Hired by University of Copenhagen, but can’t leave Jerusalem

On the night of Friday 13 June, we were informed that Israel had attacked Iran. Everyone down here has apps on their phones that issue alerts when there are missile attacks, and I was woken up by the notifications. This in itself is not unusual, as there are often smaller attacks, for example a missile from Yemen. You head to a shelter briefly, and then life goes on.

This was different. On Friday morning, time stood still. We knew, of course, that a retaliatory strike against Israel was coming, and then it was announced that 100 missiles were on their way from Iran. I live alone, but I called and texted a lot with my friends here. I know a little Hebrew, but not much, so I’m still dependent on the Israeli news services updating their articles in English.

Right now, what preoccupies me the most is not knowing how I will get home

Clara Marie Westergaard

On Friday morning, I went out and bought some water, fruit, snacks and canned goods. Supermarkets close on Friday afternoon because of Shabbat on Saturday, so there are certain things you need to get done before the shops close. There was a bit of a prepper vibe at the supermarket. When I got home, Israel started shooting down drones. I went to stay with some friends — none of us wanted to be alone. We went for a walk, just waiting. We all had a feeling that this would be big, and we didn’t want to face it alone.

During the first few days, we spent many hours a day in bomb shelters, so I didn’t get much sleep. A week later, I’ve just now had six consecutive hours of sleep for the first time. But I’m lucky — I can handle it. I know people who are in constant panic, who can’t sleep and are having nightmares. Right now, what preoccupies me the most is not knowing how I will get home.

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I’m starting a job in Denmark in September and was already scheduled to fly home in August, but my flights have been cancelled. And I really want to go home as soon as possible. There’s nothing keeping me here, and I’m not able to work anyway.

The embassy has not been much help, but I have good travel insurance which might be able to get me out via Egypt. The uncertainty is stressful. I don’t know if it’s safer to stay here in Jerusalem and wait for the airspace to reopen, or to make the trip overland to Egypt. At least for now, I have a routine here, even though it’s uncomfortable. When the alarms sound, I go down to my local shelter.

Yesterday I went up to my office at the university to pick up some of my things. I might have to leave in a hurry, and it’s nice to have them at home.

Hebrew University is located on the top of a mountain outside East Jerusalem, and my shared office space is right next to a botanical garden. It’s very beautiful.

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I research the intellectual history and philosophy of the Arab-Islamic world, particularly how Greek philosophy was received in the Arab world, so it has been an exciting place to be. The National Library has a lot of original manuscripts, and it has motivated me to learn Hebrew.

But much has changed.

Researcher in a ‘unicorn position’

I applied for the position I’m in now two weeks before the terrorist attack on 7 October. It’s not that Palestinians were treated well by Israel before then, but the world looked different back then. I had to postpone my start at the university by six months because the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advised against all travel here. My position is funded through the German-financed Martin Buber Society of Fellows and is really a bit of a ‘unicorn position’ — a rather unique job in the research world, because you have up to four years of full freedom without any teaching or administrative duties.

While I was waiting to be able to travel to Jerusalem, I became increasingly unsure whether it was the right decision to go, and I had good conversations with both friends and colleagues. My field of research is not the modern Middle East, but when a conflict looms so large in a region you work on, it is, of course, interesting to be close to it.

Those on the left know that they have lost

Clara Marie Westergaard

My position is financed by the German state and therefore not tied to Israeli funding, and that has been important to me. During the six months I was waiting, I also applied for other positions and secured a postdoc at the Saxo Institute at the University of Copenhagen. I’m due to start in September. The whole time I’ve been down here, I’ve known I was going back to Denmark, and that has been a comfort.

When Netanyahu announced a few months ago that Israel was now aiming for a long-term occupation of Gaza rather than just retrieving the hostages, something changed for me. It became hard to be here, and I isolated myself quite a lot during the first couple of weeks. Many of my Israeli colleagues have been very worried and depressed.

Jerusalem is honest, Tel Aviv is out of touch

I don’t support an academic boycott. It can be necessary in some cases, but you risk excluding entire fields of research and the scholars who work within them.

Moreover, I believe that resistance can also emerge from within the university. At the Martin Buber Society of Fellows, the vast majority of my colleagues oppose what is going on, and several of them are also researching the current situation. At the same time, I don’t feel that critical research is subject to political pressure here.

When I first arrived here, there was a ceasefire, but it broke down fairly quickly. This meant I’ve largely stayed in Jerusalem. I haven’t, for instance, travelled to the West Bank, because I felt I was already here at a time of considerable unrest. I also don’t really like going to Tel Aviv. Many go there for the beach and the parties — it’s a very escapist city. To me, Tel Aviv seems very out of touch. Jerusalem, with all its religious and political factions, feels more honest.

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After the terrorist attack on 7 October, many people in the West Bank lost their jobs and incomes. Some women started a small business selling vegetables and Palestinian dishes in Jerusalem through a pick-up point. I’ve used it a lot. The other day I wrote to the person who coordinates it, saying I might have to leave the country and wouldn’t be able to buy from them anymore. He told me it’s crazy for them too. His village was completely devastated by the Israeli military the day before. Everything happening in the West Bank is a bit forgotten right now because the focus is on Israel and Iran.

Many of my colleagues at the university are reflecting on what the role of academics should be in all of this. Unfortunately, the atmosphere is also marked by a certain fatigue, and those on the left know that they have lost.