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Draft:David Mittelberg

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David Mittelberg (born March 14, 1947; 24th of Adar, 5707) is an Israeli sociologist.[1], author[2], and researcher[3]. He currently serves as a board member and research fellow at the Oranim Research Authority[4]. Mittelberg previously held roles as chairman of the steering committee of the International School and head of the Sociology Department at Oranim College.[5]

Biography

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Mittelberg was born in 1947 in Germany to Holocaust survivors Richard (Israel Yaacov) and Leah Mittelberg, who were originally from the Warsaw Ghetto[6]. At the age of one, his family moved to Melbourne, Australia. Mittelberg studied at Monash University, where he completed his undergraduate degree, and later earned a master’s degree from the University of Haifa and a PhD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In 1971, Mittelberg and his wife Shoshana Kotlar immigrated to Israel with members of the Ichud Habonim Zionist youth movement, settling in Kibbutz Yizre'el.[7]

Academic and Professional Career

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Mittelberg's academic career began at the University of Haifa’s Institute for Kibbutz Research, where he joined as a research fellow in 1975. He was appointed head of the institute in 1985, a position he held until 1989. Mittelberg also taught in a joint appointment at the Sociology Department of the University of Haifa and Oranim College.[8]

Throughout his career, Mittelberg held visiting lecturer positions at Harvard University, Brandeis University, and Monash University. His international engagements included sabbaticals at Harvard University (1989-1990),[9][10] Brandeis University’s Cohen Center (2006-2007),[11] and Monash University’s Australian Centre for Jewish Civilization (2014-2015).[12]

From 2015 to 2019, Mittelberg served as the founding chairman of the International School at Oranim College.[13]

Research Contributions

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Mittelberg’s research spans topics including ethnicity[14], migration[15], education, gender[16], tourism[17], kibbutz studies[18], and Jewish diaspora sociology[19]. His work on Jewish Peoplehood education and Israel Experience programs has been focused on understanding identity formation and diaspora engagement.[20]

Over the years, Mittelberg has focused on several research areas:

  1. The Kibbutz:
    1. Volunteers in Israeli kibbutzim, a decade of research from the 1970s to the 1980s, culminating in his book "Strangers In Paradise", published in 1988[21].
    2. The emigration from Israel of kibbutz born members[22][23]. Both studies dealt with identity and emigration issues on a global scale, from Israel to the world and immigration to Israel from throughout the world.
  2. Israel Experience Programs and Jewish Peoplehood Education:
    1. Published a policy paper on visiting Israel and Jewish identity, commissioned by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) in 1994, five years before the Birthright program's establishment. He emphasized the need to bring young Jews aged 18-34 who had never visited Israel for their first visit and argued that participants must receive financial support in order to enable the trip[24]
    2. Research on the inaugural year of the innovative "Otzma Project" in 1986-87[25], involving 53 American college age volunteer Jewish participants who came to Israel for a year-long program focusing on developing young leadership and volunteering in Israel, to be followed by continued Jewish community engagement upon their return to their home communities. Subsequently, he conducted a follow-up study on Project Otzma alumni in the USA was published in 1999[26]. The Otzma  project continued for 27 years, engaging around 1,500 alumni, until it was closed as an independent project under the auspices of the Jewish Federations of North America (JFNA) in 2012.[27]
    3. Research on the 'Project Oren' programs amongst diverse populations such as: Jewish students from abroad, Families from the Diaspora, Russian speakers from Israel and abroad, Mifgash encounter programs between Israeli and Diaspora Jewish students, Taglit Birthright, Israeli and Diaspora student participants, Jewish educators from Israel and abroad.[28][29]
    4. Author of the book "The Israel Connection and American Jews" (1999)[30], which analyzed different Israel Experience and Jewish Peoplehood educational programs. Central argument of the book was that it was possible to achieve educational impact through visits to Israel among adults over the age of 18 and not just among school children.[31]
    5. Joint research with Brandeis University regarding the school twinning program between Boston and Haifa  within the framework of Partnership 2000 (2011, 2013).[32][33]
  3. Education Research and Teacher Training:
    1. Gender and Mathematics - An international research collaboration addressing differences in mathematics achievements between boys and girls, Jews and Arabs, in Israel and Australia, and the reasons for these differences[34]
    2. Inclusion in Education - Collaborative research focusing on teachers’  inclusion strategies in school and teacher education programs in Israel[35][36]

Public and Community Activities

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Mittelberg was involved in initiatives fostering connections between Israel and diaspora communities. In 1985-1986, he took part in establishing the Israeli Forum and served on its foundation board. He contributed to the planning and implementation of Project Otzma (1986), a volunteer program for Jewish American students, and Project Kehillot [37](1992), which facilitated partnerships between Jewish communities worldwide.

In 1986, Mittelberg co-founded Project Oren at Oranim College, which provided educational programs for Jewish youth from the diaspora. Over its 25 years of operation, the program involved participants from English-speaking and Russian-speaking countries, focusing on Hebrew studies, kibbutz work, and Jewish education.[38]

Holocaust Remembrance

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As the son of Holocaust survivors, Mittelberg has been active in Holocaust remembrance activities. He has engaged in academic research on second-generation Holocaust survivors, and the publication of a family memorial book, Between Two Worlds - The Testimony and the Testament.[39] Mittelberg has also spoken at international Holocaust commemoration events, including the Holocaust Museum in Melbourne.[40]

Selected Works

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  • Strangers in Paradise (1988)
  • The Israel Connection and American Jews (1999)
  • Numerous articles on ethnicity, migration, kibbutz education, gender, and Jewish diaspora identity.

Research Focus Areas

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  1. Kibbutz and Migration
  2. Israel Experience Programs and Jewish Peoplehood Education
  3. Education Research and Teacher Training

See also

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  • Shuli Hasheli (2021-04-20). Memory in the Living room - David Mittelberg (Hebrew). Retrieved 2024-06-06 – via YouTube.
  • Mendes, P (1993) The New Left The Jews, and the Vietnam War 1965 -1972  Lazare Press Victoria Australia pp 72-73, 121
  • Lipski S and Rutland S.D, (2015) Let My People Go. The untold story of Australia and the Soviet Jews 1959-1989. Hybrid Publishers Victoria Australia,  P102.
  • Mittelberg D., Research and Evaluation Authority, Oranim Acadenic College, https://en.oranim.ac.il/research/
  • Proceedings and Resolutions of the 28th World Zionist Congress, January 18 -28 1972 Jerusalem, p. 5, 9. https://www.bjpa.org/content/upload/bjpa/reso/RESOLUTIONS%20OF%20THE%2028TH%20ZIONIST%20CONGRESS%20JERUSALEM%20JANUARY%2018-28,%201972.pdf
  • "ארכיון יד טבנקין". infocenters.co.il. Retrieved 2024-06-06.

References

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  1. ^ "Mittelberg David". www.oranim.ac.il. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  2. ^ Mittelberg, D. (1988). Strangers in Paradise: The Israeli Kibbutz Experience. New Brunswick (USA) and Oxford (UK) Transaction Publishers
  3. ^ Mittelberg D., ResearchGate, https://www.researchgate.net/profile/David-Mittelberg
  4. ^ Mittelberg D., Research and Evaluation Authority, Oranim Acadenic College, https://en.oranim.ac.il/research/
  5. ^ https://en.oranim.ac.il/international-school/about/staff-international/
  6. ^ Mittelberg, D. (2004). Between Two Worlds: The Testimony and the Testament. Devorah Publishing Company, Israel and New York.
  7. ^ Mittelberg, D. (2004). Between Two Worlds: The Testimony and the Testament. Devorah Publishing Company, Israel and New York.
  8. ^ "Mittelberg David". www.oranim.ac.il. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  9. ^ Interview with David Mittelberg, Sociology Lives, Harvard University Department of Sociology Vol. 6 No. 4 February 1990. pp3-7
  10. ^ David Mittelberg  International Conference on “Innovation and Evaluation of the Israel and Jewish Experience of North American Jewish Youth”.
  11. ^ "Mittelberg David". www.oranim.ac.il. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  12. ^ "Mittelberg David". www.oranim.ac.il. Retrieved 2024-06-06.
  13. ^ Oranim College International school, https://en.oranim.ac.il/international-school/about/staff-international/
  14. ^ Mittelberg, D. and Waters, M.C. (1992) “The Process of Ethnogenesis Among Haitian and Israeli Immigrants in the United States,” Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vol. 15, No. 3.
  15. ^ Mittelberg, D. and Sobel, Z. (1990) “Commitment, Ethnicity and Class as Factors in Emigration of Kibbutz and Non-Kibbutz Members from Israel,” International Migration Review, Vol. 24, No. 4.
  16. ^ Forgasz, H. J. and Mittelberg, D. (2008). Israeli Jewish and Arab Students’ Gendering of Mathematics. ZDM. The International Journal on Mathematics Education, 40(5) Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg.
  17. ^ Sasson, T., Mittelberg, D., Hecht, S. and Saxe, L. (2011). Guest Host Encounters in Diaspora Tourism: The Taglit-Birthright Mifgash Diaspora, Indigenous, and Minority Education Routledge, Philadelphia PA.
  18. ^ Mittelberg, D. (1988) Strangers in Paradise: The Israeli Kibbutz Experience. New Brunswick (USA) and Oxford (UK) Transaction Publishers, 223 pp.
  19. ^ Mittelberg,  D, Chertok, F, Laron ,D. (2013). Leaving Home Together: The Impact of Travel in Jewish Peoplehood Education for Israeli and American Teens. Sociological Papers Volume 17, Sociological Institute for Community Studies, Bar Ilan University.
  20. ^ Mittelberg, D. (1999) The Israel Connection and American Jews. Praeger Publishers, Westport Conn., USA, 216 pp.
  21. ^ Mittelberg, D. (1988) Strangers in Paradise: The Israeli Kibbutz Experience. New Brunswick (USA) and Oxford (UK) Transaction Publishers, 223 pp.
  22. ^ Mittelberg, D., & Sobel, Z. (1990). Commitment, Ethnicity and Class as Factors in Emigration of Kibbutz and Non-Kibbutz Members from Israel. International Migration Review, 24 (4).
  23. ^ Mittelberg, D., & Waters, M. C. (1992). The Process of Ethnogenesis among Haitian and Israeli Immigrants in the United States. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 15 (3), 412-435.
  24. ^ Mittelberg, D. (1994). “The Israel Visit and Jewish Identification", The Institute on American Jewish-Israeli Relations, Issues Series No. 4, American Jewish Committee, New York
  25. ^ Mittelberg, D. (1988) Strangers in Paradise: The Israeli Kibbutz Experience. New Brunswick (USA) and Oxford (UK) Transaction Publishers, 223 pp.
  26. ^ Mittelberg, D. (1999) The Israel Connection and American Jews. Praeger Publishers, Westport Conn., USA, 216 pp.
  27. ^ Mittelberg, D. (1999). The Israel Connection and American Jews. Praeger  Publishers. Westport Conn. USA, 216 pp.
  28. ^ מיטלברג, ד' ובל-קליגלר, ר' (2014). עמיות יהודית הלכה למעשה: 25 שנות פרויקט "אורן" (האגף לעם היהודי במרכז שדמות) במכללה האקדמית לחינוך אורנים. בתוך י' דרור (עורך), קיבוץ ויהדות. ירושלים, תל אביב ורמת אפעל: מוסד ביאליק, הקתדרה לחינוך יהודי באוניברסיטת תל אביב ויד טבנקין.
  29. ^ Mittelberg, D. (2011). Jewish Peoplehood Education. In H. Miller, L. Grant & A. Pomson (Eds.), The International Handbook of Jewish Education. Springer, The Netherlands.
  30. ^ Mittelberg, D. (1999) The Israel Connection and American Jews. Praeger Publishers, Westport Conn., USA, 216 pp.
  31. ^ Saxe, L ( 2002) Israel Connection and American Jews. American Jewish History, Volume 90, Number 2, June 2002, pp. 185-188 (Review). The Johns Hopkins University Press, DOI: 10.1353/a jh.2003.0033
  32. ^ Chertok, F., Mittelberg, D., Laron, D., & Koren, A. (2013). Identical, Fraternal, or Separated at Birth: A Case Study of Educator Teams Within American-Israeli School Twinning. Jewish Journal of Education, 79, 414–431, Routledge.
  33. ^ Mittelberg, D., Chertok, F., & Laron, D. (2013). Leaving Home Together: The Impact of Travel in Jewish Peoplehood Education for Israeli and American Teens. Sociological Papers, 17. Sociological Institute for Community Studies, Bar Ilan University.
  34. ^ Forgasz, H. J. and Mittelberg, D. (2008). Israeli Jewish and Arab Students’ Gendering of Mathematics. ZDM. The International Journal on Mathematics Education, 40(5) Springer, Berlin/Heidelberg.
  35. ^ Razer, M., Mittelberg, D., Motola, M., & Bar-Gosen, N. (2015). Israeli high school teachers’ perceptions and attitudes towards a pedagogy of inclusion. International Journal of Inclusive Education. DOI:10.1080/13603116.2015.1019373
  36. ^ Michal Razer, David Mittelberg & Snait Ayalon (2017): The ability-track glass ceiling of Israeli schooling: lessons from a comparative analysis of Israeli and Australian PISA 2012 data, International Journal of Inclusive Education, DOI: 10.1080/13603116.2017.1362480
  37. ^ "הפורום הישראלי", ויקיפדיה (in Hebrew), 2024-06-03, retrieved 2024-06-06
  38. ^ מיטלברג, ד' ובל-קליגלר, ר' (2014). עמיות יהודית הלכה למעשה: 25 שנות פרויקט "אורן" (האגף לעם היהודי במרכז שדמות) במכללה האקדמית לחינוך אורנים. בתוך י' דרור (עורך), קיבוץ ויהדות. ירושלים, תל אביב ורמת אפעל: מוסד ביאליק, הקתדרה לחינוך יהודי באוניברסיטת תל אביב ויד טבנקין, עמ' 389-391
  39. ^ Mittelberg, D. (2004) Between Two Worlds: The Testimony and the Testament, Devorah Publishing. Jerusalem/New York, p 105-106.
  40. ^ Centre News, Jewish Holocaust Centre Newsletter, April 2015, p. 6-7 https://issuu.com/jhc_comms/docs/centrenews_centrenews_2015_issue1
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