Ruth-Johanne Andersson of Denmark is currently studying towards an MA in Israel Studies at Rothberg International School. She will spend this summer in an advanced Hebrew Summer Intensive to improve her already excellent Hebrew and get to the academic reading and writing level. She will use these skills as a Ph.D. candidate for the Department of European Forum at Hebrew University starting in the fall of 2023. Her interests are in the relationship between political radicalization, cultural preservation, and generational
trauma. She studies Hebrew language to enhance her empathy for the Jewish people.
Sidsel Friis Thomsen of Denmark has a BA in Religious Studies from Aarhus University and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in the same field. She has a special interest in Judaism, Jewish History, and the Hebrew Bible. She is also deeply interested in the field of gender studies, which she has used in different projects, among others her BA thesis on gender roles in the Hebrew Bible, which she will continue exploring in her MA thesis focusing on masculinity. Sidsel is trained in Biblical Hebrew, and with the generous help from TTS she will attend a summer Ulpan at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem before starting her exchange semester this fall. She believes in the power of cultural exchange of which language is a key element and is very excited to have the opportunity to study modern Hebrew. She believes it will enrich her stay in Israel, where she hopes to deepen her understanding of current Israeli culture and society.