The Irene Silver Memorial Scholarship: The Experiences of Jewish Women in Wales
The School of Arts and Humanities, Bangor University
Application Deadline: 14 July 2026
Start Date: 28 September 2026
Project Description:
Funded by the generosity of the Silver Family and in conjunction with the Jewish History Association of Wales, this Master’s by Research studentship will investigate the experiences of the Jewish women of the various immigrant Jewish communities of Wales. The project contributes to a broader understanding of the multicultural dimensions of Welsh social history under the supervision of Professor Nathan Abrams. There has been next to no research on the role and influence of Jewish women in Wales; therefore, this research scholarship presents an exciting opportunity to blaze a trail in an unexplored field.
Within this broad brief, applicants, depending on their interests, can focus their research on specific issues affecting Jewish women in Wales or home in on a particular Welsh Jewish community, generation, or historical time period. Applicants might take their cue from existing research on the experiences of Jewish women in other regions of the UK and examine how these issues affected Jewish women in the specifically Welsh context.
The scholarship will cover one year of full-time (or two years part-time) Home Student fees (including the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, and the Republic of Ireland; currently £5,238), plus a small additional stipend for research activities (travel to conferences, archives, oral histories, etc.). In addition to the 50,000-word thesis, there is also an expectation that the student will provide written and/or oral contributions to the Association’s newsletter, website, public lecture series, and so on.
The scholarship would suit an applicant with a degree or relevant experience in archival work, oral history, history, gender studies, Jewish studies, social sciences, religious studies, or cognate disciplines. The student will conduct qualitative and quantitative research into Welsh Jewish history. Sources might include archival holdings across Wales, a database of interviews with Welsh Jewish women conducted by JHAW, and outreach through interviews or surveys to descendants of women who grew up in Wales’s former Jewish communities.
You must qualify as a UK home student to be eligible for this scholarship. It is open to current students or recent graduates, who will normally need to have achieved at least a 2.1 or equivalent in a first degree to be eligible. However, the scholarship is not age-restricted, and mature students or returnees to study are encouraged to apply. You need to apply to study at Bangor University and receive an offer before your fee status is confirmed. The studentship will be awarded following an open competitive process.
Please send your CV and cover letter, explaining why you are interested in this research studentship and indicating your proposed theme or focus to Nathan Abrams at n.abrams@bangor.ac.uk.
You can also contact Professor Abrams with any queries, and you are encouraged to have a preliminary discussion with him before a formal application.