A Multidisciplinary Program

to be opened in October 2012

Today, there are still many questions regarding the Holocaust which remain unanswered and research paths that have not yet been taken. The recent opening of historical archives in Eastern Europe provides a unique opportunity for a new generation of scholars to be the first scholars to examine and research the newly uncovered documents, shedding light on the events and meaning of the Holocaust period.

 The multidisciplinary M.A. Program in Holocaust Studies at the University of Haifa is an academic program at the highest level. The program enables students to approach the study of the Holocaust from a variety of disciplines and subjects including: history; international law; social psychology; trauma and genocide. 

The program aims to achieve the following goals:

• To train and develop a new generation of leading scholars and educators in the field of Holocaust studies
• To provide a well-rounded curriculum in Holocaust studies grounded in both the humanities and social sciences that includes essential languages and diverse methodologies
• To expose students to primary documents and sources from a variety of historical archives in Israel and abroad

Proposed Course of Study

• Diverse research methodologies
• Basic foreign language
• Hands-on research at Israeli's leading Holocaust archives
• Well-rounded curriculum in History and Social Sciences

Courses offered include: the history of Nazi Germany; Polish Jewry in the interwar period; social history of the family, women and children in the Holocaust period; representations of the Holocaust in the European novel and in European cinema; psychological aspects of Holocaust trauma; anthropology of memory, trauma and commemoration; international law and genocide; training in Eastern European languages; interview, testimony, photography, and video analysis techniques and guided work in archives in Israel and abroad.

Research using Primary Sources

A unique aspect of the program is cooperation with museums and archives inIsrael and abroad, such as Yad Vashem and the Ghetto Fighter's House museum inIsrael, the Fritz Bauer Institute inGermanyand thePolishAcademy. Student research at these institutes will be based mainly on primary sources and will develop the skills necessary for writing academic research papers. 

During the program, students will travel to Germany andPoland to visit historical sites related to Jewish life before and during the Second World War. The visits will involve seminars with local students and leading German and Polish scholars.

International Cooperation 

The program is offered in collaboration with the Strochlitz Institute for Holocaust Studies at theUniversityof Haifa. The program is directed by Professor Arieh J. Kochavi, Head of the Strochlitz Institute, a prolific and prominent scholar of World War II, diplomatic history of the 20thcentury, refugees and displaced persons in Europe, refugee organizations, prisoners of war, the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. For more information about the institute, please visit:http://holocaust-center.haifa.ac.il. 

Ph.D. candidacy will be considered for students who complete the program with honors. 

For more information about the program write to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it