Professional Background
Benya Villani serves as the head of the Research and Heritage Department at the Montreal Jewish Museum, where he creates public heritage content focused on the city’s Jewish community. His most recent work is an exploration of the first century of Montreal’s Jewish history, beginning in the late 18th century. He recently completed his PhD at Western University (Canada). His dissertation, “No Longer the ‘Sport of Nations’: Understanding the Post-World War II Displaced Persons Crisis’s Long-Term Effects on Jewish Identity,” examines the manner in which Jewish refugees’ views of the world shifted and moved in the years immediately after World War II.
Fellowship Research
As a Broadening Academia Initiative Hybrid Fellow, Dr. Villani’s research will focus on Jewish Displaced Persons in Italy in the years immediately following the war. His project examines Jews’ continued attachment to Italian identity due to a combination of willful and creative memory regarding Italian collaboration, a comparative lack of material degradation, and a history of conscious attachment to their national identity. His research aims to deepen our understanding of how senses of place and belonging can be active constructions, using the relationship between various Jewish groups and Italy as the focal point.
Residency Period: November 1, 2026 - April 30, 2027