The 2024 Crister S. Garrett Scholarship Cohort: Alexandra
Three of the four scholarship recipients of 2024 have completed their projects. Charlyn spent a year at Mount Holyoke College, and Terence was able to complete a four-week English language course in California. Alexandra was doing research for her dissertation, and Nadine is currently completing a year abroad at an American High School.
This time around, we are sharing Alexandra’s report of her research trip to New York, Toronto, and Stanford. Alexandra is a PhD candidate at the Dubnow-Insitute in Leipzig researching Hungarian-Jewish history in the 19th and 20th century, and the history of communism in Hungary.
Find out more about the CSG Scholarship here.
Alexandra’s research trip, supported by the CSG Scholarship
Alexandra infront of the Statue of Liberty.
In New York, I explored the extensive holdings of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research at the Center for Jewish History. Attending a lecture on Franz Kafka and his Jewish identity was a great introduction to my time in the city and helped me make important scholarly connections. With their guidance, I was able to access collections that I might not have discovered otherwise. One particularly powerful find was a series of documents on Hungarian-Jewish organizations and Landsmanshaften in North America, which not only supported refugee resettlement but also documented anti-Semitism in Europe after 1945. These findings added a crucial transatlantic perspective to my research.
A menorah crafted by holocaust survivor Manfred Anson (1986). On display at the Statue of Liberty Museum in New York City.
Beyond the archival work, I immersed myself in New York's vibrant Jewish communal life. Attending Shabbat services at several synagogues gave me a firsthand understanding of North American Jewish community structures. One of the highlights was a Shavuot study night organized by a number of different congregations, where the diversity of perspectives and the spirit of learning left a lasting impression.
In Toronto, I participated in the Eleventh Session of the International Forum of Young Scholars on East European Jewry. This gathering brought together emerging scholars from North America, Europe, and Israel for intensive discussions about our research projects. I received invaluable feedback on my dissertation and attended workshops on conference presentations, research proposals, and balancing academia and personal life. The most rewarding aspect, however, was the informal interaction with other graduate students, fostering connections that will enrich my scholarly journey.
Informal sketches by George Goodstadt of a typical session of the Policy Meetings.
My final stop was Stanford, where I conducted research at the Hoover Institution Library and Archives. Known for preserving the history of Eastern Europe and communism, the Hoover Institution provided essential resources for my dissertation. Since its founding in 1919, it has built an extensive collection of primary sources on the political, social, and economic developments of Eastern Europe in the 20th century.
A central focus of my research is the 1953 purge trial in Hungary, which targeted Gábor Péter, the head of State Security, along with over a hundred Jewish party officials, community leaders, and associates. Accused of a Zionist espionage conspiracy, the trial was part of a broader crackdown on cosmopolitanism and Zionism in the Eastern Bloc. My work examines how Sovietization intersected with Hungarian national traditions, particularly the high representation of Jews in the Communist Party and state apparatus.
This research trip has been immensely fruitful, both in terms of the collection of sources and the strengthening of professional networks. I am deeply grateful for your support in making this experience possible.
