Rebekka Grossmann is a postdoctoral fellow at the Franz Rosenzweig Minerva Research Center at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for German-Jewish Literature and Cultural History (Israel).
On April 12, 2021, she gave a virtual guest lecture on “Zionistische Sichtbarkeiten: Fotografie und Nation in Palästina“. The talk was part of a joint research colloquium of the Department of Contemporary History, the Department of History and European Ethnology and the Department of Ancient History and Ancient Oriental Studies at the University of Innsbruck.

In her lecture, Grossmann discussed photography as a tool to picture various visions of a future Jewish state in Mandatory Palestine. In this way, photography offers new insights into the debate on different conceptions of Jewish statehood in the 1920s and 1930s. The lecture put a focus on the photographers, propagandists and photo agents at this time. Dr. Grossmann talked about how the photographs provide insights into their expectations and the challenges they faced, as well as the opportunities photography offered them as a political language.

Dr. Noam Zadoff, Assistant Professor at the Department of Contemporary History, moderated the online lecture, with about 70 people attending. The insightful presentation by Rebekka Grossmann was very well received by the audience and AIANI, as well as the organizers of the joint research colloquium, want to thank everyone who participated and especially Dr. Grossmann for a very interesting talk.

On April 4, 2021, the newspaper “Kleine Zeitung” published an article on “Gesellschaftlicher Wandel im Heiligen Land“ in which the author interviewed Dr. Noam Zadoff, Assistant Professor at the University of Innsbruck, on social order and social change in Israel.
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Zadoff explains how the history of the state of Israel has been shaped by the war against its neighboring countries and the consecutive integration of Jewish immigrant groups, arriving to Israel from all over the world. He claims that Israel’s society is undergoing a massive change: It used to be a melting pot, where society was challenged by the integration of different immigrant groups, but the wars against neighboring countries strengthened the bond between the inhabitants. The wave of immigration that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union however, changed the Israeli society towards a “salad bowl society”, similar to the one in the USA. This social change poses new challenges for today’s Israeli society.
 
Read the full article here:
https://www.uibk.ac.at/zeitgeschichte/medienspiegel/2021/nachlesen/pdf/noam-kleine-zeitung.pdf

”Israel in the Pandemic - Politics, Events and a Rise in Antisemitism” – was the title of the online event hosted by the Student’s Union for History at the University of Innsbruck on March 24, 2021.
 
Ass.-Prof. Dr. Noam Zadoff welcomed the over 30 participants and outlined three current topics in the recent discussion around Israel: The pandemic, Israeli politics and antisemitism in Europe. His introductory remarks were followed by a lively discussion.
Interest and attendance were high as a complex discussion on sensitive topics enfolded. Students as well as external participants took part in the exchange. Many issues, for example the very recent Knesset election, Israel‘s vaccination program and feminism in Israel, were discussed.
The representatives of the Student’s Union for History at the University of Innsbruck expressed special thanks to everyone who participated and especially to Ass.-Prof. Dr. Noam Zadoff, who enabled an open discussion and contributed greatly to the success of the event.

Thank you for participating at our online information event "Studying at the University of Innsbruck"!
If you are interested in spending an exchange semester in Innsbruck, please contact the International Office at your home institution or responsible person for semester abroad stays. Our colleagues from our partner institutions will send us the student nominations and afterwards, we will get in touch with you.

More information for Incoming students from Israel can be found here:

http://www.aiani.at/incomings.html

​We are looking forward to welcoming you to Innsbruck!

Together with the Embassy of the State of Israel in Austria, the Consulate General of the State of Israel in Munich organized an online get-together that included an online quiz with questions related to Israel. Friends from the Universität Wien, the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, the Universität Heidelberg and AIANI took part at the virtual event.
It was a fun evening, were new connections between the participants were created. 
H.E. Ambassador Mordechai Rodgold and consulat general Sandra Simovich participated as well and the students had the chance to meet them virtually.

Congratulations to Emir, one of AIANI’s former exchange students, who impressed the participants with his knowledge about Israel and won the 2nd prize. And of course, thanks to all our other AIANI students for joining us!

AIANI‘s partner institution the Beit Berl College is organizing a conference on "Freedom in Crisis" on May 13th, 2021.
Lecturers from the University of Innsbruck are invited to submit a proposal in order to participate at the conference organized by our partner institution‘s Faculty of Society and Culture, physically or via Zoom! As the subject of the conference is broad, researchers from different fields of study can send their proposals. The following topics will be addressed: relations between the individual and society, questions about the limits of freedom, philosophical issues derived from the tension between freedom of will and necessity, etc. Focus will also be given on the ongoing centrality of freedom in politics, philosophy, and art that has also subjected freedom to attacks and restrictions, manifested in tensions that seethe with particular intensity at times of crisis. The current global pandemic has stirred these and other issues to vigorous life everywhere.

Find more details here:
Beit Berl College Faculty of Society and Culture "Freedom in Crisis" Conference

On Tuesday, ​our second virtual information event on "Study Abroad in Israel" took place. We informed interested students about our exchange programs, scholarship opportunities and the application process. We also talked about the current situation and changes that might occur again due to Covid-19 regulations. If you missed our information event, but have questions regarding a semester abroad in Israel, send us an email: aiani@uibk.ac.at

Ass.-Prof. Dr. Noam Zadoff from the Department of Contemporary History at the University of Innsbruck will teach the online seminar "Israel and The Six-Day War" this upcoming winter semester!

The seminar is designed for every student that is interested in learning about the Six-Day War in Israel, which raged from June 5-10, 1967, and resulted in a swift and surprising victory of Israel over its neighboring countries. As a result of this armed conflict, Israel gained control over relatively large territories and also within the Israeli society radical changes were taking place.
In this course, various texts will be read and analyzed that were written in the aftermath of the war. By that students will seek to have a better understanding of the impact of spring 1967 on Israeli society and politics.

Find more information here:
Noam Zadoff Seminar WS2020 2021

This upcoming winter semester Prof. Dov Greenbaum from the renowned Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya in Israel will be teaching an online course at the University of Innsbruck.
For everybody that is interested in learning about new technologies and their effects on society as well as Biotechnology, Big Data, Intellectual Property, Genetic Engineering, etc. the “Technology in Society” course is definitely a great choice!

Here are some facts about the course:

• It will be offered as part of the interdisciplinary course program and generic competences for all Master & PhD students.
• It can be recognized as regular course or as an elective („Wahlfach“) for several study programs.
• It is a blocked course, which will be held online with new technological teaching methods.
• The language of instruction will be English.
  
  

Find more information here:
Dov Greenbaum Lecture WS2020 2021