Master of Arts, Miami University, 2014, Geography

The Israel National Trail and Jesus Trail are fascinating examples for geographers to look at in terms of sustainable tourism development. Interviews and participant observation conducted show that hikers and personnel along the trails are becoming more aware of issues within sustainability such as large amounts of trash and lack of water. Surveys conducted show the hikers along these trails are not doing much to be sustainable. These results can be seen from a lack of education and understanding of ecotourism along Israel's trails. Ecotourism is a fast growing sector of tourism and can offer ways to help preserve Israel's Trails environment, culture, as well as help out areas economically. By using the approach of surveys, interviews, and participant observation, this thesis examines how stakeholders perceive and address aspects of ecotourism along the Israel National Trail and Jesus Trail in Israel, focusing on the Lower Galilee and Negev Region.

Committee: Stanley Toops Dr. (Advisor); David Prytherch Dr. (Committee Member); Carl Dahlman Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Geography

Master of Fine Arts (MFA), Bowling Green State University, 2019, Creative Writing/Fiction

DANCING WITH BIRDS is a historical fiction that follows the Al-Hani family from the 1930s Palestinian Resistance Movements to the Six Day War of 1967. It is a story about a family's effort to keep a sense of belonging during a time where the familiar transforms to the unthinkable, from Palestine to a new state called Israel. Told chronologically in five parts representing fragmented identities, the story first follows Ibrahim, who is forever torn between defending his nation or protecting his family throughout the 1930s and, then, again at the 1948 Haganah intrusions into his village. It follows his son, Hamza, after a harsh separation, taking the reader on a route from Haifa to Acre as Hamza leads his family to refuge. It follows Ehud, a Jewish boy loved to Ibrahim as his own son, as he struggles with his newfound Israeli identity in his post-Palestine 1950s homeland. The Six Day War of 1967 then sheds light on these characters and their families, who are left haunted by the past and the future alike. It is a story of fatherhood and of boyhood—of a father who struggles to protect his family and his nation, of a son who comes to age during a time of war, only to balance responsibilities of adulthood and desires of childhood. It is a story of sacrifice for something greater than oneself, of family and patriotic duty at the same time, of friendship, and of identity. Following over two decades of time, this novel's real estate (approximately 110,000 words) takes its reader on a journey through time that shares the pains of war and loss, of hope and faith, of responsibility and resilience.

Committee: Lawrence Coates Ph.D. (Advisor); Brad Felver M.F.A. (Committee Member) Subjects: Language Arts

Master of Fine Arts, The Ohio State University, 2008, Dance

As a Master of Fine Arts candidate in Directing from Score, I staged Fred Berk's Holiday in Israel from Labanotation score and combined my studio process and research interests. In this qualitative inquiry, I collected interview and questionnaire data investigating the perception of the role of folk dance in cultural identity. This research examines the role of Israeli folk dance in the cultural identity of Jewish and non-Jewish populations in New York City and Columbus, Ohio, who have chosen to participate in recreational Israeli and international folk dance sessions. I hoped to understand how their participation impacts their perception and understanding of the State of Israel and Israelis and Jews living in America. Observation, participation, personal interview, and scholarly reading was utilized to examine modern Israeli folk dance and the circumstances of its inception and dissemination through the lenses of the arts, Eric Hobsbawm's "invented tradition," and cultural identity.

Committee: Sheila J. Marion (Committee Chair); Valarie Williams Mockabee (Committee Member) Subjects: Dance; Judaic Studies

BA, Oberlin College, 2010, Politics

The arguments presented in this paper attempt to fill particular gaps in the scholarly knowledge of the transnational solidarity movement for Palestine. Chapter One is a descriptive history of transnational solidarity for the Palestinians since the beginning of the second intifada (fall 2000). The next chapter puts the US based component of the Palestine solidarity movement in a comparison with recent US solidarity movements for East Timor and Central America. Chapter Three connects the subjective transnational framing tactics of the movement to the objective, structural conditions of the international system. Chapter Four extends the analysis in Chapter Three by examining the role of new media such as viral videos and low-budget documentaries in the construction of the solidarity movement.

Committee: Stephen Crowley (Advisor); Benjamin Schiff (Other) Subjects: Political Science

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2023, Psychology/Clinical

The exposure to ethno-political violence is a salient form of violence exposure that impacts youth throughout the world and has been associated with beliefs supporting aggression (Dvir Gvirsman et al., 2016; Huesmann et al., 2017) and negative stereotypes about one's outgroup (Huesmann et al., 1983; Vollhardt, 2009). Thus, the present study aimed to discover whether the association between ethno-political violence and beliefs supporting aggression against one's outgroup might be mediated by the development of negative stereotypes about one's ethno-religious outgroup. The present study also aimed to see whether religiosity and callous unemotionality moderate the hypothesized mediated relationship involving the exposure to ethno-political violence, negative stereotypes about the outgroup, and beliefs supporting aggression against the outgroup. Religiosity and callous unemotionality (CU) were included as moderators in the present study due to the centrality of religiosity in the ethno-political conflict being studied (i.e., the Israeli-Palestinian conflict); and due to the extant associations between callous-unemotionality and aggressive beliefs. This study was conducted using data from a larger longitudinal study on the impacts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict on youth entrenched in the conflict. Participants in this study ranged in age from 8-17 years, and data was collected over three years. Results indicated that negative stereotypes about the outgroup did not mediate the association between the exposure to ethno-political violence and beliefs supporting aggression against the outgroup. Moreover, neither CU nor religiosity moderated the associations among the exposure to ethno-political violence, negative stereotypes about the outgroup, and beliefs supporting aggression against the outgroup. However, some interesting associations were found. For example, the interaction between negative stereotypes and religiosity was found to predict greater beliefs supporting (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Meagan Docherty Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Eric Dubow Ph.D. (Committee Member); Annette Mahoney Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Psychology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2023, History (Arts and Sciences)

After the Vietnam War, the US Army pivoted from counter-insurgency in Southeast Asia towards the renewed possibility of war with the USSR in Central Germany. This shift in perspective coincided with dramatic shifts in Army policy, most importantly the transition from conscription to the All-Volunteer Force, as well as the introduction of new battlefield technologies which transformed the battlespace. This dissertation analyzes the complicated military relationship between the US Army and an important European ally. It argues that during this period of intense reform, the US Army and the West German Bundeswehr used both new and preexisting institutions to engage in a period of intense, sympathetic, and mutually inspired reforms which developed significant new concepts in land warfare. This is significant because this period of cooperation helped to reaffirm a special relationship between the US and West Germany, which transformed to become the most significant within NATO and Western Europe. The focus of this dissertation is on the mechanics of the transatlantic exchange and how this shaped both forces through the last decades of the Cold War.

Committee: Ingo Trauschweizer (Advisor); Mirna Zakic (Committee Member); Paul Milazzo (Committee Member); Nukhet Sandal (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; European History; History; Military History

Master of Arts (MA), Wright State University, 2022, International and Comparative Politics

A great deal of research focuses on the question of why incumbents invite IEOs but do not explicitly explored the root cause of why cheating in elections occurs despite the presence of IEOs. The occurrence when incumbents in young democracies invite international election observers (IEOs) and nevertheless cheat in elections has not been fully explored. This research advances the following expectation: incumbents seeking international benefits and whose electoral institutions are not fully mature are more likely to invite IEOs and cheat in an election. This is due to the ability of the incumbents who are seeking for the reelection to change electoral rules so as to be reelected, be able to influence the national electoral board to act in a partisan way, ability to manipulate voter registration , and lastly, the ability of the incumbents to maneuver with the IEOs activities .The findings of this research has open a door for researchers to look at the problem of election manipulation from a different angle. Furthermore, it will help IEOs and NGOs trying to promote democracy have a better understanding of the context in young-democracies.

Committee: Carlos Costa Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Vaughn Shannon Ph.D. (Committee Member); December Green Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Political Science

Master of Arts in History, Youngstown State University, 2022, Department of Humanities

The Middle East has historically been a region of the world where peace has been hard to achieve. Nations and populations, such as Israel, Syria, and Palestinians, have been at odds since the end of the Second World War. The United States showed great interest in the Middle East following the Second World War, making them an important part of the historical narrative there as well. This thesis looks primarily at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, specifically through the career of Arlen Specter, a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania who served from 1981 to 2011. Facilitated mainly by primary source material from Senator Specter's career, this thesis illuminates the work of an often-forgotten politician who was very active in Middle Eastern politics. Specter saw Syria as an integral part of any prospect of peace between Israel and Palestine, and this thesis analyzes his personal efforts to develop relations with Syrian and Palestinian leaders in the hopes of achieving peace between Israel and Palestine, as well as between Israel and Syria. Overall, Specter's perspectives and actions work together to reveal a unique and nuanced approach to the Middle East that saw the importance of Syria, a nation that has been ostracized from the United States since 1979, in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. The project begins with a historical narrative of Israel, Palestine, and Syria. Specter then becomes the focus, and his actions and work in and pertaining to the Middle East are examined, revealing Specter's uniqueness.

Committee: David Simonelli PhD (Advisor); Jacob Labendz PhD (Committee Member); Martha Pallante PhD (Committee Member); Adam Fuller PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: History; International Relations; Middle Eastern History; Modern History; World History

BA, Oberlin College, 2021, Religion

Finding peace in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict has been a daunting and, thus far, impossible task for the past 75 years. Many countries have attempted to negotiate and mediate peace between the two conflict groups, including the United States, Norway, and most Arab nations. With each of these failed attempts, Israelis and Palestinians sank deeper into violence and destruction, believing that retributive justice was the only solution to this conflict. This paper addresses the possibility of a different, non-violent solution to the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict – forgiveness. Forgiveness offers Israelis and Palestinians a path to peace, co-existence, and reconciliation through personal relationships that the conflict has shaped; and allows those affected by the conflict the space to acknowledge their situation and move forward peacefully. By analyzing three personal relationships between Israelis and Palestinians, I will demonstrate that interpersonal forgiveness is the most productive solution to the conflict. I will also stress that forgiveness must be had authentically by all those touched by the conflict such that each Israeli and Palestinian has the opportunity to find peace, co-existence, and reconciliation. Further, this paper provides a means of achieving interpersonal forgiveness by embracing the conditions of forgiveness – understanding, compromise, and recognition.

Committee: Corey Ladd Barnes (Committee Member); Cynthia R. Chapman (Advisor) Subjects: Peace Studies; Regional Studies; Religion

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2021, Law, Justice & Culture (College of Arts and Sciences)

Israel and Palestine have been the subject of debate and controversy for decades. Israel settlement activity has displaced, oppressed and killed Palestinians on their native land, resulting in settler colonialism and the denial of water resources. The deliberate and violent pattern of restricting water serves to demonstrate the settler colonial intent of Israel. Though there have been many pleas and negotiations for Israel to withdraw and end settlement activity, and restore access to water under international law, none have resulted in a resolution. Through textual analysis, I demonstrate how the international framework of occupation that the UN HRC has adopted, has perpetuated a routinized, ritualized maintenance of the status quo and entrenched Palestine in violent subjugation. Further, any attempt at a resolution between Israel and Palestine must involve a reckoning with uncommon goals of the two nations, as well as the various positionings of power and understanding of the settler colonial regime. I show how literature is a tool of resistance, survival and imagining for Palestinians by providing a platform for collective memory and perspective to be voiced. This project highlights the necessity of naming settler colonial violence for what it is, if Palestinian suffering is to cease.

Committee: Haley Duschinski Dr. (Advisor); Kirstine Taylor Dr. (Committee Member); Andrew Ross Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: International Law; Law; Natural Resource Management

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2021, Political Science (Arts and Sciences)

Epistemic communities supply advice for policy makers. Like in other areas, these communities have the capacity to research, organize, and influence policy in the security realm. Israel does not have a long history of utilizing epistemic communities as is the case in the United States and much of the Western world. Israel's security paradigm and its perception as existing in a perpetual state of conflict has created a highly insular network of policy makers, wary of new and outside perspectives. The growing number of security challenges facing the state have, however, created a situation whereby policymakers are beginning to seek outside expert opinion. The proliferation of academic programs of study and security-oriented think tanks have provided a new cadre of experts and institutions eager to breach the closed circle of decision makers. As the security landscape continues to evolve, so too will the role of epistemic communities in responding to these changes.

Committee: Nukhet Sandal (Committee Chair); Jonathan Agensky (Committee Member); Brandon Kendhammer (Committee Member) Subjects: International Relations; Political Science

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2021, Journalism (Communication)

The German relation to Israel is marked by its historic circumstances, namely the Shoah and the antisemitism which made it possible, but also cooperation between the two countries nowadays. Previous research on the portrayal of Israel in German print media, in particular during times of escalation in the Arab-Israeli conflict, have found a bias against Israel. This study provides an analysis of the media image of Israel in German online news media during a low-escalation period in the Arab-Israeli conflict, accounting for the changes in the media landscape due to digitalization and providing a comparison to traditional media. A sample by five German news outlets – Bild.de, n-tv.de, Spiegel.de, t-online.de and Zeit.de – during a 2019 low escalation-phase was analyzed using a structural objectivity content analysis. A focus was put on the overall evaluation as well as the topics and actors who can be found in the reporting. The findings show an overall balanced depiction with some outliers, in contrast to the portrayal of Israel during periods with high conflict.

Committee: Alexander Godulla (Committee Chair); Jatin Srivastava (Committee Co-Chair); Freya Sukalla (Committee Member) Subjects: Journalism; Mass Communications; Mass Media

Doctor of Ministry , Ashland University, 2020, Doctor of Ministry Program

The purpose of this project was to impact the participants' commitment to obeying God's voice through a Marysville, OH based small group blended learning study of Israel's wilderness journey, conducted across seven sessions between February 23rd and June 7th, 2019. To measure its impact, participants completed pre and post-tests. This study most prominently impacted participants' understanding of how God's loving formation fuels our obedience to his voice.

Committee: Mike Stine D.Min. (Advisor); Dawn Morton Ed.D. (Committee Chair); Matthew Bevere D.Min. (Committee Member); Clancy Cruise M.Div. (Other) Subjects: Bible; Biblical Studies; Religious Education

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, History

This dissertation is a global microhistory of 15,000 Jewish refugees who found refuge in Shanghai from Nazi persecution. The Jewish refugees had chosen Shanghai out of necessity and convenience: It was one of the few places in the world in the late 1930s that did not require an entry visa owing to its “open port” status as established by Western Powers in the nineteenth century. Not until after the Second World War and Second Sino-Japanese War ended in 1945 did China reclaim full sovereignty over Shanghai. As part of national reunification efforts, the Chinese demonstrated anti-foreign sentiments to the point of compelling Jewish refugees to seek outside assistance, but not without difficulties beyond Jewish refugees' control. This dissertation explores the dynamics that hampered the Jewish refugees' ability to receive timely humanitarian aid and emigration assistance in the aftermath of Nazism. Specifically, it aims to show how Jews in Shanghai faced the multiple and overlapping forms of discrimination and the ways in which these forms compounded their sense of being unwanted. Told through memoirs, diaries, oral history interviews, correspondences found in organizational and states archives around the world, this story illustrates larger processes associated with the end of a war: the experience of liberation, the development of relief and rehabilitation policies, and the functioning of migration within the modern nation-state system. The dissertation applies insights from the vast scholarship on post-Second World War Europe's humanitarian and refugee crises to Shanghai. In doing so, it uses comparative and transnational approaches to suggest that the history of the Jewish refugees in Shanghai should be understood as a global history of the aftermath of the Second World War. From Europe to the China theater, the dissertation sheds light on the deep effects of Western imperialism and persistent Eurocentrism and antisemitism on humanitarian aid and immigration poli (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Robin E. Judd (Advisor); Marion Kaplan (Committee Member); Theodora Dragostinova (Committee Member); Christopher A. Reed (Committee Member) Subjects: American History; Asian Studies; Ethnic Studies; European History; European Studies; Gender; History; History of Oceania; Holocaust Studies; International Relations; Judaic Studies; Minority and Ethnic Groups; Modern History; Pacific Rim Studies; Social Work

Bachelor of Science of Journalism (BSJ), Ohio University, 2020, Journalism

This thesis analyzes three years of coverage of "fake news" from Haaretz (Israel) and the New York Times to illustrate how systemic media delegitimization functions as an arm of right-wing populism, and what this rhetoric reveals about the contemporary rise of right-wing populism. This will be achieved by focusing specifically on the rhetoric used by the current leaders of the United States and Israel – respectively, President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – at the time that the analyzed articles were published. The keyword searches used are “Trump” and “fake news”; “Netanyahu” and “fake news”; “Trump” and “liberal media”; “Netanyahu” and “liberal media”; “Trump” and “lying press”; and “Netanyahu and “lying press”. These terms are derived from the language and terminology used by Trump and Netanyahu when they aim to delegitimize the mainstream media. Suggestions for journalistic best practices when reporting on such terminology and leadership are offered in the conclusion.

Committee: Aimee Edmondson Dr. (Advisor) Subjects: Journalism

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2020, Leadership and Change

This dissertation concerns how Jewish-Muslim and Israel-Palestine grassroots activism can persist in the face of threats to the safety, freedom, lives, or even simply the income and employment of those engaged in acts of sustained resistance. At the heart of the study are the experiences of participants in the Hashlamah Project, an inter-religious collaboration project, involving Jews and Muslims. Across chapters and even nations, chapters of this organization faced similar threats and found universally-applicable solutions emerging for confronting those threats and persisting in the face of them. This raised the question of whether revolutionaries and activists in general can persevere with such work in the face of this sort of menacing. The study found answers to this in determining what methods were most widely employed and which had the best results. The results of the study showed an array of widely-employed methods for navigating threats in high risk activism, and persevering with such work in the face of these threats. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/.

Committee: Philomena Essed (Committee Chair); Jon Wergin (Committee Member); Anne de Jong (Committee Member) Subjects: Ethnic Studies; History; Holocaust Studies; International Law; International Relations; Islamic Studies; Middle Eastern History; Middle Eastern Studies; Multicultural Education; Near Eastern Studies; Peace Studies; Religion; Religious History; Social Psychology; Sociology

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2019, Journalism (Communication)

This content analysis of attributed sources in the 1996, 2000, and 2006 news coverage of Israel's military actions in Lebanon shows a “Late Breaking Foreign Policy” effect Warren P. Strobel cites in his work, wherein media “Push” forward with reliance on government sources and allies in conflicts, but “Pull” back after setbacks. Israel dominated news sources in The New York Times and Washington Post, but there was significant increase in attributions to Lebanese sources due to rising civilian casualties in each conflict.

Committee: Robert Stewart (Committee Chair) Subjects: Communication; Journalism; Mass Communications; Middle Eastern History; Middle Eastern Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures

This dissertation examines two literary works and two rap songs by Palestinian citizens of Israel (`48 Palestinians) that challenge the Jewish state: Emile Habibi's satirical novel Saeed The Pessoptimist (1974); DAM's rap song “Innocent Criminals” (2000); MWR's rap song “Ashanak Arabi” (2001); and Sayed Kashua's semi-autobiographical novel Dancing Arabs (2002). Habibi and Kashua participated in Israel's mainstream literary scene: their two novels were read by contemporary Israeli readers and published by Israeli presses. The rappers of MWR and DAM participated in an underground `48 Palestinian rap scene in Israel: aside from MWR's short-lived radio popularity, the selected rap songs were not consumed by mainstream Israeli listeners, played on Israeli radio, or produced by Israeli record labels. How can we account for these discrepancies? I suggest they are more reflective of attitudes within Israeli society than differences between the works themselves. As a result, factors such as genre (rap or literary text); candor (explicit or implicit critique); and language (Hebrew or Arabic) allow the artists to accomplish different things through their art. With a horizontal form of analysis that replaces more traditional hierarchical genre analysis with an emphasis upon the similar rhetorical force of both oral and written communications, I maintain that the “low” art of rap contains as much depth, substance, and nuance as the “high” art of written fiction.

Committee: Naomi Brenner (Advisor) Subjects: Comparative Literature; Near Eastern Studies

Bachelor of Science (BS), Ohio University, 2019, Journalism

Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is widespread and far-reaching. Many international outlets are covering the conflict alongside local media, and the conflict has intense political ramifications that spread far past the Middle East. In this thesis, I examine two points of coverage during the Second Intifada in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and compare coverage amongst three different news outlets. The intifada broke out right after the turn of the century and was covered in a heavily global context. There is a sufficient existing literature examining media coverage of the Second Intifada, but my research focuses on two periods of involving the disengagement plan brought forth by then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. My research will examine the connection between politics and journalism in the conflict by taking political role conception theories and applying them to Israeli and U.S. media outlets covering the conflict. I will examine how these media outlets crafted certain political role conceptions in their coverage and also analyze the framing devices through which they were conveyed.

Committee: Andrew Alexander (Advisor); Nukhet Sandal (Advisor) Subjects: Journalism; Political Science

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2019, Sociology

In the United States, there is a strong disconnect between how scholars externally classify people's identities (e.g., separating race, religion, and ethnicity for regression analyses and census collections) and capturing individual's lived experiences. Guided by this idea that scholars have misidentified where individuals locate themselves along identity spectrums, my research explores how members of a religious minority in the Middle East perceive the relationship between their religious and ethnic identities. Does one identity more adequately capture how they identify as individuals and experience boundaries between groups? What are the social factors that influence how they perceive the ethno-religious relationship? Finally, what factors explain the prevalence of religious minorities across the Middle East seeking ethnic distinction? Through interviews with 80 Christians in Israel, my research finds that that minority individuals in a Middle Eastern context view religion as the most salient source of difference between people. However, the presence of a bright religious or bright ethnic boundary influences how they perceive the relationship between ethnicity and religion. Finally, a religious minority will seek ethnic distinction when the organization of the political arena encourages this strategy.

Committee: Hollie Brehm (Advisor) Subjects: Sociology