Jacob Robinson Institute for the History of Individual and Collective Rights. Founded by @AlfredLandecker, located in @HebrewU
Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Joined August 2022
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Yesterday, we held our first departmental seminar of the semester, featuring Dr. Adv. Sami Ershied, a Jerusalem-based lawyer and lecturer at the Hebrew University.
In his talk, “Jerusalem: A Story of a Segregated Diversity,” Dr. Ershied drew on 15 years of legal work representing Palestinian communities in East Jerusalem facing the risk of displacement. His work focuses on public law, human rights, property rights, and transitional justice.
Thank you to Dr. Ershied for sharing his experience and insights, and to everyone who joined us. We look forward to the upcoming seminars this semester!
We are delighted to share that Rotem Giladi has been promoted to the rank of Full Professor! Kol hakavod, Rotem, and congratulations on this well-deserved achievement!
Congratulations to Dr. Julia Schulte-Werning on successfully defending her dissertation at the University of Vienna! Julia was a PhD Erasmus Fellow at the Jacob Robinson Institute in June 2023. Her dissertation is on “A Remedy for the Mellah: International Jewish Aid and Public Health in Morocco, 1943–1967.”
Dear Julia, we are very proud of you and wish you every success and the very best of luck with your future research!
L'Shana Tovah! The Jacob Robinson Institute wishes you and your loved ones a sweet, healthy, and peaceful new year ✨
📢 We're hiring a Research Assistant!
We're looking for a Research Assistant to join a legal-historical research project led by Prof. Rotem Giladi, exploring corporal punishment during the British Mandate period.
Who can apply?
✔️ Law students (second year and above)
✔️ Students pursuing a joint degree in Law and Humanities (History, Middle Eastern Studies, Amirim, or related fields)
✔️ High proficiency in English
Application deadline: 10 August 2026, 14:00
Please send your CV and a full, up-to-date transcript to: [email protected]
To learn more about our research and ongoing projects, visit robinson.huji.ac.il/
📣 International Conference: “Moshe Sharett – Leadership, Diplomacy, Legacy: A Reevaluation”
We are pleased to announce an international conference dedicated to reexamining the political thought, diplomatic legacy, and historical significance of Moshe Sharett, Israel’s second Prime Minister and first Foreign Minister.
Bringing together scholars from Israel and abroad, the conference will feature three days of academic panels and discussions on diplomacy, regional relations, security, historiography, and the formative years of the State of Israel.
📅 September 7–9, 2026
📍 Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus Campus, Maiersdorf Faculty Club (Room 405)
This event is jointly organized by the Jacob Robinson Institute for the History of Individual and Collective Rights (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), The Azrieli Center for Israel Studies, and The Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev).
Admission is free and open to the public!
🔗For the full program and list of participants:
robinson.huji.ac.il/sites/de…
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Alexandra Herfroy-Mischler as an Affiliated Researcher at the Jacob Robinson Institute!🎉
Alexandra holds a PhD in Information and Communication Sciences from the Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle in Paris, specializing in Media and History Studies, and rabbinical ordination from Beit Midrash Harel, Jerusalem.
Her research spans Holocaust and post-Holocaust justice, transitional justice, human rights accountability, archives and testimony, and the moral and religious dimensions of post-atrocity repair. Her current work develops the concept of anticipatory transitional justice, examining how civil society documentation initiatives build legal and commemorative frameworks under conditions of ongoing conflict, with particular attention to initiatives that emerged after October 7.
Alexandra has held post-doctoral fellowships at the Harry S. Truman Research Institute and the Smart Family Institute of Communications at Hebrew University. She also served as a contracted research associate at the CNRS Centre de Recherche Français de Jérusalem, and has published in leading journals including Journalism: Theory, Practice & Criticism and Studies in Conflict & Terrorism.
Welcome to the team, Alexandra! 💐
🔗 Read more about Alexandra's work here: robinson.huji.ac.il/people/a…
🎓 Our PhD fellow Idan Frisher is the winner of the 2025 Israel Gutman Prize for his outstanding MA thesis on property restitution to Jews and non-Jews in post-communist Lithuania, and the question of who gets recognized as a "worthy" victim.
This past Wednesday, June 3rd, Idan presented his prize-winning research at the official award ceremony on Mt. Scopus. Thank you to everyone who came out to support him!
Congratulations once again, Idan. We couldn't be prouder. 👏
Our Affiliated PhD Fellow, Adan Ershied, was selected to participate in the 2026 Graduate Student & Early Career Workshop of the Law and Society Association, held in San Francisco. 🌟
Chosen from a highly competitive pool, Adan joined a remarkable cohort of emerging scholars from around the world. At the workshop, she presented research from one of her PhD projects, examining the constitutional invisibility of religious communities in American religion law.
We are so proud of Adan and look forward to following her continued work. Congratulations! 🎉
📸 Highlights from our exhibition opening "In the Beauty Salon of History," held on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at the Max and Iris Stern Little Gallery, Mt. Scopus Campus.
"In the beauty salon of history, they know how to comb a forelock, even in the hair of a monster." – Ronny Someck, "Tractors"
The opening brought together scholars, students, and guests for an evening of reflection on one of the most urgent moral and political questions of our time: How should societies confront historical injustice?
Opening remarks were delivered by Prof. Elisheva Baumgarten, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities (@HujiHum), Prof. Yitzhak Hen, Director of the Israel Institute for Advanced Studies (@IIAS_Jerusalem), as well as Prof. Gideon Reuveni (@SussexUni) and Dr. Iris Nachum, who were responsible for the exhibition’s scientific research.
Taking the 1952 Holocaust compensation agreement between West Germany, Israel, and the Jewish Claims Conference as its case study, the exhibition explores the possibilities and limits of reparations and reconciliation, drawing its title and guiding image from Someck's poem and its unsettling question of whether history can undergo a "beauty treatment."
The exhibition is the outcome of the Research Group "Paying for the Past: Reparations after the Holocaust in Global Context," which convened at IIAS in 2023/24.
Our deepest thanks to everyone who made this exhibition possible.
Curation: Dr. Michal Mor, Eli Ben-Arye
Research Assistant: Avishag Ben-Yosef
Artist: Maya Zack
Graphic Design: Idan Vaaknin
Exhibition Design and Production: Eli Ben-Arye, Yuval Ayali
The exhibition will be on display for one year at the Max and Iris Stern Little Gallery, Mt. Scopus Campus.
We warmly invite you to visit!
On Sunday, May 10, we had the honor of welcoming the University’s extended leadership - including the President, Rector, Director General, Dean of Humanities, and senior management - to the Jacob Robinson Institute.
It was a wonderful opportunity to share our research and ongoing projects. Thank you for the visit and for your continued support!
🎬 Our postdoctoral fellow Dr. @TomEshed was featured in the documentary “The Politics of Memory”, aired on HOT8 on April 14th, Holocaust Remembrance Day. In the film, Tom shares insights from his research on the history of Israeli Holocaust memory.
The film examines how Holocaust remembrance has evolved in Israel from the early years of the state to the present, including in the aftermath of October 7 and the ongoing war with Hamas.
The Politics of Memory | Directed by Duki Dror | Produced by Liat Kamai Eshed | Broadcast by HOT8 in collaboration with "Zikaron BaSalon" | Watch the full documentary on HOT8 or HOT VOD
A snippet of Tom from the film 👇
✨ The Jacob Robinson Institute for the History of Individual and Collective Rights is honored to invite you to the opening of the exhibition “In the Beauty Salon of History“ on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, at 16:15 at the Max and Iris Stern Little Gallery, Mt. Scopus Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
The exhibition is the outcome of the Research Group “Paying for the Past: Reparations after the Holocaust in Global Context” which convened at the Israeli Institute for Advanced Studies (2023/24). Combining historical research and artistic expression, the exhibition explores one of the most urgent moral and political questions of our time: How should societies confront historical injustice?
Using the 1952 Holocaust compensation agreement between West Germany, Israel, and the Jewish Claims Conference as a case study, it invites reflection on the possibilities and limits of reparations and reconciliation. Inspired by Ronny Someck’s poem “Tractors,” the exhibition asks whether history can undergo a “beauty treatment” – and what might be gained or lost in the process.
The exhibition will be on display for one year.
We hope to see you there!
Scientific Research: Prof. Gideon Reuveni, Dr. Iris Nachum
Research Assistant: Avishag Ben-Yosef
Curation: Dr. Michal Mor, Eli Ben-Arye
Graphic Design: Idan Vaaknin
Exhibition Design and Production: Eli Ben-Arye, Yuval Ayali
Graphic Production: Kzat Aheret Ltd.
📅 Tuesday, 12.5.2026
🕐 16:15
📍 Max and Iris Stern Little Gallery, Mt. Scopus Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
For campus entry permits, please contact Inbal Levin at [email protected]
We are delighted to welcome Lara Raabe as a Guest PhD Fellow at the Jacob Robinson Institute! 🎉
Lara is a PhD candidate at the Chair for Research into the History and Impact of the Holocaust at Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, and holds an MA and BA in History from Humboldt University, Berlin. Her research focuses on the history of National Socialism, Nazi war crimes trials, and the persecution of Sinti and Roma, including their "second persecution" after 1945. Her PhD project examines West German trials for crimes committed against Sinti and Roma in Auschwitz-Birkenau, tracing these legal proceedings against the backdrop of broader societal changes from the 1960s through the 1990s.
Lara has several forthcoming publications in 2026, including contributions to the Encyclopaedia of the Nazi Genocide of the Sinti and Roma in Europe and an edited volume on compensation and restitution after Nazi injustice.
Welcome to the team, Lara! 💙
Photo credit: Anna-Maria Lück
📸 Highlights from our Premium Tasting Tour! Our team enjoyed a wonderful evening exploring Mahane Yehuda and Nachlaot together. Starting at Agripas Street, we spent three hours discovering the market's flavors and wandering through the beautiful alleyways of Nachlaot. Good food, good company, and great memories 💫
Jacob Robinson Institute retweeted
יצא קול קורא למלגת הפוסטדוק של מכון רובינסון ואני ממליץ מאוד מאוד מאוד להגיש אם רלוונטי. זה מקום עבודה נהדר שמציע מלגות מרשימות, תמיכה סופר נדיבה במחקר, אווירה חברתית כיפית ואספקה מוגבלת אך מכובדת של עוגיות עבאדי. המכון הזה קידם אותי המון ובזכותו הגעתי לתקן. אולי את.ה הבאים בתור!
📢 Call for Applications: Post-Doctoral Fellowships 2026/2027!
The Jacob Robinson Institute invites applications for up to two post-doctoral fellowships for the 2026-2027 academic year. We seek researchers whose studies aligns with the Institute’s thematic areas, including minority politics, national self-determination, collective and individual rights, reparation for grave human rights abuses, Israel's statehood and diaspora relations, forced displacement, human rights and humanitarianism, as well as democracy and the rule of law.
Eligibility: Candidates within five years of PhD approval (extended by one year per child). Applicants who have not yet completed their PhD may apply, provided they submit their dissertation by October 1, 2026. Open to researchers affiliated with Israeli and non-Israeli universities.
Fellows receive a stipend of approximately 12,000 NIS per month, office space on Mount Scopus campus, and are expected to dedicate their time fully to research while participating in the Institute's academic activities. Upon completion of their stay, fellows are expected to submit a manuscript for peer-reviewed publication.
📅 Deadline: February 25th, 2026
📩 Submit the online application form, a CV (up to two pages), a list of publications, and a statement of purpose (up to four pages) as a single PDF to [email protected]
For further information, see the flyer below or visit robinson.huji.ac.il
#callforapplications #PostdoctoralFellowship
📸 On January 8, 2026, the Jacob Robinson Institute proudly hosted the launch of Judge Dr. Yehudit Dori Deston’s book “The Last Trial: The Demjanjuk Trial and the End of Nazi Prosecution in Israel”, recently published in Hebrew by The Hebrew University Magnes Press. The book offers a compelling and critical re-examination of the Demjanjuk Trial in Jerusalem (1986–1993), one of the most complex and controversial Holocaust trials in Israel’s history. Based on extensive archival research, the study sheds new light on the legal, moral and historical challenges of prosecuting Holocaust crimes through criminal law.
The evening brought together leading scholars and jurists and opened with welcoming remarks by Prof. Ronit Ricci, Vice Dean for Research at the Faculty of Humanities. Insightful responses were offered by Prof. Elyakim Rubinstein, former Vice President of the Supreme Court of Israel and former Attorney General of Israel; Supreme Court Justice Prof. Daphna Barak-Erez; and Prof. Yfaat Weiss, Professor of Modern Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Director of the Leibniz Institute for Jewish History and Culture – Simon Dubnow. In her concluding remarks, Judge Dr. Dori Deston reflected on the legal, moral and historical implications of revisiting the Demjanjuk Trial. The event was moderated by Dr. Iris Nachum, Deputy Director of the Jacob Robinson Institute.
