WHISC - Women in the Holocaust International Study Center and the Russo family are pleased to announce the Russo fellowship, in memory of Lena Elias Russo and Nina Russo Levy (*), awarded for outstanding research on the history of Jewish women from Kastoria, Greece, during the Holocaust, its aftermath, and the processes of recovery and rebuilding that followed. The fellowship committee will award of 30,000 NIS for outstanding scholarly work examining the effects of the Holocaust on Jewish women from Kastoria. The winner will be invited to present their research at an academic event and/or publish an article based on the submitted work. Eligible Applicants:
- Doctoral students.
- Graduates of M.A. programs (within four years of thesis approval) who intend to begin doctoral studies in the upcoming academic year.
- M.A. students planning to write about the Holocaust of Greek Jewry, including a dedicated chapter on Jewish women from Kastoria.
Applications are open to students enrolled in accredited institutions of higher education.
Submission Categories (choose one):
- A chapter from a doctoral dissertation (not yet approved), along with a 1–2-page explanation of the chapter’s context within the entire thesis and a tentative table of contents. An approved research proposal must also be included.
- A completed M.A. thesis approved within the past four years.
- A scholarly article authored by an M.A. or Ph.D. student, which is already published, accepted for publication, or pending in a peer-reviewed journal.
- A research article (based on primary sources) focused on Jewish women from Kastoria during the Holocaust. Application Deadline: Submissions will be accepted until April 1, 2026
Required Documents:
- Personal details: Full name, phone number and email address.
- A digital copy of the submission according to the categories above.
- Two letters of academic recommendation.
Please submit all application materials and recommendation letters through the following form HEREFor further information and to submit applications: whisc.center@gmail.com (*)
Lena Elias RussoLena was born in 1922 in Salonica, Greece, and grew up in Kastoria. She attended a French Jewish school and was fluent in Ladino, Greek, and French. In 1944, she was deported with her family to Auschwitz—only she and her younger brother Beni survived. After the war, she spent a brief time in Yugoslavia before emigrating to New York, where she worked in the garment industry. In 1953, she married Maurice Russo, a fellow native of Kastoria, and together they built their family in the United States. Nina (Hanika) RussoNina was born in Kastoria as the youngest of four children. During the Holocaust her parents, sister and one brother perished. Her elder brother Maurice, who would later marry Lena Elias, survived. In concentration camp Nina endured medical experiments that left her with lasting physical and emotional scars. After the war, she emigrated through an American program for Holocaust survivors and was sent to work in Flint, Michigan where she met her husband, Samuel Levy. Nina & Sam eventually moved to New York to be near Maurice and Lena, building their family there.
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