Noa Ben David
(UCL) -
2023-24 Students
uclhben@ucl.ac.uk
The reconstruction of Jewish community life in postwar Norway, 1945-1967
My doctoral thesis in history investigates how Jews in postwar Norway rebuilt their community life and navigated the process of integration, 1945-1967. It explores how Jewish self-perceptions of belonging were shaped in dialogue with broader national narratives, and how these perceptions changed over time. The thesis examines the construction of community identification (in Norwegian: fellesskap), as central actors developed strategies to revive the congregation and assert themselves as part of the national community.
Building upon the partial explorations of Jewish life and identity in the Nordic context, the study employs a wide range of sources for a new purpose, including underexplored Jewish community archival material, private papers, press material and Jewish publications, and expert interviews. This aims to capture a diversity of voices among Norwegian Jewry, beyond the executive board and activists.
With this project I want to revisit the notion of Jewish minority integration and provide fresh scholarship to the pioneering field of Scandinavian Jewish studies.
I am a PhD candidate at University College London, funded by the London Arts and Humanities Partnership in AHRC. My supervisors are Prof François Guesnet in the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, and Dr Elettra Carbone in Scandinavian Studies SELCS. My doctoral project examines the reconstruction of Jewish community life in postwar Norway, 1945-1967. More broadly, I am interested in Jewish histories and cultures of the Nordic region, as well as Old Norse philology. I completed MA History at the University of Bergen in 2023 and BA Viking and Old Norse Studies at University College London in 2021 (First Class, Dean’s List). My recent publications include:
Primary supervisor: Prof François Guesnet
Co-supervisor: Dr Elettra Carbone