Polly Zavadivker

Polly Zavadivker is an Associate Professor of History and Director of the Jewish Studies Program at the University of Delaware's College of Arts & Sciences. Her research focuses on Modern Jewish and European History, with a specialization in World War I refugees, Holocaust studies, and Soviet Jewish literature.

Education:

• Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz
• M.A., New York University
• B.A., University of California, Berkeley

Her current book project, A Nation of Refugees: World War I and the End of Russia's Jews (Oxford University Press), examines Jewish refugees and humanitarian efforts during WWI. She is also developing a study on Soviet writer Vasily Grossman, positioning him within the European canon of Holocaust thinkers alongside Primo Levi and Hannah Arendt.

Awards:

• Young Scholars Amsterdam Prize for Best Short Essay in Jewish Studies
• Professor Bernard Choseed Memorial Fellowship
• Claims Conference Saul Kagan Fellowship

Zavadivker employs interdisciplinary methods in teaching, emphasizing primary sources like diaries, literary works, and art to explore Jewish experiences in the Diaspora and modern Israel. Her publications include translations and scholarly articles on Russian Jewish history and cultural memory.