Yoav Shefer
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Yoav Shefer at Pariser Platz
„The ‘Dr. Gustav Winkler Scholarship’ gave me the opportunity to participate in this course. I wouldn’t have been able to afford the living costs in Wittenberg and the travel costs to get there without this scholarship“
The Israeli historian Yoav Shefer took a language course at the University of Halle Wittenberg in Wittenberg.
Read his report:
In September, I participated in a language course at the Institute for German Language and Culture (IDSK) that is associated with the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg. The participants came from Southern Europe, the United States of America and North Africa.
We spoke German in the class and during breaks. Each of us had a command of German to B2 level. The course structure was subdivided into topics. This involved us dealing with aspects such as democracy and we learned the corresponding grammar by delving into the respective topic. I found this course structure to be very helpful.
As a German learner and student of ‘German History of the Nineteenth Century’, I felt that taking part in this course was very expedient. My time in Wittenberg was especially important to me as a student who would like to write his master thesis on evangelical sources in German historiography. During my time in Wittenberg, I lived in a flat-sharing community near to the ‘Trajuhnscher Bach’, a pedestrian zone with cycle path that runs alongside an open section of the stream. Our neighbours were very friendly.
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Yoav Shefer in Leipzig
The Luther Residence, St, Marien Church, Castle Church and the entire historical centre of Wittenberg were special attractions for me. Halle, Dessau and Leipzig were equally interesting. Also the German language – the language of Luther, Humboldt and von Ranke who wrote the texts that are relevant to my research and master thesis – was of major significance.
My stay in Germany as an Israeli enabled me to discern the many differences between everyday life in Germany and that in Israel. Whereas life in Israel is fast-paced and stressful, life in Germany is quiet and pleasant. Even a large German city like Berlin or Leipzig is quieter than Israel.
The cost of living in Germany is much lower than in Israel and there aren’t as many security concerns like those that you experience in Israel. My stay in Germany has led me to consider applying to become a PhD student at a prestigious university in Germany, particularly with regard to my interest in German history.
As of December 2024. The German version is the original.
