Lily Safra Interns working closely with HBI scholars and staff this summer

Jun. 09, 2009

2009 Lily Safra Interns

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Hadassah-Brandeis Institute welcomed the arrival of eight student interns on June 8, 2009. The Lily Safra Internship Program, funded by the Edmond J. Safra Philanthropic Foundation, provides students the opportunity to explore the fields of Jewish women’s and gender studies with scholars and staff at the HBI.

The Safra Interns, who come from all over the world and include two Brandeis students, will work closely with HBI and Brandeis staff and scholars on new and established research projects. Examples of work include assisting Lisa Fishbayn with the editing of the first book in the Brandeis Series on Gender, Culture, Religion and Law, and researching primary materials on Radical Feminism and Jewish Women with Joyce Antler, Samuel Lane Professor of American Jewish History and Culture at Brandeis.

The interns also have the opportunity to explore an area of Jewish women's studies of personal interest through the completion of an individual project. Weekly outings to research archives and places of Jewish interest will expose them to various methodologies and academic frameworks. The highlight of this summer’s program is the interns’ participation at the Nashim Conference on Jewish Women and Philanthropy in New Orleans.

Past Safra Intern Mackenzie McIlmail felt the program to be immeasurably rewarding. “I absolutely loved working in a Jewish educational environment,” she said. “The LSIP experience encouraged me to pursue teaching history in at a Jewish Day School. It also fueled my desire to eventually attend graduate school--there is so much more I would like to learn about Jewish women's history!”

For more information about the program, visit the Hadassah-Brandeis Institute Web site.

About the HBI (Hadassah-Brandeis Institute)
The (HBI) Hadassah-Brandeis Institute develops fresh ways of thinking about Jews and gender worldwide by producing and promoting scholarly research and artistic projects.