Israel and Ione Massada Fellowships Programme

Aims:
Endowed by the late Ms. Sheila (Storm) Kelly, in memory of her parents, the Israel and Ione Massada Fellowships Programme offers a unique format for fostering academic partnerships. We sponsor short, collaborative visiting fellowships that promote the values of inclusivity, diversity, and cooperation, alongside academic rigour and innovation, by facilitating interchange among all disciplines, ethnicities and religions in the State of Israel and the University of Oxford.  

Download the 2022-23 Massada Annual Report

Upcoming Free Public Seminars:
All seminars are held at the Nazrin Shah Auditorium, Worcester College, OX1 2HB.
Each seminar is also followed by drinks for all attendees.

Please note that all upcoming public events are currently postponed due to the Gaza-Israel conflict.

The Massada Fund supports:
(1) up to five visiting academic fellowships from Israel per annum
(2) up to three collaborative research trips per annum by Oxford Fellows to Israel 
      The ratio of (1) and (2) is decided annually by the Massada Committee.  
(3) The Massada Annual Lecture
(4) a Massada Junior Research Fellow (two-three year post)  
(5) a Massada Programme Director

(1) Visiting Fellowships
- Eligibility: scholars of all disciplines from any institution of higher education in The State of Israel whose research interests overlap with those of at least one Oxford fellow who has expressed an interest in collaborating and/or scholars from across the University of Oxford wishing to initiate or consolidate a collaboration with an Israeli scholar. 
- Priority is given to Worcester fellows (but this is not an exclusive requirement).
- Applications (rolling deadline) should be submitted by email to the Programme Director and include:
     -- short bios of the candidate and collaborating partner -- 40-50 words each
     -- description of the collaboration project / joint undertaking proposed in Oxford/Israel (a paragraph)  
      -- possible dates for the fellowship
- Applications are initially assessed by the Director, who makes recommendations to the Massada Committee. Selections are then agreed upon by the Committee.   
- Scope: up to five new fellowships pa, and one returning fellowship. (Return applications are open to Massada fellows proving consolidation, extension or development of projects begun in Oxford during their first fellowship. Fellows are eligible for one return visit only)
- Costs: up to £3,500 per fellowship, covering flights, accommodation, dining in College, Massada Seminar, drinks reception, and Dinner.
- Format: brief (up to 3 weeks) collaborative-visits that foster interchange without disrupting fellows’ teaching and family commitments
- Massada Seminars:  each fellow is invited to deliver an address at Worcester College. The aims of these talks include:

1. Offering varied and stimulating presentations of new research by Israeli scholars in all fields of inquiry
2. Convening academics and students of the relevant expertise(s) from Worcester College and across the university for an evening of scholarly interchange and networking, establishing connections that can be followed up during the fellowship and afterwards.
3. Creating opportunities for further discussion and collaboration
4. Curating a video-library of these talks on the Massada Programme webpage
    

(2) Collaborative research trips by Oxford Fellows to Israel
- Eligibility: Worcester Fellows seeking to establish or continue any collaborations with any Israeli academic institution, or academics of all disciplines from     the University of Oxford wishing specifically to continue collaborating with a Massada Fellow (following that fellow’s visit to Oxford).
- Application procedure as for visiting fellowships by email to the Director
- Costs are to cover flights and (restricted) accommodation.

(3) The Massada Annual Lecture
- Aim: to promote a range of prominent speakers from Israel, showcasing cultural and scientific achievements, as well as non-academic public figures
- Candidates selected by the Massada Committee.
- 2023 Massada Annual Lecture in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies: The celebrated author David Grossman in conversation with Dr Adriana Jacobs 

Watch the 2023 Massada Annual Lecture recording

(4) Junior Research Fellowship (varying disciplinary focus)
- one rolling 2/3 year JRF (Applications for 2023-2025 are now closed.)
- considered by the Massada Committee in conjunction with a Selection Committee including two experts from the field of study selected for that JRF.
- Costs: JRF salary + housing allowance.

2023-2025 Massada JRF in Law - Dr Neli Frost received a dual Bachelor degree in Law and in East Asian Studies at Tel Aviv University Magna Cum Laude; graduated from her LL.M degree at Tel Aviv University as a Valedictorian; was then awarded her doctoral degree in April 2022 from the University of Cambridge; followed by a postdoctoral fellowship in the highly competitive Hauser Global Fellows Program at NYU School of Law.  Her research plan for the Massada JRF traveres the fields of public and international law with a strong thematic focus on the intersections between law and technology, employing legal and political theory to critically examine how novel technologies challenge democratic principles and long-standing international legal dogmas such as the public-private divide.   

(5) Role of Massada Programme Director 
- receives and assesses applications to be referred to the Committee
- initiates proposals for the programme
- facilitates collaborations in Oxford and in Israel
- convenes Massada Seminars and dinners
- coordinates administration of visitors, guest lectures, and JRF
- contributes to committee meetings (withdrawing when the Director’s roles or performance are being discussed).
- provides regular updates and an Annual Report on activities for the committee
- liaises with Fellows, collaborators, Massada Committee, and JRF Selection Committee
- undertakes advertising, promotion, and website updates

For further inquiries and for applications, please contact Dr. Naomi Rokotnitz, Director of the Programme, at naomi.rokotnitz@worc.ox.ac.uk

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