Mizrahi Women on the Borderlands: Mediation, Gender, and Power in Israel/Palestine
Undergraduate Project / Graduate Student Project
Project Information
Yuval Evri, Assistant Professor of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies on the Marash and Ocuin Chair in Ottoman, Mizrahi, and Sephardic Jewish Studies, Brandeis University, is currently working on his book In the Middle: The Invention of Mizrahi Jews as Mediators, which examines how Mizrahi Jews were historically constructed as intermediaries between Jews and Arabs, Hebrew and Arabic, nation and region. His focus this summer will be on Mizrahi women who inhabited, and actively shaped, these borderlands through practices of translation, espionage, collaboration, radio broadcasting, and political activism.
Centering figures such as Shula Cohen, Marcelle Ninio, Kochava levy, Nuzhat Katzav, Tali Fahima, Ilana Basri, Sara Amram and Kadia Mizrahi, the project explores how Mizrahi women crossed national, linguistic, and territorial boundaries while navigating overlapping structures of gender, ethnicity, and state power. These women were often mobilized by Israeli institutions as cultural and linguistic mediators, yet simultaneously viewed with suspicion for their proximity to Arabness and perceived dual loyalties.
Professor Evri is seeking an intern to assist with archival research, and to carry out close reading and feminist historical analysis.
Profile of Appropriate Candidate
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Demonstrated interest in the created diving between Mizrahi Jews and Arab Palestinians; Foundational knowledge of the history of Israel/Palestine and Middle Eastrern Jewry
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Strong writing and editing skills
- Strong organization skills
- Familiarity with research and presentation tools (Google Workspace, Excel, Canva, or Adobe tools preferred)
- Ability to work independently and meet deadlines with attention to detail