Israel

It is the first time that the award ceremony of the Israeli history competition will take place under the patronage of the Israeli President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem on 11 December 2016. Israel has been a member of the EUSTORY network since 2013 and has successfully held three competitions so far. The competition is organised by the Zalman Shazar Center for Jewish History in Jerusalem which coordinates an alliance of six different partner organisations in the country. The emphasis of all competitions so far has been put on actively addressing the issue of the "image of the other" in the past and the present. So far more than 300 pupils and teachers have taken part in the competition.

Within the framework of the award ceremony, the "Israel Academy of Science and Humanities" offers space for an exchange between the prize winners of the different categories of the Israeli competition. The competition awards submissions by individuals as well as by groups. Submissions do not necessarily need to have connections to school lessons. The award ceremony will be held at the President’s palace in Jerusalem.

"Students are exploring history from its grass-roots - it is great to see how this approach is successfully strengthened by the Israeli EUSTORY partners," says Katja Fausser, Managing Director of the EUSTORY Network.

The following six partner organisations contribute to the Israeli competition project: The "Zalman Shazar Center" supports research into the history of the Jews in the diaspora and, in the spirit of the efforts of former President Zalman Shazar, aims to promote Jewish historical awareness. The "Historical Society of Israel" represents Israeli historians, promotes scientific publications and supports projects on political-historical education. The "Women's International Zionist Organization (WIZO)" promotes the rights of women, children and seniors as well as good connection between Jews in the Diaspora and in Israel. The "Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History" deals with Jewish history. The Center awards scholarships to particularly talented students to the Hebrew University on an annual basis. The "Dahan Center for Culture" and "Society and Education in the Sephardic Heritage" are committed to the preservation and maintenance of Jewish heritage. The "University of Haifa's School of History" promotes academic exchange between students and researchers and organises workshops, conferences and seminars on historical topics with experts from Israel and abroad.

The current competition in Israel started on 1 November 2016.