Intercultural Summer Schools "Israel"
Intercultural Summer Schools "Israel"
Summer School series in Israel
University of Oldenburg (led by Prof. Dr Benedikt Hensel)
(The 2023 Summer School group from Oldenburg)
The Summer School series is aimed at Oldenburg students on teaching degree programmes and was launched in 2023. It takes place annually in Israel for just under four weeks under the direction of Prof. Dr Benedikt Hensel (in 2024 it will be suspended for safety reasons due to the conflict in the Middle East).
The following core elements form an essential part of the Summer School:
- An understanding of Israeli society, as well as the history of Judaism and the Middle East from antiquity to the modern era. To this end, Professor Dr Benedikt Hensel, together with his local partners (the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel), organises excursions to historical sites and archaeological excavations in Israel, as well as relevant seminars, workshops and lectures.
- Intercultural and interfaith forums: facilitated by a multinational and multicultural team at the on-site study centre, as well as through targeted lectures and discussions with high-ranking religious and cultural representatives in Israel (with particular emphasis on the Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities).
- Participation in the on-site teaching excavation at Hazor, Israel, led by Hensel. The Summer School aims to equip participants with practical skills in the field of Near Eastern archaeology.
For further information and to register, please contact Professor Dr Benedikt Hensel (benedikt.hensel@uol.de).
Dates for the 2025 Summer School
The 2025 Summer School will take place from 3 August to 26 August 2025, circumstances permitting. We cordially invite you to an information evening on 19 December at 6.30 pm at ‘Villa Geistreich’, Oldenburg, or online via: meeting.uol.de/rooms/qub-zix-bor-ezt/join.
March 2026
Axel Springer Foundation supports the Intercultural Summer School Israel 2026 of the Professorship of Old Testament and Biblical Archaeology
The Axel Springer Foundation (Berlin) is supporting the Intercultural Summer School Israel 2026 of the Professorship of Old Testament and Biblical Archaeology with a substantial grant, which will directly benefit the participating students. We are very pleased about this recognition and would like to thank the foundation for its generous support. The Summer School will take place in Israel from 2 to 23 August 2026 and will combine the educational excavation in Hazor with intercultural and interreligious encounter formats as well as scientifically guided excursions. Further information on the Summer School can be found here.
02-23 August 2026
Intercultural Summer School Israel (02-23 August 2026)
Prof Dr Benedikt Hensel is running a three-week summer school in Israel with a team of 30 students and researchers from Oldenburg. The training of intercultural and interreligious skills is at the centre of the programme: Israel will be explored as a polyphonic cultural and religious space in the past and present - through excursions, encounter formats and scientifically guided tours of ancient sites that complement the educational excavation in Hazor. Discussions are planned with representatives of Judaism, Christianity and Islam as well as insights into smaller communities (including Samaritans and Druze). A visit to Yad Vashem is a fixed part of the programme. The Summer School combines academic research, historical depth and lived dialogue practice - as an intensive teaching and experience format on site.
3 November 2023
In another time
The university website reports in an extensive article on the excavation of the Old Testament Chair in Hazor and the associated summer school and the related research projects of Benedikt Hensel - including his textbook on the "Archaeology of the Southern Levant". Click here for the article.
October 2023
UNI Info report and interview about the 2023 Hazor excavation of the Old Testament Chair
In the October-December 2023 issue, the UNI Info newspaper reports on the excavation of the Old Testament Chair Oldenburg in Hazor! In addition to excavation director Benedikt Hensel, our Hiwis Maryam Matta and Sophie Dierks are also interviewed.
Click here for the online edition of the journal.