Meet Dr. Rebekka Grossmann, LJSA Member
Before coming to Leiden, Dr. Grossmann worked at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She first did her PhD and then she joined the Franz Rosenzweig Minerva Research Center for German-Jewish Literature and Cultural History and the Jacob Robinson Institute for the History of Individual and Collective Rights as a postdoctoral fellow.
In her research and teaching, she focuses on the question of what we can learn about migration patterns of minorities through arts and culture. A particular emphasis in her research is on visual arts. According to Dr. Grossmann, "the LJSA provides us all at Leiden with wonderful opportunities to connect and cooperate on topics that are of interest not only to us but also to the wider Leiden community. Jewish Studies scholars at Leiden focus on a diverse range of topics and I am confident that we can inspire each other and learn from one another. As someone who has just arrived in the Netherlands, I am still discovering archives of importance and I think that the LJSA will be of great help in locating local, regional and national archives and collections that could be of value for my research."
At the same time, Dr. Grossmann looks forward to contributing her own expertise to the LJSA and students at Leiden. For example, she imagines looking at the history of the local Jewish community in Leiden through the images of one of its earliest representatives, the photographer Israel Kiek who maintained a photo studio in 19th century Leiden.
With her attentive eye towards visual history and migration narratives, Dr. Grossmann will use her unique perspective to explore the history of Israel Kiek in Leiden, other topics that intersect with her interests and subjects that inspire her students.