Alumni of the Centre for Jewish History and Culture

Linked on this page:

• Alumni further information and links
• Alumni Profiles- Students of the Centre of Jewish History and Culture

Further information for Alumni

If you would like further information, or to be included in the list of the Centre's Alumni, please visit one of the following alumni pages, or contact the Centre directly:

• Faculty of Arts Alumni (includes the Centre for Jewish History and Culture)
• University of Melbourne Alumni

Students of the Centre

The following are testimonials from past students of the Centre for Jewish History and Culture

Naomi Katz

My name is Naomi Katz, a student at the University of Melbourne. I have been fortunate to be able to combine studying for a Diploma in Modern Languages [DML] with Medicine.

During year 12, the University of Melbourne Extension Program for Hebrew was implemented [in my school] and I was given the opportunity to participate. After having completed VCE Hebrew in year 11, it allowed me the opportunity to continue my studies in Hebrew.

One of the reasons that I wished to study at the University of Melbourne was that I would then be able to put the MUPHAS [Extension Program] units towards a Diploma and continue studying Hebrew literature. Since spending a year in Israel with my family in 1997-98 I have felt a strong connection to Israel and to the Hebrew language. It was obvious to me that the prospect of complementing the scientific component of my medical studies with a course in hebrew literature was something I couldn't pass up. My lecturers, Ziva Shavitsky and Dvir Abramovich, went out of their way to ensure that timetable clashes and work demands would not prevent me from being able to participate in the DML.

In January–February 2003, I completed my Diploma in Israel. I was extremely lucky to receive a Melbourne Abroad Scholarship in Language Study and an Australian Friends of Hebrew University fellowship towards the expenses of studying in an Ulpan (Hebrew winter school) at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Our teachers were amongst the best teachers of Hebrew in the world. They have spent their lives working on Hebrew resources and systems for teaching, and I know that thanks to an intense 5 weeks with them, my Hebrew has improved immensely.

It was very special for me to be able to finish my Diploma in Hebrew in the Hebrew University, living amongst Israelis and constantly speaking Hebrew.

Don Stanley

Don Stanley is Bachelor of Arts graduate and who completed his PhD in the Centre for Jewish History and Culture at The University of Melbourne.

Don’s PhD thesis is a trans-national comparison between Australia and the modern state of Israel. Employing a wide range of historical and literary texts, his thesis explores the rise of nationhood in both nations and illustrates fascinating parallels between them through the agrarian pioneering movements, immigration, and the creation of a “new person” taming harsh landscapes in new worlds.

As a comparative work of high originality in its choice of nations, it is expected that this thesis will extend understanding in academic circles internationally, in Australian and Israeli societies, and in wider society generally.

Don is five generations Australian yet has studied and worked in Israel – a land he has come to love. Also, his previous employment at Australia’s national broadcaster gives him additional skills and credibility in understanding national cultures.

Since leaving the ABC, Don has been living under tight financial constraints. As he does not receive a university stipend and his wife works part time as a teacher, income for family living expenses is by necessity supplemented by drawing down on superannuation funds.

In 2001 and 2002 Don was the recipient of grants through the Besen Family Foundation, The Australian Friends of the Hebrew University in addition to funding from the University, these proved highly important to him maintaining a full-time status as a PhD candidate. Don says that as well as meeting an important financial need, both of these grants from the Besen Family Foundation were of great encouragement to himself and his wife. Dr Stanley is now in Israel doing post-doctoral work on the Shmita, having been granted a National Australia Bank-Yachad Scholarship.