour itinerary, the students visited the most important cultural and historical landmarks of the Old City and the New City of Jerusalem, as well as got acquainted with the Archeological Collection of the Museum of Israel.
The internship program was organized by the NaUKMA MA Program in Jewish Studies and the International Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with support from the Nadav Foundation, Vaad of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Association for Jewish Studies.
Feedback of the participants
Sofiia Korn:
This internship is a unique opportunity to access world knowledge on your topic and to get supervised by the greatest experts on this field. It is especially important when dealing with an almost unresearched topic like mine. When I had questions or observations regarding the manuscript that I study, my tutor Prof. Moshe Rosman was always ready to help. Besides the studying opportunities and the fascinating program, the internship gave me an experience of living in Jerusalem. I felt the uniqueness of this city, which increased my admiration for its diversity, thriving of numerous identities, and possibility of the unexpected. I tried to use every opportunity to gain new knowledge in the field of Jewish Studies: I spoke Hebrew wherever I could; I encountered some Yiddish speakers and practiced the language with them. I am extremely grateful to the sponsors and the organizers for this experience, perfect conditions, wonderful program, and unique opportunity to study at such libraries and with such people.
Yelyzaveta Muchnik:
The program was very beneficial to me. During this internship, my inspiration and ardor for research turned into a focused academic interest. At first, I was a little confused, did not know where to start, did not believe in the novelty of my research work. But now I have a much better understanding of how to conduct my research during the second year of MA studies. I can't help but notice how much I was captured by the city of Jerusalem. Its beauty and sounds, its “goldness” will forever remain in my heart. I discovered the capital of the State of Israel in a new way. Indeed, it is awesome that the internship takes at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I greatly appreciate our sponsors' and organizers' efforts to make this journey happen. Everything was thought out carefully so that my colleagues and I could spend this time productively and with pleasure.
Valeriia Orzhykhovska:
It was a great honor for me to participate in the internship in Israel this summer. Every young researcher dreams to visit an influential academic institution of an international level, such as the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, to network and consult with leading scholars in the field of Jewish Studies, to immerse into the atmosphere of academic life, to get acquainted with colleagues from other countries, to collect sources for his or her forthcoming MA research. All these things were possible due to the work of the organizers and the support of the sponsors, and I would like to express my profound gratitude for that. During the internship, all the doors were open to me not only in the libraries but also in the archives and storage depositories which grant open access for all interested researchers. This became a pleasant surprise. The executives of these facilities were happy to provide information about the sources, offered their advice and created a comfortable working environment.
Kateryna Papakina:
A month-long internship at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is a useful practice of communication and academic research. Due to the efforts of the friendly faculty and meticulous preparation of the internship program, the participants are able to attend lectures on conceptual issues of Jewish history. The quantity and quality of literature available in libraries give the possibility to gain full access to the historiography on a selected topic. The participants have an opportunity to browse academic journals and volumes online and even to download those files to their own electronic devices or virtual repositories, which is inaccessible or expensive in Ukraine. Respected Israeli intellectuals are appointed as tutors for the participants of the internship, direct their research in libraries and archives, and provide helpful advice about the subsequent stages of writing a master thesis. Fascinating walking tours allow to see numerous historical and archeological landmarks of Jerusalem during different periods of the city’s existence.
The photographs from the internship 2019 can be found in the album on Facebook.
