​In June 2023, as part of the Eramus+ Staff Training mobility program supported by AIANI, Josefa Weintraub, a member of the Academic Secretariat Department at Tel Aviv University, visited the University of Innsbruck. Her visit provided an excellent opportunity to engage with the staff of the Vice Rectorate for Teaching and Students, fostering the exchange of ideas and working methods. Special recognition goes to Bianca Gegenburger, who organized the training program for Ms. Weintraub. The AIANI Team and the Office of Vice Rectorate for Research and Education warmly welcomed Ms. Weintraub to Innsbruck.
 
Throughout her five-day stay, Ms. Weintraub gained valuable insights into various aspects of the University of Innsbruck's operations. Ms. Gegenburger and her colleague, Theresa Hohenauer-Todd, shared their knowledge regarding the university's structures and responsibilities in different fields of practice.
Additionally, the Office of Bologna Process and Teaching Development, represented by Veronika Schaffer and Christina Raab, provided Ms. Weintraub with an in-depth understanding of the Bologna process.
 
Marianne Prast, representing the Offices for Quality Assurance in Teaching, provided a comprehensive overview of the University of Innsbruck's quality management practices, which aim to uphold the highest standards.
 
“I had a wonderful visit to the University of Innsbruck!” Ms. Weintraub wrote about her stay.
“My colleagues went above and beyond to tailor a job shadowing program that was beneficial both professionally and personally.
During my stay, I met with colleagues from the office of the vice-rector for teaching and students and AIANI, quality assurance in teaching, the office for Bologna process and teaching development, and the office of the senate.
Everybody I met was friendly, patient, and very nice.
 
In spite of a few differences between our academic systems, I learned to what extent we all share the same problems and concerns regarding the implementation of new study programs or changes in existing study programs and also measuring and assuring the quality of teaching. I felt that our exchange of information, practices, and dilemmas was fruitful. There are a few ideas I will suggest to my university to adopt.
I look forward to having my colleagues from Innsbruck as guests of my university.”
 
If you are interested in the Erasmus+ Staff Training program, get to:
http://www.aiani.at/erasmus-staff-training-program.html
 

In April, Prof. Ephraim Meir, a member of the Jewish Philosophy Department at Bar-Ilan University in Israel, visited the University of Innsbruck. Thanks to the assistance of AIANI, Mr. Meir had the opportunity to deliver a lecture during a workshop organized by Prof. Wolfgang Palaver from the Department of Systematic Theology in Innsbruck.

The workshop titled "Peace in Times of a Third World War Fought Piecemeal," held on April 24th at the Catholic Theological Faculty of the University of Innsbruck, centered around Pope Francis's observation that wars are being waged worldwide when considering all forms of violence that violate people's fundamental rights.

The workshop began with Wolfgang Palaver providing an overview of recent developments in Catholic peace ethics. Andreas Müller (Medical Law Research Center) then discussed the opportunities and limitations of international law, with Jodok Troy (Political Sciences) acting as a respondent. Martin Senn's (Political Sciences) contribution focused on the relationship between nuclear weapons and security, with Stefan Hoffmann offering a response.

In the afternoon session, philosopher Ephraim Meir from Bar-Ilan University presented the concept of peace in Levinas's philosophy, which states that the traditional philosophical pursuit of knowledge is secondary to a basic ethical duty to the other.
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Mr. Meir highlighted Emmanuel Levinas’s connections to Franz Rosenzweig and Vassili Grossman. Meir's presentation was followed by Andreas Oberprantacher's (Philosophy) response, questioning the absence of a dialectical relationship between politics and morality in Levinas. Louise du Toit (Philosophy, Stellenbosch University) critically examined the distinction between war and peace, referencing authors such as Nelson Maldonado-Torres and Adriana Cavarero. Michaela Quast-Neulinger (Systematic Theology) provided a response to du Toit's contribution. Ed Noort (Ancient Hebrew Literature and Material Culture of the Levant, University of Groningen) concluded the workshop by discussing meta-narratives in apocalyptic times, drawing examples from the Hebrew Bible, with Wilhelm Guggenberger (Systematic Theology) acting as the respondent.

Dr. Tattwamasi Amrutam's visited the University of Innsbruck as AIANI Fellow from March 31, 2023, to April 18, 2023. He collaborated with Hanna Oppelmayer, PhD, a PostDoc researcher in the Stochastics research group at the Department of Mathematics. The focus of the Stochastics Group in Innsbruck is mainly on random processes on infinite discrete structures such as graphs and groups, or objects with self-similar properties (fractals).

In collaboration with Dr. Yair Hartman from BGU, the researchers applied concepts in Probability Theory (Stochastics) to structures in Operator Algebra Theory in an ongoing project. Operator Algebra is an algebra of continuous linear operators on a topological vector space with the multiplication given by the composition of mappings. In particular, it is a set of operators with both algebraic and topological closure properties.

Dr. Amrutam's expertise in Operator Algebras complemented Oppelmayer's probabilistic perspective, contributing to their research project. The visit resulted in significant progress and partial answers to their research questions, including the proof of a theorem for certain classes of examples.

To conclude the visit, Dr. Amrutam presented their findings in the local seminar of the Stochastics research group at the University of Innsbruck.
You can find more information about the seminar at:
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https://www.uibk.ac.at/mathematik/stochastik/seminars.html

Vom 14. bis 15. Dezember 2022 fand im Palais Claudiana (Herzog-Friedrich-Straße 3, 6020 Innsbruck) die internationale zweisprachige Tagung Speaking in Spite of All: German-Jewish Thought and Its Afterlife / Sprechen trotz allem: Deutsch-jüdisches Denken und sein Fortleben statt. Sie brachte renommierte Forscher:innen aus dem In- und Ausland nach Innsbruck, um im Rahmen von einer Buchpräsentation, zwei Keynote-Vorträgen und drei Panels dem Denken von Autor:innen wie Franz Kafka, Walter Benjamin, Gershom Scholem, Theodor W. Adorno, Hannah Arendt, Paul Celan und Ilse Aichinger nachzuspüren, deren Bezug zur jüdischen Tradition zu klären sowie die vielgestaltige Rezeption zu diskutieren, die sie bis heute erfahren. Thematisch stand dabei der Zusammenbruch des Vertrauens in die Sprache angesichts der schockhaften Erfahrungen des 20. Jahrhunderts – allen voran der Shoah – im Zentrum. Dieses gemeinhin unter dem Schlagwort der Sprachkrise verhandelte Phänomen wurde im deutsch-jüdischen Diskurs in der Tat breit und aus verschiedenen Perspektiven reflektiert. Davon ausgehend wurden auf der Tagung Fragen wie die folgenden erörtert: Wie wurde und wird die Sprachkrise in der künstlerischen, literarischen und filmischen Auseinandersetzung diskutiert und wo wird sie sichtbar? Was bedeutet Zeug:innenschaft angesichts der Dringlichkeit, Unsagbares zu sagen? Wie steht es unter der Prämisse des Bilderverbots um die Möglichkeit, Utopisches zu denken? Organisiert wurde die Tagung von Stephanie Graf, Michaela Bstieler und Florian Pistrol (allesamt Universität Innsbruck); unterstützt wurde sie von der Österreichischen Forschungsgemeinschaft, dem FWF-Projekt Membership Metaphors as „Doorkeepers“ (P 33780), dem Vizerektorat für Forschung der Universität Innsbruck, dem International Relations Office der Universität Innsbruck und dem Austria–Israel Academic Network Innsbruck.

Nach Grußworten von Dirk Rupnow (Dekan der Philosophisch-Historischen Fakultät der Universität Innsbruck), Andreas Oberprantacher (Universität Innsbruck, Leiter des FWF-Projekts Membership Metaphors as „Doorkeepers“) und Stephanie Graf machte den Auftakt am Abend des ersten, gut besuchten Tages die Präsentation von Vivian Liskas (Universiteit Antwerpen) jüngstem Buch Prekäres Erbe. Deutsch-jüdisches Denken und sein Fortleben (Wallstein-Verlag 2021). Dabei griffen Chiara Caradonna (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) und Birgit Erdle (Technische Universität Berlin) unterschiedliche Aspekte des Buches auf und dachten sie weiter, um so in die Diskussion mit der Autorin überzuleiten.

Der zweite Tag wurde durch einen Keynote-Vortrag von Vivian Liska eröffnet (Response: Michaela Bstieler) und einen Online-Keynote-Vortrag von Robert Kaufman (University of California, Berkeley; Response: Stephanie Graf) geschlossen. Dazwischen fanden drei Panels mit Beiträgen von Benjamin Balint (Van Leer Institute Jerusalem), Chiara Caradonna, Eli Schonfeld (Shalem College Jerusalem), Laurin Mackowitz (Universität Graz) und Birgit Erdle statt. Den Abschluss der Tagung bildete ein gemeinsames Abendessen im Restaurant Olive

Die Organisator:innen erwägen, die Beiträge der Tagung nun einem breiteren Publikum über eine Schwerpunkt-Ausgabe eines philosophischen Journals zugänglich zu machen.

In a thought-provoking lecture on March 16, 2023, Professor Joel Slawotzky discussed the intricate relationship between human rights and sanctions. The lecture, part of Professor Peter Hilpold's course, sparked animated discussions, aiming to highlight sanctions as a powerful tool for advancing global human rights while acknowledging challenges in their implementation.
Professor Slawotzky emphasized the intrinsic value of sanctions as a non-military approach to address human rights violations, especially in conflict zones. By leveraging economic and political pressures, sanctions offer a viable alternative to armed intervention, safeguarding fundamental rights and liberties.
However, complexities arise when implementing sanctions. Professor Slawotzky raised concerns about inconsistent and abusive use, with some violations receiving sanctions while others of equal or greater magnitude escape consequences. To address this, he advocated for careful case-by-case evaluation and the formulation of unified criteria.
In subsequent discussions, Professor Hilpold supported the value of sanctions in times of crisis, praising the European Union's commitment to upholding human rights through sanctions. He agreed with Professor Slawotzky's call for coherence and consistency, recognizing the importance of a balanced and uniform approach.
Students actively engaged in the conversation, emphasizing the need to protect freedom of speech within the sanction framework. Their input highlighted the necessity of comprehensive guidelines that safeguard not only physical rights but also democratic principles.
The lecture on "Human Rights and Sanctions: Noble Goals and Potential Barriers" offered a nuanced exploration of the complexities in promoting human rights through sanctions. Insights from Professor Slawotzky and subsequent discussions shed light on maintaining coherence, addressing abuses, and considering freedom of speech. Moving forward, a comprehensive and consistent approach guided by unified criteria is vital to uphold human rights principles for all.