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

Last week, the AIANI Welcome and Orientation Days for the Winter Semester 2021/22 took place. AIANI is happy to welcome a record number of incoming students from our partner institutions in Israel to the University of Innsbruck!

AIANI invited the students to a Welcome Dinner for a first personal meeting. On Thursday and Friday, the Orientation Days took place where the students got all their paper work done and afterwards, met for an information session to prepare for their semester abroad in Innsbruck.
AIANI is cheerful to finally have exchange students back in Innsbruck and hopes that they experience a great semester!

AIANI was very pleased to welcome Dr. Romain Jammal-Abboud to the University of Innsbruck!
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Dr. Jammal-Abboud was invited by Prof. Alfred Berger, head of the Department of Educational Science at the University of Innsbruck. Together they are working on a research project investigating the short- and long-term effects of different parenting practices in late childhood on adolescents’ and young adults’ psychosocial development.

Dr. Jammal-Abboud's research and practice are devoted to culture-sensitive social work education and the welfare and health of children and families at risk in Israel. In her research, she specifically focuses on the development of professional identity of social workers coming from different cultures and working in multicultural contexts. Currently, she is working as a lecturer and the head of the Field Studies Unit at the School of Social Work at Zefat Academic College as well as a lecturer and the coordinator in the Field of Child and Youth Studies at the School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University, Israel.

The visit of Dr. Jammal-Abboud provided the opportunity to exchange on culture-sensitive social work. She presented her work to the members of the Department of Educational Science at the University of Innsbruck and moreover, she was invited to discuss her research with the head of the Department of Social Work at the Management Center Innsbruck. In addition, her visit gave the opportunity to progress on two joint research and publication projects. 

Read the full report about Dr. Jammal-Abboud's stay here:
Research Fellowship for Dr. Romain Jammal-Abboud at the University of Innsbruck

Dr. Jammal-Abboud's stay was supported by the City of Innsbruck.

Yesterday, on June 24th, 2021, Noam Zadoff held a virtual lecture “On Guilt, Shame and Continuity of Generations: Joseph Weiss, Amos Weiss and Gershom Shalom” at the National Library of Israel, Jerusalem.
Dr. Zadoff talked about the relationship between the Jewish German-Israeli Kabbalah researcher Gershom Scholem and his beloved student Joseph Weiss, a prominent researcher of the Hassidic Movement, as a father-son relationship. In his lecture, Zadoff focused on feelings of shame and guilt as bonding and separating elements in the way fathers and sons perceive each other’s roles. Through this understanding a continuity of generations can be created, which is not necessarily biological, but relies on needs and feeling of responsibility from both sides.
 
You can find the full virtual lecture, which was held in Hebrew, on the Youtube channel of the National Library Israel:
Virtual Lecture "On Guilt, Shame and Continuity of Generations: Joseph Weiss, Amos Weiss and Gershom Shalom"

It was our great pleasure to welcome H.E. Ambassador Mordechai Denis Rodgold to the University of Innsbruck!
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, it was his first time visiting the University of Innsbruck.
H.E. Ambassador Rodgold met with Rector Tilmann Märk, Prof. Hajnal, Prof. Rupnow and Prof. Zadoff for a productive discussion about future projects. Moreover, students from the University of Innsbruck and a visiting excursion group from our partner university the Hebrew University of Jerusalem as well as our colleagues from the European Forum at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem had the pleasure to meet Ambassador Rodgold.
The collaboration with the Embassy of the State of Israel in Austria has been very good in the past and we are looking forward to continuing this great cooperation.