19.03.2026
Friederike Lorenz-Sinai took up her position on March 1 at the newly established Chair of Social Science Research on Antisemitism
Friederike Lorenz-Sinai was appointed by the University of Tübingen on March 1 to the newly established Chair of Social Science Research on Antisemitism in the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. At the Institute for Research on Right-Wing Extremism (IRex), she will conduct research and teach on how to address phenomena of violence and discrimination from both regional and international perspectives. This also includes the transfer of research findings to civil society organizations.
Friederike Lorenz-Sinai began her professional career as a preschool teacher and social worker and then studied education at the Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. She worked as a freelancer in the educational department at the Bergen-Belsen Memorial. She completed her dissertation on institutional practices of silence in the context of violence against children with disabilities in 2019 at the University of Wuppertal, graduating summa cum laude. She has worked at various universities and colleges, including the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Freie Universität Berlin. There, she researched emotional legacies and teachers’ educational processes regarding the Shoah, as well as the addressing of (sexualized) violence within organizations. Since 2021, she has held the professorship for Methods of Social Work and Social Work Research at the University of Applied Sciences Potsdam.
Together with Marina Chernivsky from the Center of Excellence for Education and Research on Anti-Semitism, she has been producing the study series “Anti-Semitism in the School Context” since 2018. In addition, the two scholars are researching institutional responses to antisemitism in memorial site education and the police, antisemitism in the context of higher education and daycare centers, as well as the impact of October 7, 2023, on Jewish and Israeli communities in Germany.
Baden-Württemberg’s Minister of Science, Petra Olschowski, said: “With the appointment of Friederike Lorenz-Sinai to the Chair of Social Science Research on Antisemitism, all chairs at IRex are now filled. The research center, founded by the state and unique in Germany, ensures that the topic of right-wing extremism is researched and addressed in a sustained and systematic manner. Anti-Semitism is an attack on liberal democratic society. Most anti-Semitic incidents are committed by right-wing extremists. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the state, academia, and civil society to consistently research anti-Semitism, make it visible, and combat it decisively. By funding this chair, we are sending a clear signal: We take this challenge seriously and are investing in knowledge, education, and prevention. We are aware of this responsibility.
That is why we have decided to provide funding for this professorship as well for the first ten years.
“The University of Tübingen aims to further strengthen its research on antisemitism—ranging from educational contexts to its embeddedness in society and the state. The new chair will devote scholarly attention to this highly topical issue, particularly in its contemporary manifestations,” said Professor Dr. Karla Pollmann, Rector of the University of Tübingen.
In May 2023, the IRex was founded at the University of Tübingen and established within the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. With four professorships dedicated to research on right-wing extremism and its structural anchoring, the institute is unique in Germany. Its establishment by the State of Baden-Württemberg stemmed from a recommendation by the second Baden-Württemberg NSU investigative committee.
Contact:
PD Dr. Rolf Frankenberger
Universität Tübingen
Geschäftsführer Forschung IRex
rolf.frankenberger@uni-tuebingen.de
University Communications:
Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen
Hochschulkommunikation
Christfried Dornis - Leitung
Tilman Wörtz - Pressereferent
Telefon +49 7071 29-78622
tilman.woertz@uni-tuebingen.de
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