POST-DOCTORAL AND ADVANCED STUDIES AT THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HOLOCAUST RESEARCH OF YAD VASHEM

The International Institute for Holocaust Research was established in 1993.  Since its inception the goal of the Institute has been to allow for the steady increase in the scope of worldwide scholarly research in the field of the Holocaust.  The Institute is active in the development and coordination of International research; the planning and undertaking of scholarly projects; the organization of symposia and conferences; the fostering of cooperative projects among research institutions; the support of young scholars who research the Holocaust; and the publishing of analytical studies, conference proceedings, documents and monographs on the Holocaust. 

Endowments given through the benevolence and generosity of private individuals enable the International Institute for Holocaust Research to award postdoctoral fellowships to researchers on the Holocaust.  These fellowships expand the circle of scholars, intensify historical research, and broaden public interest in all the implications of the Holocaust on humankind.  The Baron Friedrich Carl von Oppenheim Chair for the Study of Racism, Antisemitism, and the Holocaust,  founded by the von Oppenheim family of Cologne, awards annually two to three postdoctoral fellowship grants.  The recipients of these fellowships are chosen by the von Oppenheim family from a list of candidates approved by the Institute’s Academic Board.  In total, the Institute awards 8 postdoctoral research fellowships per year.

These scholarships encourage research at the Yad Vashem Archives and Library, the largest central repository of Holocaust documentation in the world.  The archives’ more than 55 million pages include personal testimonies, documents from Jewish and non-Jewish institutions, Nazi documentation, copies of records from Eastern European archives, maps, photographs, films, diaries, letters, in addition to the library’s more than 90,000 titles and several thousand journals on the Holocaust. 

The Institute will provide a room, basic secretarial help (not research assistants), a computer with internet access, and advice in locating archival and other materials.  Recipients are encouraged to take advantage of relevant source material housed in other institutions throughout the country such as:  the Israel State Archives, the National Library, the Central Archives for the History of the Jewish People, the Central Zionist Archives, and the Ghetto Fighters’ Museum.

The Institute invites academics with excellent qualifications to submit their candidacy for a postdoctoral fellowship in Holocaust research.  The length of an individual fellowship is normally four months.  (The fall semester is 1 October – 31 January / the spring semester is 1 March – 30 June.)  Research grants are awarded on a competitive basis.

The monthly stipend for a non-Israeli research fellow is $2,500.00 per month.  Israelis and Israeli dual nationals need to contact the director of the Institute regarding the amount of their stipend.    

Qualifications and Requirements
- All applicants must have a Ph.D. degree.

- Project proposals must be related to the Holocaust (including its antecedents and aftermath).

- Recipients are to spend the entire fellowship period in Israel engaged in research and writing.   Any planned absences such as conferences, symposia, and extended holiday travel must be conveyed to the director of the Institute two months prior to the commencement of the research period.

- Each fellow is obliged to submit to the Institute a scientific treatise based on the research conducted at Yad Vashem six months after the tenure of their fellowship has been completed.  Yad Vashem will have exclusive “first rights” to publish this research manuscript  in any language.  If Yad Vashem decides not to exercise this option, the researcher is free to publish this work elsewhere.

Application Procedures and Deadline

All application materials must be submitted in either Hebrew or English and

received by the Institute no later than 31 December of the preceding academic year. Incomplete applications will not be considered after this date.  Late applications will not be accepted.   

An application consists of: 

- A completed application form.

- A curriculum vitae.

- A four to five page (1,250-1,500 words) detailed research project proposal that the applicant plans to undertake during the term of the fellowship.

- Two letters of recommendation from reputable academics who are familiar with the applicant’s work.  Recommendation letters should include evaluation of the applicant’s proposed research as well as the overall quality of the applicant’s work.  Letters should be sent directly to the Institute and must be received before the application deadline.

The Proposal

The four to five page (1,250-1,500 words) detailed research project proposal should include the following elements:

- An analysis of the problem to be addressed, its background, and the reason of its importance.

- The basic ideas and hypotheses that are to be explored.

- Reference to the proposed study’s originality in light of the current research on the topic.

- The methodology and/or approach that will be used.

- The body of resource material that will be utilized while at the Institute and in Israel.

- Estimated time required to complete the entire research project.