Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Imparting the Hebrew Language to Adults in Mandatory Palestine and the State of Israel 1936-1955
The central theme of her research lies in the field of Adult Education, approached from a historical perspective. The study explores the history of teaching Hebrew to adults in the Yishuv and in the State of Israel between 1936 and 1955, a period spanning the Fifth Aliyah and the early formative years following the establishment of the state.
This subject sits at the intersection of pedagogical inquiry and nation-building, examining both the educational methods used to teach Hebrew and the broader social and ideological goal of integrating adult immigrants into the emerging Israeli society.
Rakefet Anzi is a PhD candidate in Jewish History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and a research fellow at the Institute of Contemporary Jewry. Her dissertation explores Hebrew language education for adults in Mandatory Palestine and early Israel (1930s–1950s), focusing on its role in shaping national identity and social formation.
She has been affiliated with the Franz Rosenzweig Minerva Center and the Cherrick Center and was a 2024/25 Leo Baeck Fellow of the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. In May–July 2025, she was a Junior Visiting Scholar at the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies.