POLIN Museum organized a week-long program for early-career scholars – doctoral students & post-docs – working in Jewish Studies as well as related fields.

The Summer School brought together 16 participants from Europe, Israel and the North America to take part in workshops and field visits. The first component allowed participants to work on pre-circulated papers (e.g. a chapter from the PhD thesis) that they want to publish in a scholarly journal. Participants also attended soft-skill workshops, on the current job market and public speaking. The third component was experiential: visiting exhibitions and collections in Warsaw (POLIN Museum, Jewish Historical Institute), Jewish sites in Warsaw and a day-long tour of Jewish Lublin in partnership with Grodzka Gate. The Summer Session also included time dedicated to socialization and integration, and a dinner at Warsaw’s Jewish Community Center.

Aims of the Summer School:

• teach early-career scholars skills rarely acquired in their academic institutions, such as grant writing, and preparing excellent and effective public lectures;  
• allow scholars to present new research and receive substantial feedback;
• increase chances of young scholars to publish their work and receive funding for their research;
• introduce early-career scholars to new perspectives on Jewish history and heritage;
• create a cohort of scholars who are familiar with each other’s work;
• show early-career scholars career paths available outside of academia, such as museums;
• integration of doctoral students and recent PhDs in Jewish Studies from Europe, Israel, and North America.

Over 70 young scholars applied to be a part of this event and admission was based on the quality of application materials including a sample text.

Thanks to the generous support of our donors and partners, the Summer School was free of charge and provided travel reimbursements, accommodations and partial meals.

Partners:

The Summer School is organized within the Global Education Outreach Program.

The Summer School is made possible with support from Taube Philanthropies, William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation, Libitzky Family Foundation and the Association of the Jewish Historical Institute of Poland.