“The conference gave me the opportunity to meet and share my thoughts with top scholars and researchers from different countries working in the field of Israel and Jewish studies”
My paper on “The Role of Indian Jews in Building the State of Israel-with Focus on the Cochin Jews of Kerala” was selected to be presented at an International Conference organized by The Ben-Gurion Research Institute for the Study of Israel & Zionism, Ben-Gurion University of Negev, May 13-17, 2018 in Israel on the occasion of Israel’s 70th Anniversary- “Israel: A Case Study”. I got this opportunity due to the international collaboration work of Jindal Centre for Israel Studies.
The conference gave me the opportunity to meet and share my thoughts with top scholars and researchers from different countries working in the field of Israel and Jewish studies. It also helped me to have a first-hand experience of the society and people I read about and studied during my classes. The conference venue located in the Kibbutz Sde Boker- an interesting exposure to the Kibbutzim way of life.
Suraj Rajan K, MA, Diplomacy, Law & Business, 2017
Jindal School of International Affairs
I would like to thank JCIS and JSIA for giving me the wonderful opportunity to live and explore a part of the world that has always been so enigmatic and elusive to me. Spending the summer of 2018 at Bar-Ilan University has been an eye-opener. The frequent field trips during our stay helped me understand various conflicts from different perspectives. All of this enabled me to comprehend and unravel the trauma of identity and religion-based brutalities that exists in modern day Israel. It was indeed a tremendous privilege to observe the events and consequences of identity-based conflicts and how they take shape in our own country.
The courses we studied there left me with renewed focus for the study of IR and political conflicts. More than anything else, I would like to think the experience and the exposure to different teaching styles has given me an alternative perspective about life and what I really want to do. I really could not have asked for a better summer or planned a better way to see Israel. Plus the shawarmas were great!
Pragadish Kirubakaran, MA, Diplomacy, Law & Business, 2017
Jindal School of International Affairs
Jindal Centre for Israel Studies at Jindal School of International Affairs in collaboration with Shalem College, Jerusalem, Israel, organized a three-week English Immersion Programme from 25 July- 16 August, 2018 on the Jindal University campus.
Jindal-Shalem English Immersion Program was my third time working as a student volunteer. With each of these immersions I have learned something new. This immersion taught me the importance of team work, adaptability and helped me open up to new people. The most memorable part for me of the programme was the ‘Agra trip’ where spent an entire day outside with the students from Israel. This gave me time to connect with each other at individual levels as we were left to explore the place without any supervision and I no longer felt the rest of the program as work.
Aishwarya Tiwari, BA, Global Affairs, 2017
Jindal School of International Affairs.
Jindal-Shalem immersion turned out to be very fun. I gained some new experiences and friends which I would not have been able to make otherwise. I don’t have any particular part which I found better than the others about the program as all of them were equally memorable to me.
The student volunteers were of different age groups and it was exciting to work with them. On the whole, this immersion program allowed me to an opportunity to interact with Israeli students which helped me understand their vibrant culture and fascinating politics – something you cannot learn in a course or a class on Israel. It was a great experience.
Rachit Sehrawat, BA, Global Affairs, 2016
Jindal School of International Affairs.
I started learning about Israel from the third semester of my MA program in Diplomacy, Law and Business. It was in Professor Rohee Dasgupta’s elective- Politics of Coexistence: Israel and West Asia where I learnt about Israel, the history behind its creation, peoplehood, culture, politics and economics as well as the interaction of Israel with its neighbors in the West Asia.
I also opted for an elective on Introduction to Israel-Palestine Conflict taught by Dr. Khinvraj Jangid. The course exposed me to an array of events, actors and ideas related to the conflict itself and helped me understand the same from several perspectives.
I successfully applied for a month-long program at Bar-Ilan University, Ramat Gan for a summer course on Identity-Based Conflict Resolution. The program focused on specific aspects of religion, narratives of collective memory and methods and processes of conflict management and transformation. During the course, I interned at an interfaith NGO based in Jerusalem, conceived to bring Jews, Muslims and Christians closer.
This helped me write my MA dissertation titled “Food Security and Economic Cooperation between the GCC, SADC and Mozambique: An Analysis of the Limits for Interregional Cooperation”. State-of-the-art Israeli technology in the field of agriculture and water management has inspired me to conduct research on the potential future cooperation between Israel and Mozambique in the area of food security.
Melanie Alexandra Ribeiro de Aguiar, MA, Diplomacy, Law & Business, 2013
Jindal School of International Affairs.
In the four years of law school, there were very few courses that inspired me and motivated my curious side to surface. The course, Israel-Palestine Conflict, was one of the few courses that changed my perspective not just about the conflict but also about many other ancillary topics, such as statehood and nationalism.
The course focused on the historical aspects which made it quite gripping and interesting. Furthermore, the classroom discussions were based on present issues which helped me relate abstract ideas to events.
This course encouraged me to engage in research and helped develop my understanding of diplomacy and international relations. Dr. Khinvraj also encouraged me to research and write a paper on relation between Feminism and the rise of Hamas. Additionally, as a law student, it was refreshing not to look into legal issues but analyze issues which are socio-political in nature.
Niharika Malhotra, BALLB, Law, 2011
Jindal Global Law School.
For the course on Israel-Palestine Conflict taught by Dr. Khinvraj Jangid, one does not need to have prior knowledge of the conflict. The course is structured for all kinds of students which beautifully delineates from the very introduction of the conflict not only in particular to the two countries but in terms of international politics.
The course did not only introduce me to the conflict in depth but also created a space that permits elaboration of the conceptual framework. There was barely any room for doubts or confusion as it was taught in an excessively detailed manner without being a burden to study.
The political narratives were lectured as though reciting stories with the blend of the culture and the consciousness, which made the understanding of the conflict a moralistic one. As said earlier, the professor has a deeper appreciation for the curiosity of the students and because of which as a student this course I, much like the rest of my fellow course-mates have gained the knowledge more than just the conventional wisdom about the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
Deepa T.M, BALLB, Law, 2011
Jindal Global Law School.
I got to be a part of Jindal Centre for Israel Studies initially through the study group in the first semester of my course. We dealt with various aspects of Israeli society with a wide range of readings. The best part of the study group was the final simulation of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. It was very gracious of Prof Rohee Das Gupta to include me in the exercise even though I was still in my first semester and had very little knowledge about the way negotiations are conducted.
In my second semester I took the course taught by Dr. Khinvraj Jangid on Israel-Palestine conflict. The class was especially enriching as we were exposed to broader political aspects of the conflicts rather than just the narrow understanding of the standoff between Israel and the Palestinians with other Arab states.
The Centre is not bogged down by any particular narrative of the whole Israel-Palestine conflict, we are encouraged to view things critically rather than approach the subject with a set mind-set. Other two most enriching experiences while being associated with the Centre were: a visit to Jamia Milia Islamia University where Prof Robert Lloyd delivered a guest lecture on developments in the Middle East which invited diverse responses from the audience giving a wholesome picture of the subject and another was a Track II Dialogue organized by the Centre in collaboration with the Inter-Disciplinary College, Herziliya at Indian Council for World Affairs wherein we got an opportunity to interact with academics as well as diplomats from Israel.
The centre has added the much required dynamism to the school of International Affairs enabling students to go in-depth about not only the conflict between Israel and its neighbors but also into the finer aspects of Israeli and the Palestinian society.
Bhargava Reddy, MA, Diplomacy, Law & Business, 2014
Jindal School of International Affairs.
The two courses taught at JGU on the Middle East, specifically those related to Israel studies were very insightful. The course on Politics of Coexistence: Israel and the West Asia provided a clear picture of the State of Israel regarding many aspects such as its establishment, the people there, the society and their religion.
Combined, all those aspects form a unique heterogeneous state located in a sensitive region and neighbored by Arab States at its surroundings. Then, being focused on the region of Middle East but trying to bring a different perspective from the usual, my dissertation was on Iran-Africa Relations: Opportunities and Prospects.
On the other hand, the course on Introduction to Israel-Palestine Conflict was immensely thoughtful as it touched the most relevant events, marked by wars mostly, that contributed to the current situation of the region and that defines Israel-Palestine relationship. Having the opportunity to go to Israel as well as the West Bank, during a Summer Program on Identity Based Conflicts at Bar-Ilan University was an enriching experience. The first-hand knowledge of people, society and places helped me fathom the real situation through the encounters with many perspectives of the conflict. After my graduation my plan is to go home and start working as a university teacher. May be in the future I will be a diplomat and represent my country Mozambique around the world.
