Stefanie Mockert is a visiting researcher at the Hebrew University. She is studying towards a Master’s degree in Musicology at Humboldt University in Berlin and writing a thesis on the musical development of the Jewish community in pre-WWII Munich. Thus, it was a natural choice to spend the 2019/20 academic year conducting research at the Hebrew University’s Jewish Music Research Centre (JMRC), located within the National Library on the Edmond J. Safra Campus. Alongside her research, Stefanie took classes in the musicology department and is currently taking Ulpan at the Rothberg International School.
While in Jerusalem, Stefanie is working on two research projects: The first, German Jewish Musical Intersections, aims at discovering the soundscape of German Jewry in the early 19th century, before the outbreak of WWII. This project is closely related to her thesis. The second project is researching the Berlin-born musicologist Edith Gerson Kiwi, a pioneer in the research of Jewish communities in Israel who immigrated to Mandatory Palestine in 1935.
Stefanie is greatly enjoying her time in Jerusalem. Dividing her time between the relaxing Safra campus and the beautiful desert landscapes surrounding Mt. Scopus, she feels that Jerusalem is a perfect place to focus.
Stefanie is very thankful to be at the Hebrew University, for both its academic and cultural environment. She’s also thankful to her landlords, who have generously let her practice on their son’s piano – while he’s away studying music in Frankfurt.