Liat A. Albretsen of Norway has a BA in Religious Studies with a minor in Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies, and is currently a graduate student in the same field at the University of Oslo. She has previously done two Ulpans in Israel and wishes to continue to develop her Hebrew skills for her MA thesis. Liat is writing about the Jewish exodus from Yemen and generational differences in the use of Yemenite Hebrew (Ivrit Teimanit) among Yemenite Jews in Israel. Liat has a special interest in Judaism, Zionism and Semitic languages – especially Judeo-Arabic and the Hebrew dialect of the Yemenite Jews. Thanks to the TTS scholarship she will attend a Modern Hebrew Ulpan that will prepare her for doing her fieldwork for her MA thesis.
Ruth-Johanne Andersson of Denmark is currently finishing a BA in Middle Eastern Studies and Modern Hebrew at the University of Copenhagen. She has a special interest in conflict resolution, trauma research and Israeli identity politics. In addition to her academic studies, she has been doing multi-disciplinary performance studies in and around Israel since 2010. Thanks to the TTS Wergeland and Holst scholarship she will attend a summer Ulpan at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem at an advanced level. Her belief in helping those in conflict to find resolution is what drives her dedication to achieve fluency in Modern Hebrew. She sees the language as quintessential to facilitating meaningful conversations and debates on matters of dispute within Israel.
Mona Lock Skålevik of Norway holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Anthropology from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and a Research Master’s degree in Social Anthropology from the University of Oslo. She completed fieldwork in Jerusalem in 2019 with veterans and reservists of the Israel Defense Forces. Her master’s thesis focused on the importance of IDF in Israeli society and ideological discourses post-service. With the support of Thanks To Scandinavia she will complete a Modern Hebrew Summer Ulpan at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, before starting an MA in Israel Studies in the fall.
Dara Ubani of Finland is an upper secondary school graduate, who will be attending the Hebrew University’s Summer Ulpan. After the Ulpan, she will continue to the Mechina Program Year offered by the university. She ultimately hopes to pursue studies in the field of contemporary Judaism and Jewish history. Thanks to TTS, she will be able to attend the Ulpan to improve her Hebrew skills, which will be a huge benefit while continuing studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. During this current and uncertain era with Covid-19, she is, nevertheless, excited to have the precious opportunity to experience and gather knowledge of today’s Israeli culture and society.