Kaitlin's Internship at the Vidal Sassoon Institute of the Study of Anti-Semitism

The Institute is an independent, non-political research center that was established in 1982. The institute has numerous publications including their yearly Posen Papers and their bi-yearly ACTA series. They also have an online bibliographical database of more than 50,000 works on anti-Semitism from around the world and the institute puts on monthly symposiums and lecture series.
 
My main project for the institute involves searching major newspapers from the United States, the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia for any articles pertaining to or containing elements of anti-Semitism. Although this project occupies the larger part of my day at the institute I recently took on a second long term project. The institute offers grants to PhD students from around the world and I am creating a database of PhD programs in the United States in the fields of Jewish Studies or History and contacting the directors of these programs in order to advertise the institutes grant opportunities. Depending on the duration of these projects I may also work on applying for grants for the Institute as well.
 
In the first week that I have been at the institute I have learned much about the phenomenon of anti-Semitism both historically and in current day conflicts. I have access to thousands of publications on a wide range of subjects that my supervisor has encouraged me to read during any free time that I have. I have also learned much about what regions of the world contain the most recent currents of anti-Semitism and how their governments are responding to anti-Semitic acts. A great bonus to following the media on a daily basis is that I am always well caught up on what is happening throughout the world and am able to see how different countries report on events. By developing a deeper understanding of the phenomenon of anti-Semitism, both historically and modern day, I am better to understand Israeli and Jewish identity and how the sense of victimization affects their views towards their neighbors. I hope in my remaining time here I will gain a greater understanding of anti-Semitism and how it plays into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.