On Wednesday, January 19, 2022, the first AIANI guest talk in 2022 took place!
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As continuation of our Lecture Series “Promised Land – Israel between Vision and Reality” Prof. Yael Hashiloni Dolev from the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (Israel) met virtually with ​Prof. Gabriele Werner-Felmayer from the Medical University of Innsbruck to discuss a particularly complex and exciting topic: Bioethics in Israel.
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In this conversation, the focus was put on Prof. Hashiloni Dolev’s newest sociological research in the fields of gender medicine and on new fertility technologies such as fetal genetic tests, fetal gender selection, birth after death and egg freezing.

Prof. Hashiloni Dolev said that the wide range of new technologies allows her to ask sociological questions about the relationship between science and society, about gender, family and attitudes to disability and illness. These factors were discussed by the two researchers as well as changes in the Israeli society and therefore new perspectives on these topics.

​Ramona Pohn was an AIANI exchange student in 2019 at Beit Berl College in Kfar Saba. After getting her degree in German Philology at the University of Innsbruck, she moved back to pursue her dream of working and living in Israel. Ramona is now working for Austria's Agency for Education and Internationalisation (OeAD) and teaching at the Center for Austrian and German Studies at the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. AIANI spoke with her about her experiences so far as well as her current job.

AIANI: It is great to hear from you again, Ramona! Thanks for taking the time to talk to us. How are you and what’s going on with you?

Ramona: Thanks as well for talking to me. Well, right now I live in Tel Aviv and work at the university in the city of Beersheba [Ben-Gurion University]. I’m there as a lecturer for the OeAD: Their lecturers are sent to different countries as transmitters of Austrian culture, so to speak. So basically, what we do is teaching the language, German, and also teaching cultural studies. In my case, I’m at the Center for Austrian and German Studies at the university in Beersheba and we are instructed to organize academic events and workshops and so on in order to connect Austrian and Israeli culture.

AIANI: So you pursued this lectureship after graduating. Was this inspired by your semester abroad as an AIANI exchange student?

Ramona: For sure. I went there in the spring of 2019. I was actually at Beit Berl College which is a small college outside of Tel Aviv. It was a great time and it was also my first glimpse into what the country really has to offer. I was so fascinated in many different ways—politically and historically, and in terms of the people. And that’s why I decided to go back after graduating.

AIANI: Why did you choose Israel for your semester abroad when you were still a student at the University of Innsbruck?

Ramona: Well there were several options and I decided to choose Israel because especially Tel Aviv was very attractive for me from what I’ve heard; and Israel seemed to be the country with the most input for me. And I thought that I could learn so much from the country and that actually turned out to be true.

AIANI: So now you’re back in Israel through an OeAD lectureship. Tell us how this came off.

Ramona: Yes, indeed, well, my initial plan was to apply at some institution that sends people abroad—to Israel specifically. So I was lucky and honoured enough to get a job through the OeAD and be a lecturer there because I really wanted to be in Israel while having my academic career supported.

AIANI: Tell us about your current job. We heard that you held a presentation at the 28th International Congress of FILLM (International Federation for Modern Languages and Literatures) at the University of Vienna in July 2021, on “Linguistic, Literary and Cultural Diversity in a Global Perspective”. Your presentation was about the aspect of “liveness” in the contemporary theatre and literary scene in the era of Zoom and co. So why did you choose to explore this specific topic?
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Ramona: I think what is amazing about my lectureship is that the OeAD makes it very clear that we are free in our individual research and academic development. As I also have connections with the cultural and literary scene, I personally thought that there are so many developments happening in the COVID era that artists, theatre directors, literature houses, etc. find themselves facing problems with, especially concerning questions of hosting actual events, how to perform, how to provide art and make them accessible to people. So people started getting creative and I got so inspired by this creativity of what people did, like this virtual participative Facebook theatre of Effi Briest that I saw. These developments and creative solutions interested me, and it’s a good thing that my lectureship allows me to be flexible enough to pursue my own research interests, which is amazing.

AIANI: We’d like to ask you about the student experience and the teaching experience. What can you tell us about the similarities and differences of the campus life in Austria and Israel—from your perspective as a former student and as a current lecturer?

Ramona: Wow, that’s really an interesting question because as an Erasmus student at Beit Berl College, I had a very intense experience of knowing what an actual student campus is, because I had never experienced that perception at the same level as I did in Austria. In Innsbruck, I was not living on campus where everything seems to be concentrated in one place. At Beit Berl College, as a student, you are literally part of the university and that makes a huge community possible. Still, I have to say that Beit Berl College is very small, so it’s not like a lot of events are happening or that so much is going on just like in the movies that give a different view of college campuses. But what I find super inspiring, and taking into account Beit Berl College’s agricultural focus, is that the campus was very much like a commune. We had gardening courses where we took vegetables home and distributed them to different houses; we lived very close to each other and every morning we would have big breakfasts together. So it was like a very big family, and this familial space was inspiring for me because I loved going traveling every weekend to explore the country and every time I went back to this “family” in campus, it was very beautiful.

AIANI: So you would say that, at least for Beit Berl College, the sense of community is more essential than in Innsbruck?
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Ramona: I think essentially, looking at it from a living perspective, in Innsbruck it is common to live in shared flats. So you have your student life, you have shared flats, and house parties and these kinds of stuff which characterize life in Innsbruck. But at Beit Berl, the emphasis is more on the community lifestyle somewhere in the field, which is very different in itself. But I should stress that this experience is more specific to studying in a place like Beit Berl College, and not somewhere like in Tel Aviv where the student experience might be more similar to Innsbruck.

AIANI: As you are teaching German: Can you give as an idea on the perceptions of your students on learning German? What are their views on the cultures of Germany, Austria, and on the German-speaking world in general?

Ramona: Yes, well I’m also still researching on that issue by the way. The German Embassy actually was working recently on a survey on how the German language is perceived in Israel; and we still have the issue that it’s perceived mainly, in categorical terms, neutral to negative. There is not much positive associations with the German language unfortunately, and this is what we are trying to change. Of course, we have the fact that historically the main factor in influencing this perception is of course the Shoah. But there is also the perception of German being harsh and hard to learn. I try in my teaching to also make them see new aspects about the language and culture.

AIANI: Besides this, are you also engaged in other research interests? Are you engaged in other ongoing projects?

Ramona: I am engaged in a project that will take place in April 2022, about theatre and diversity. And in a way, I feel instructed by my job to transmit the Austrian culture and show that we’re more than Mozart and Sisi; that we are more—more diverse, more colourful, and there are so many nationalities living in Austria and I want to show that the country has a lot to offer culturally. And this project includes an input by a famous theatre director and migration expert living in Vienna who will come to Israel to talk about diversity in theatre in general and the diversity in theatre in Austria. In a way, this project connects my interest in the diversity in the cultural scene.

​AIANI: And to conclude, any advice for those who would like to apply for a semester abroad in Israel?

Ramona: As for Israel, there are many places to study. So I suggest deciding carefully on what you want. Because Tel Aviv would be so much different than studying in Jerusalem or in Beit Berl College. So it’s really important to understand the place, but it is also very interesting to connect with people in Israel as they are so open. So go and explore, and travel a lot. Go to a coffee shop in Tel Aviv and you’ll leave the shop with an amazing conversation. I promise that. And that’s the reason why I moved to Tel Aviv, and it is always interesting every day and that is the joy in openness.

AIANI: Ramona, thank you very much for your time and good luck!
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Ramona: Thank you too!

We are happy to share the AIANI Activity Report 2021! As you can see, AIANI was able to carry out a good number of projects and activities, even though the pandemic continued to interfere with our lives and posed a big challenge for all of us.
It became the “new normal” to hold meetings online, to plan projects with flexible dates, to plan and postpone, and reschedule on a regular basis. Another difficult year, but with many highlights, nevertheless.
We were able to overcome these new challenges also thanks to our partners, colleagues, supporters and friends. So a big THANK YOU goes out to them for their commitment, dedication and valuable support throughout the year.

​Find the report here:
AIANI Activity Report 2021

Dr. Adi Finkelstein from the Department of Nursing, Jerusalem College of Technology and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Faculty of Medicine, held the third lecture of the lecture series “Promised Land - Israel between Vision and Reality“ on December 2, 2021. Just like the previous lectures it had to be moved to the virtual room. Dr. Finkelstein focused in her talk on “Disability in Israel: Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Diverse Parts of Israeli Society”, on the situation of people with disabilities in the Arab and ultra-orthodox sector of Israeli society.She also gave examples of several studies conducted in these two sectors, especially the ultra-orthodox society.
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She presented to the audience a community engagement project carried out by the Jerusalem College of Technology, where students help to promote the rights of Haredi people with disabilities and their integration into the society.
​The lecture was moderated by Prof. Lisa Pfahl from the interdisciplinary research field of Disability Studies at the Department of Education at the University of Innsbruck. The talk took place one day before the world commemorates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, initiated by the United Nations.

The second talk of the lecture series “Promised Land“ took place on November 22, 2021. Just like the opening lecture, the event was initially planned as an in-person event, but due to the Covid-19 situation had to be switched to an online format. Dr. Julie Grimmeisen, Academic Director of the Consulate of the State of Israel, Munich, talked about “Frauen in Israel: Soldatinnen und Mütter“. 
Dr. Noam Zadoff welcomed the guests and lead through the evening. In her talk, which was supported by the Research Platform Center Interdisciplinary Gender Studies Innsbruck (CGI) at the University of Innsbruck, Dr. Grimmeisen first talked about the historical developments of the role of women in Israeli society.
She stated that the Zionist movements at the beginning of the 20th century aimed to build a society based on equality between the sexes. With the founding of the state, a number of revolutionary laws were put in place to strengthen the status of women in society. These included compulsory military service for women. Dr. Grimmeisen pointed out that Israeli society today, is still a very family-oriented society and that motherhood had always remained one of the main tasks of women.
“For a long time, a traditional division of roles also determined their duties in the Israeli army. Gender equality in Israel today is complex, like the country itself”, so Dr. Grimmeisen. The lecture was an introduction to Israel and its society from the perspective of the achievements and challenges of Israeli women – a very exciting, but often unmentioned, side.

On November 11, 2021, AIANI had the pleasure to host the opening lecture of the lecture series “Promised Land - Israel between Vision and Reality“. 
Initially planned as an in-person event, Prof. Dachs lecture was held online due to the current corona situation in Austria.

Prof. Dr. Gisela Dachs is a journalist and media scientist. She received her PhD on immigrant identities and news consumption at Tel Aviv University and has been working for different newspapers, including “Die Zeit” and “NZZ am Sonntag”, for more than twenty years. Since 2016, she has been teaching and researching at the DAAD Center for German Studies and the European Forum at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Prof. Dachs focused in her talk on the Israeli society, which consisted and still consists of very different groups whose coexistence is characterized by antagonism in many respects. Prof. Dachs pointed out the resulting difficulties as well as forms of overlapping affiliations.

Dr. Ingrid Böhler and Dr. Noam Zadoff from the Department of Contemporary History at the University of Innsbruck welcomed the guests virtually and moderated the discussion afterwards.

The positive effects of such an online event could be seen in the participation of about 45 people from Austria, Germany and Israel, including some Innsbruck students, currently spending their semester in Israel and therefore getting a first-hand-insight into the topic.  All listened to Prof. Dachs' interesting talk and many participated in the discussion that followed.

AIANI hopes to welcome Prof. Dachs to Innsbruck as soon as the conditions allow for such a stay.
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Special thanks to Dr. Ingrid Böhler and Dr. Noam Zadoff from the Department of Contemporary History at the University of Innsbruck, all participants and of course, Prof. Gisela Dachs for this engaging evening event!

​The positive effect of an online venue is that people from afar can join as well. So did some of our exchange students that are currently studying in Israel. Thank you for sending us this lovely picture! We hope you can get a great first-hand insight into the topic during your stay.

Yesterday, we were able to welcome numerous guests to the opening of the photo exhibition "Promised Land -Israel between Vision and Reality".

The exhibition opening in attendance by the artist Israel Ariel took place at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Innsbruck.
Prof. Gabriele Werner-Felmayer from the Institute of Biological Chemistry at the Medical University of Innsbruck together with Prof. Josef Quitterer from the Department of Christian Philosophy at the University of Innsbruck, welcomed the guests.
Photographer Israel Ariel talked about his pictures, the story behind and his views of the "Promised Land". In his work, he mainly aims to show the beauty of diversity and differences of people and landscapes.

If you are interested in seeing the pictures yourself, the exhibition will be shown until January 2022, at the Faculty of Theology (Karl-Rahner-Platz 1, 1st Floor, corridor area).

Find all information about the lecture series "Promised Land - Israel between Vision and Reality" here:
Photo Exhibition and Lecture Series Winter Semester 2021-2022

In October 2021, AIANI welcomed Dr. Tal-Chen Rabinowitch from the School of Creative Arts Therapies, Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences at University of Haifa to Innsbruck.
Dr. Rabinowitch was hosted by Prof. Tobias Greitemeyer from the Department of Psychology at the University of Innsbruck.

The purpose of the visit was to kick-start a unique and exciting collaborative research project between Prof. Greitemeyer’s lab and Dr. Rabinowitch's lab called the music and social development lab" in Israel.

In this research project, they want to study the effects of a synchronous intervention on the social relationships and behaviors within a group. "Interpersonal synchrony has repeatedly been shown to strengthen social bonds and enhance positive social interaction. However, very few studies have also explored the potential negative effects of interpersonal synchrony, and in particular, inducing hostile or non-collaborative attitudes towards out-group members", says Dr. Rabinowitch.
During her research visit, Prof. Greitemeyer and her have discussed the details of the study and trained four research assistants in running the study.

AIANI was happy to welcome Dr. Rabinowitch to Innsbruck and is looking foward to read about the results of the research project.

Read the report here:
Research Fellowship for Dr. Rabinowitch at the University of Innsbruck

In the winter semester 2021-2022, AIANI organizes a photo exhibition and lecture series in cooperation with other partners of the University of Innsbruck and the Medical University of Innsbruck - see program (link below).

The photo exhibition deals with the meaning of "Promised Land" as the land where "milk and honey" flow and shows how this meaning can still be traced today in the regional diversity around Jerusalem, both in nature and in the people living there.

The lectures will take place on various dates during the winter semester, starting with the opening lecture by the reowned journalist and professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Gisela Dachs, on November 11, 2021. Prof. Dachs will talk about Israeli society in general and its different social groups whose coexistence is marked by antagonisms in many respects.
Following the opening lecture, further lectures are planned in November, December and January.

Please find more information about the program and speakers here:
Promised Land - Photo Exhibition and Lecture Series