Department of Sociology and Anthropology
Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
My life before BGU:
I was born in Givatayim and finished high school there. I studied for a year in a general bachelor's degree and literature program at Tel Aviv University, and later completed a bachelor's degree in social work there. For my master's degree, I studied theory of television and cinema at Amsterdam University. In my late twenties, after working as a journalist, I went back to Tel Aviv University for a doctorate in sociology. From there I became a sociologist at the Hebrew University, King's College in London and the universities of Cologne and Göttingen in Germany.
"Over the years I collaborated with many researchers from different departments and schools at BGU, all first tier researchers and people with a real commitment to society. This combination really appeals to me and I hope to find, as I was promised, that students in the South also have a spark in their eyes, intellectual curiosity and social commitment"
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My research:
Broadly, my field is the sociology of health and illness, with a focus on new fertility technologies such as fetal genetic tests, fetal gender selection, birth after death and egg freezing. The wide range of technologies allows me to ask sociological questions about the relationship between science and society, about gender, about family and the attitudes to disability and illness. For example, is freezing eggs a good or a problematic technology from a feminist point of view.
Why BGU?
Over the years I collaborated with many researchers from different departments and schools at BGU, all first tier researchers and people with a real commitment to society. This combination really appeals to me and I hope to find, as I was promised, that students in the South also have a spark in their eyes, intellectual curiosity and social commitment.
An insight from my research:
I understood that what appears to be progress and an opening to choice or empowerment is quite often also the loss of freedom, and that it's very important that humanities and social sciences contribute to understanding the technological and scientific world, where there are huge advantages but also dangers which are not insignificant.
Something that doesn't appear on my resume:
I'm addicted to news, even though I understand that the really important things take place behind the scenes and are usually not reported on the news, and that nothing good will come out of my time wasting on updates on every sensation and political spin. And yet, it's a telenovela and I'm addicted to the suffering it causes me.
A source of inspiration:
Recently I watched a documentary about US Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. I would so love to be her, a Jewish woman, a human rights warrior who make me feel so proud.
When I grow up:
As a child, I was called professor (and it wasn't just a compliment) and they said I would grow up to be Shula Alloni or Geula Cohen. I wanted to be a veterinarian or to sing in front of the allied troops like Marlene Dietrich. And here I am…… a professor.
If I was not a researcher, I would:
Be changing the world or trying to come to terms with death.
In Brief:
» Facebook or Twitter? I don't know how to use Facebook, and I don't even have a Twitter account.
» Game of Thrones or the Simpsons? The Simpsons
» Yoga or CrossFit? Yoga of course
» Hapo'el or Maccabi? Red is the best
» Chess or backgammon? Chess
» Morning or night? Morning
» Steak or tofu? Neither. The world has to eat a lot less steak
» Trekking or the spa? Spa! But with a breathtaking view from the window
» Car or train? Beer-Sheva didn't give me a choice, so train. But I love driving
» X-Box or PlayStation? My sons say PlayStation
» Fortis or Sakharov? Not fair – Malka Spiegel
» Classic Europe or India? I have to travel to India; I've not had time yet
» Ocean or the pool? Ocean, when the sun isn't too hot
» Galgalatz or Podcast? Music, but why Galgalatz?
» Winter or summer? The Israeli winter
» Cat or dog? Dog
» Movie or play? A classic Hollywood movie
