Menna Abukhadra

I have a PhD in Modern Middle Eastern and Hebrew Studies, and my postdoctoral research was focused mainly on the history of the Israeli-Arab conflict in the Middle East before and after the Arab Spring. I am passionate about the field of Modern Middle Eastern Politics and Cultures and I have been teaching modules related to this field of studies on a university level since 2009.

I am a native Arabic Speaker and I am fluent in both Hebrew and English. I have a very good knowledge of Israeli politics, Jewish history, the Israeli-Arab conflict and the Arab Spring and I have a very good experience in teaching undergraduate students in the field of Middle Eastern Studies. I also have a good experience teaching to a variety of settings from small group tutorials to large lectures. Examples include my teaching experience in both Cairo University and the University of Cambridge.

First, at Cairo University, I was responsible for teaching all the four levels of undergraduate students (from beginners to advanced) Hebrew language basics and grammar, Jewish History, Introduction to the history of the Middle East, Hebrew Literature and Israeli politics. I was successful in using online settings in developing the teaching and learning skills of Modern Hebrew studies at Cairo University which was very effective as we give lectures only to a large cohort of students (average 1000-2000 students in the same class). Also in Egypt, I taught courses in to military officers from different Arab countries such as Libya and Saudi Arabia.

Second, during my fellowship in Cambridge I gained a very good experience in teaching and research. I designed and taught Middle Eastern Studies modules for undergraduate students from different backgrounds. I also had a very good experience in organising seminars and faculty events in Cambridge, as I was responsible for the Middle Eastern Seminar at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies during my postdoctoral fellowship.

In addition, I participated in a number of international conferences, workshops and gave a number of public talks in various universities in Europe and the USA. I have always made a good impression and had fruitful discussions about my research. 

In 2011 I was awarded my MA. The title of my thesis was “Mass Suicide and its Reflections on Modern Hebrew Poetry: Analytical and critical study”. In my study I focused on the strong relationship between Jewish heritage and Hebrew poetry by examining Yitzhak Lamdan’s famous poem “Massada” and its praise of sacrifice and loyalty to the Jewish nation. In my study I provided an argument about the connection between the mass suicide in Massada and the the high suicidal rate in the Israeli army.

In 2016, I was awarded my PhD. The topic of my dissertation was titled “The Four Matriarchs of Israel in Hebrew Poetry: Analytical Critical Study of some chosen Hebrew Poems”. In my study, I examined how the Hebrew writers and poets used the biblical tales and figures to express different social and political contemporary issues. The main focus was on studying the Biblical stories of the Four Matriarchs - Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel and Leah the wives of the Three Patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in Judaism. These religious figures were used by the Hebrew poets throughout the stages of modern and contemporary Hebrew poetry to express various issues according to the writers’ own ideological background - in a religious, political and Zionist manner that serve their own agendas depending on the prevailing circumstances.

During my postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cambridge I have been working on my research topic “Israel Studies or Enemy Studies? An Analytical Study of the Development of Israel Studies in Egypt”. This research outlines the development of Israel studies in Egyptian universities during the past century since its early beginnings in 1909 and up until today in 2019. I traced how Israel studies in the Middle East developed over the years and how the evolution of the political events in the Arab world during the past century affected its development. I also focused on the big change that happened to the image of Israel in the Arab world after the Arab Spring.

In addition, I have a very good experience in translation and I have a very good experience in working with archival materials related to the history of the Middle East. Examples include working on the Al-Ahram Archive while tracing the history of Egyptian Jewish actors, and I also worked on analysing the archival materials at the Ministry of Education while tracing the history of the establishment of Israel Studies in Egyptian Universities. 

Dr. Abukhadra currently lives in the UK and she is a regular volunteer at a number of charities supporting Arab communities living in the UK. She also writes Arabic blogs for Twinkl, a global educational publisher, and her target is to support all those who teach in the Arab world. For more information please see https://www.twinkl.com.kw/blog/what-is-twinkl and https://www.twinkl.ae/blog/ramadan-during-corona-time?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social