Elaborations

Elaborations on Specialist Areas:

• Israeli social and civil rights sector, Israeli – Palestinian relations:  I was executive director of the UK chapter of the Israeli civil rights and peace lobby group Meretz between 2008 and 2009.   Amongst others I created  a conference on refugees in Israel and the UK.  I  also worked in Press and Education for the Jewish and Palestinian charity Wahat al-Salam ~Neve Shalom (Brit. Friends)   I conducted postgraduate research on militant Zionism at two universities (U. of Leeds and UCL, Dept. of Jewish and Hebrew St. ) between 1999 and 2007.  As early 1991 I composed  journalistic work about Israel  (published interviews with senior politicians). In 2005 I attended the MA unit of the Palestinian – Israeli conflict at UCL London, as part of my PhD attempt there.  I  speak Hebrew and have travelled all of Israel frequently, having  lived in Israel for over three years as a teenager where I completed Israeli A-Levels. 

• African and African Diaspora:  I have a long standing interest in this field which that culminated in a B.A. from SOAS in African Politics and History of the Modern Third World. Later I studied under Professor Paul Gilroy on the history of racism(s) and conducted research on African nationalist movements both in Africa as well as in the Americas, in particular  recent African American history. This led me to look in depth at the particular cases of  Zimbabwe, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, and the USA since 1700.  I  was founder and director of the British and International research student consortium Black Cultural Studies Group.  I  also have  worked for a charity in the African Sahel region.   Creole (Kreo) history of Sierra Leone in West-Africa is another specialist area. My first MA thesis was a very comprehensive study with nearly 30 qualitative interviews on the different concepts of the term “black community” and “black radio” in  London, covering all stations from commercial to public radio portraying programs in this fashion to Reggae and “Black Power” pirate stations.
  
• Developing World:  Part of my B.A. at SOAS was the reading of the Modern History of the Modern Third World.  I have conducted on-location research about various regions and has an overall understanding of global and cultural connections.
• Exercise, Health and Rehabilitation:  I have spent several years in health and exercise.  I  hold an MSc. in Sport Coaching and Exercise Science from Brunel University (one of UK’s leaders in sport) and have worked as an apprenticeship trained Pilates teacher and Personal Trainer for many years, dealing with anything from back pain and tense shoulders to people training for special events. I am a  passionate urban cyclists and out-doors exerciser.
• German Society:  Germany is my country of birth and I lived  in Munich for many years.  I know Bavaria especially well, where I  worked as national election liaison officer travelling almost every corner of Bavaria, but I also have worked in Bonn and Cologne.  I also speak the Bavarian dialect of Munich.  My particular interest are differences between Germany and other countries, and the position of minorities in Germany.  I am very interested in post-war Germany and Germany’s attempt to create a better template for society. Naturally I speak and write German fluently.
• London, England and Great Britain:  I have lived in the UK since 1991.  My first MA in Urban Studies in 1997,  focused immensely on the social history and contemporary sociology of London. My  other degrees covered Britain’s imperial and colonial past in detail. I have worked on many London themes as a journalist and in a research capacity such as assistant equality researcher for the YMCA- England, have  travelled much of England, especially those areas with community tensions.  I have watched and worked in particular debates regarding equality and social in and exclusions.
• Dutch Society: I grew up bilingual, my mother is a native Amsterdamer.  I have also  lived in Holland for many years.  My  interest include the Dutch Caribbean and Surinam, on which I have conducted some academic research.
• Education:  I have worked as a research assistant in school education for several years for the department of education of Goldsmiths College and South Bank University.  I  also conducted research on volunteering and have worked as a youth mentor on an award winning project.  I  taught professionals in education and mediation about the methods of the School for Peace (see conflict transformation).
• Environment:  I  have a  a consistent interest in alternative energy and recycling and fair-trading. 
• Jewish World:  I have experienced Jewish society in a variety of countries and have also researched it.  I have  looked at the link between victimisation and victimising, as well as Jewish political movements and Jewish sport.  I  attended classes of the MA programme’s in Jewish Studies at the University of Leeds and UCL London.  I  was co-founder of the Jewish Humanist Association (UK). I  share a personal interests in the Third Reich era, and understand Yiddish, Hebrew and German
• Conflict Transformation I have worked with the peace village Wahat al-Salam ~ Neve Shalom in the capacity of education officer and press officer.  I  was responsible in explaining the transformation processes and methods of the conflict transformation centre School for Peace that brings together Jews and Palestinians to UK education professionals.  I  also completed a Diploma in Neighbourhood Transformative Mediation and have  recently written about Polish-Jewish reconciliation.  My  phD Studies which  (ceased after upgrade) dealt intensely with the fantasy, the threat,  and the actual use of violence as a political tool in relation of prior oppressive violence (e.g. former victims becoming victimisers). The intention then was to contribute to conflict reduction through a better understanding of violence.