Dr. Veysi Dag
Minerva Postdoc Fellow at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Can you briefly describe what you are exactly doing with your Minerva Fellowship in Israel, how long have you been there and how long will your fellowship continue?
I conduct my research at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, specifically examining how the self-organized social networks of the Jewish community from Kurdistan in Jerusalem and the non-Jewish Kurdish diaspora segments in Berlin engage in cultural production practices that they establish to regulate their social affairs, address their emotional, psychological, and social needs, and meet their challenges and objectives. I publish my research outputs in various forms, such as academic journal articles, books, and short pieces. In addition, I produce a documentary film to visually present my research. I have been living in Jerusalem since July 2021 and will continue living and conducting my research in Israel until the end of next year.
How did you experience October 7 last year and what happened in the weeks that followed?
I was sleeping in my apartment in Jerusalem but woke up when sirens went off at around 06:00 in the morning. Initially, I thought it was a fire alarm. When I went outside, the siren alarm was audible all around. I then received text messages from the authorities and the university administration, urging us to seek safe shelters from rocket attacks. All the streets in Jerusalem, which were full of tourists and pilgrims celebrating the last day of Sukkot on October 6, were suddenly empty on October 7, 2023. I then followed the news and the happenings on social media platforms to find out the extent of the Hamas assaults. The scale and impact of the Hamas assaults were extreme and unbearable when I saw the images of its atrocities on social networking sites. On the recommendation of the German government and the Minerva Stiftung, I left the country on October 13, one week after the Hamas attacks. I was experiencing significant emotional and social stress during this time. I wrote blog articles for The Times of Israel and assisted in organizing a Zoom event to inform people and demonstrate my solidarity with the victims of October 7. I then left for Berlin, where I spent three months until I traveled back to Jerusalem by the end of January 2024.
What impact did the events have on your academic work in the weeks immediately following the attack?
My research was significantly hampered. I found it difficult to concentrate during the first few days following the assaults because of the sirens, rocket strikes, and uncertainties. I was constantly swamped with messages on social media. This influenced my data collection, interviews, recordings, and writings. The university administration cancelled all its events and decided to immediately close its campus. So, I was unable to access the library to borrow any books. After one week, I left Jerusalem. The events that transpired after October 7 significantly impacted my academic pursuits. I was unable to obtain any data for my project's visualization. Overall, I was unable to focus on my academic work due to uncertainty and its emotional and physical implications. I didn't accomplish anything during this time.
When did you return to Israel?
I returned to Jerusalem on January 30, 2024.
How was your return there? Have expectations and ideas (whether positive or negative) that you may have had beforehand been confirmed?
My return to Jerusalem was beneficial because I was able to resume my data collection. As part of my field research, I had the opportunity to attend events hosted by the Jewish community from Kurdistan in Jerusalem. The university structures were once again accessible without any significant difficulties. However, the atmosphere in the city was quite tight overall.
What is it like to pursue your own research in Israel on a day-to-day basis? What influence do the armed conflicts in the Gaza Strip have on everyday academic life in Israel and thus possibly also on your research?
Life in Jerusalem is unfortunately anything but normal due to the conflicts in Gaza, political disputes and polarization within Israeli society, uncertainty following the Gaza conflict, concerns about an impending and larger war with Hezbollah and Iran, and the militarization of society. Many Israelis in Jerusalem, including some students and scholars, always carry machine guns with them for defense purposes. Many Israelis told me they would not carry guns if they faced no threat in their own homeland. The events surrounding the Gaza conflict influence my research in the shadow of war and militarization. These developments have a detrimental impact on my emotional and mental state, which in turn affects my research process and outputs negatively. Consequently, I have experienced a substantial lack of production in my research pace, continuous tension as a result of concerns regarding the conflict and its associated uncertainties, and significant difficulties with my concentration.
The growing worldwide criticism of Israel's actions in the Gaza conflict and the associated protest movements, combined with an increase in anti-Semitic tendencies, are also having an increasingly noticeable impact on Israeli science: Scientific collaborations with Israel are being terminated or avoided, international researchers are leaving the country. Do you also encounter such developments as a researcher who is currently in Israel and conducting research there?
Indeed, because of my affiliation with Hebrew University, my blog posts, and my support for organizing a Zoom conference about the October 7th Hamas atrocities, the current conflict has an immediate and significant impact on my research and life in general. That's why I face boycotts on multiple levels. I experienced my first boycott at a conference in Paris in October 2023, to which I was invited. I was told that some academics and participants boycotted the conference because of my participation as a scholar from an Israeli university. I experienced my second boycott when the editor and Board of Editors of the Middle East Critique Journal suddenly rejected my journal article after 18 months, even though one of the reviewers had previously approved it for publication. I sent many emails to the editor and asked for an explanation, but he has never responded to my emails. I then checked the social media profiles of the Journal's Board of Editors and members, and it was obvious to me. At a conference in Sheffield, UK, I faced a third boycott when two attendees refused to shake my hand, citing my affiliation with a 'Zionist' university in a state committing 'genocide'. Lastly, I faced harrowing attacks on social media. For instance, a Turkish scholar living in Germany claimed on Twitter that I promote Israel's interests and immediately blocked me. I'm also concerned that, as a German scholar of Kurdish origin, I may face security risks in Europe, too. Many Kurdish scholars have claimed that conducting research on the Kurdish-Israeli relationship resembles acting in a minefield. The Iranian and Turkish regimes frequently target the Kurds, accusing them of supporting the 'Zionist' objective in the Middle East. I have already discussed these regimes' antisemitic and anti-Kurdish policies in a piece highlighting how they abuse Palestinian narratives in order to demonize Israel and criminalize the Kurds. I also do not exclude physical assaults by antisemitic immigrants from these states in Germany or elsewhere outside Israel. Last year, I received an invitation to a conference at the University of Halabja, a city in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. However, when I informed my acquaintances about my planned conference participation, they strongly advised against it due to present threats from Turkey and Iran. They told me that I am based in Israel, and my postings on my social network profile could cost me my life. The immediate pressure to adopt a political stance has led me to conclude that regular academics cannot conduct research in Israel, as they do in Europe. In other words, I believe that conducting research in Israel requires a political stance and courage. Indeed, when I decided to return to Israel on January 30, 2024, I took this position once again. I surely expressed my solidarity with Israeli academics and universities. I also acknowledge the humanitarian crisis that people in Gaza and Israel have faced since the Hamas attacks on October 7. While acknowledging the plight of Gazans, we must also comprehend the suffering of Israelis, subject to demonization by both regional antisemitic regimes and certain groups in western countries. I strongly hope for the resolution of this crisis and the establishment of peace in the region, a goal that many in the region have yet to achieve but for which they yearn above all else.
On a personal level: How do you deal with the fact that it is currently uncertain how the crisis-ridden situation in Israel - both in terms of domestic and foreign policy - could change dramatically at any time and thus also upset your research plans?
The current political situation in Israel represents the whole chaotic region of the Middle East. The region's situation could be characterized by an unpredictable, irrational, and ambiguous nature. It sounds like a day in Jerusalem is equivalent to 365 days in Berlin because so much happens at the same time every day, making it difficult to keep up with rapid developments or reflect on them. Yet, I would want to maintain my optimism that there will eventually be an end to the current situation in Israel, as the situation may reverse in a matter of minutes. I maintain my hope by embracing Gramsci's aphorism of "pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will." Nevertheless, I sometimes wonder whether it's worthwhile for someone to permanently live in such chaotic and unpredictable circumstances. I contemplate whether it is the appropriate time for me to pursue new and permanent employment opportunities in Europe and escape this situation.
Regardless of the developments in Israel since last October, could you tell us a nice anecdote and a rather difficult anecdote about your Minerva fellowship and your time in Israel in general?
On April 13, 2024, when Iran attacked Israel with drones and missiles, I was sitting in my apartment in Jerusalem with another Minerva Fellow, waiting for the missiles and drones to arrive. The precise time of the missiles' arrival in Jerusalem was announced to be approximately 02:00, six hours after they were launched. Throughout this time, we discussed the political consequences of the Iranian missile strikes and widespread speculation about a significant regional war. At 02:02, our balcony door started shaking, and we heard the first missiles' arrival via explosions. We made our way to the balcony, where I sat down to protect myself from the possible rocket fragments and started recording the rockets that Iron-Dom had intercepted in the sky. The other Minerva fellow quickly made his way to the shelter. As the drones and missiles intensified, I also ran to the secure shelter.
