Online seminar, Spaces of Treblinka
Holocaust studies. The Centre for Jewish Studies and the Holocaust Centre North at the University of Huddersfield will host an online seminar by Dr. Jacob Flaws (Kean University, New Jersey). Dr. Flaws will present his recently published book, Spaces of Treblinka: Retracing a Death Camp (University of Nebraska Press, 2024). Prof. Jean-Marc Dreyfus will chair the event. Online seminar, Tuesday 3 December 2024, 5pm GMT. Tickets and further information here.
Whitworth Debate on Antisemitism/Anti-Zionism
“Is antizionism antisemitism?” A debate on the controversial topics of antizionism and antisemitism features as the second Whitworth debate at The University of Manchester. Raphi Bloom co-founder and current co-Chair of North West Friends of Israel will share the floor with Abdullah Al Andalusi, co-founder of the discussion forum The Muslim Debate Initiative (MDI). The pair will discuss the opinion that antizionism is the same thing as antisemitism, in a debate chaired by Joseph Timan, politics writer at the Manchester Evening News. The discussion will take place at The University of Manchester’s Whitworth Hall, Oxford Road, on 31 October between 7pm and 9pm. If you are a member of staff or a student and would like to attend the event, register here. Further information.
Ehrhardt Seminars
Dr Jeremy Penner (University of Manchester) ‘What is Ancient Liturgy?’ 5 December 2024, University Place 6.207 and on Zoom. Time and Zoom details TBC.
Scriptural Encounter 2024
A new series of Scriptural Encounter titled, ‘Faith responses to peace-making in the Israel-Palestine conflict’ will begin in October 2024. The first webinar will be presented by Dr Kerim Balci, a Turkish writer, journalist, academic and human rights activist. Thursday 10 October, 4-5.30pm on Zoom. Places are free but you must register here to receive the Zoom details. Further information.
PhD student, learned society committee member
Jewish Studies. Kerry McCall has been awarded the British & Irish Association for Jewish Studies Studentship. This stipend comes with responsibilities for sitting on the BAIJS committee and carrying out projects with the aim of promoting Jewish studies in the UK and Ireland. Further information.
Radio 4, Sunday programme
Jewish education. MA student Yehudis Fletcher was interviewed by Edward Stourton on Radio 4 about her charity’s report on the state of ultra-Orthodox Jewish schooling. 15 September 2024. Interview runs 10:55-15:33. Listen again.
Social Responsibility
Jewish Studies. R&T's MA student Yehudis Fletcher is interviewed in the Jewish Chronicle in relation to her charity's call for further regulation of schools within the Charedi Jewish community, sometimes known as the ultra-Orthodox community. Critical of some aspects of Charedi education she considers the "deliberate denial of secular education" to be a form of "inward-facing extremism," which she believes is detrimental to the community's future. 11 Sept 2024. Further information.
Book Award
Jewish Studies. CJS Hon. Research Fellow Dr Jane Brooks recently published "Jewish Refugees and the British nursing profession" (Manchester University Press, 2024), which has won the Lavinia Dock award. The award is for "outstanding research and writing produced by an experienced scholar in nursing history who submits a book" from the American Association for the History of Nursing. This is a hugely prestigious award in the discipline. Congratulations!
Conference papers
Jewish Studies. The annual conference of the British and Irish Association for Jewish Studies takes place from 8 – 10 July in Bristol. Katja Stuerzenhofecker will deliver a paper entitled ‘The Jew who was there too: Orthodox women claiming mainstream ritual’ and lead a workshop on teaching gender in Jewish studies. She will also participate in a panel discussion ‘Where is the contemporary in Jewish studies?’ together with Centre for Jewish Studies Fellow Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz. Lou Schlagheck will present a paper titled ‘The “verjüdelte” Women’s Movement – Intersecting Antisemitism and Misogyny in the reception of the German Women’s Movement’. Kerry McCall will present a paper titled, ‘“Domestic Servant, Nothing Else”: Jewish Domestic Service Refugees and the Jewish Chronicle in 1930s Britain’.
AHRC Studentship success
Jewish Studies. Rabbi Aaron Lipsey has been awarded an AHRC Doctoral Studentship in the Religious Studies pathway for a project entitled 'The Responses of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to the Holocaust: A Study of His Letters, Talks and Teachings'. The project will be supervised by Alex Samely and Daniel Langton in the Dept of Religions and Theology, commencing in Sept 2024. Michael Hoelzl, lead for the North West Consortium Doctoral Training Programme for the Religions pathway commented "This PhD project represents an excellent opportunity to investigate some fascinating aspects of the so-called ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. I congratulate Aaron, who is an exceptional student and who graduated from our MA degree programme in the Study of Religions and Theology several years ago, on winning this prestigious AHRC award. I hope that this will encourage other mid- and late-career candidates, and even post-career students, to apply for external funding and to undertake a PhD at the University of Manchester."
Stephen Smalley, 1931-2024
New Testament Studies. We are sorry to learn of the death of Stephen Smalley who was Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer, in New Testament in the Faculty of Theology at the University of Manchester from 1970-1977 in the era of F.F. Bruce, and Dean of Chester 1987-2001. Stephen wrote several books and articles on the Johannine Literature, some of which remain in print and are much used, including John Evangelist and Interpreter (1984), Thunder and Love: John's Revelation and John's Community (1994), The Revelation to John: A Commentary on the Greek text of the Apocalypse(2005), and Hope for Ever: The Christian View of Life and Death (2005). Philip Alexander will represent informally the University and the Department at the funeral.
Interview
Dead Sea Scrolls. On April 15, George Brooke was interviewed about the Copper Scroll for From the Desk website. He even mentioned Manchester! Read it here.
New publication
Jewish Studies. Congratulations to MA student Yehudis Fletcher on the publication of 'Indecent Jewish theology, post October 7: the G-d of the bathroom floor', in Freedman, R and Hirsh, D (eds.) Responses to 7 October: Law and Society. London, UK. Routledge, 2024. Further information.
New publication
CJS honorary research fellow Richard Fay, along with Daniel J. Mawson and Nahielly Palacios, have published a chapter in the new publication, Teaching Music Performance in Higher Education. The chapter is titled ‘Intercultural Musicking - Reflection in, on, and for Situated Klezmer Ensemble Performance’ and the whole book is available to read online here.
Public event, Muslim Jewish Forum
Jewish-Muslim relations. The 1988 publication of Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses was followed by major protests by Muslims in the UK and many foreign countries, and by Ayatollah Khomeini of Iran issuing a fatwa (Arabic for an Islamic legal opinion) that Rushdie should be killed. In this talk, Robert Kanter will discuss the impact of the Rushdie affair on Muslim-Jewish relations in the UK. His talk will include the role of the Chief Rabbi Lord Jakobovits and the impact of his actions and responses. There will be plenty of time for audience questions. Sunday 23 June, 7pm on Zoom. Register here.
Neurodiversity in Reading Workshop
PGR workshop. This workshop is aimed at neurodivergent PGR students at the University of Manchester, and will involve reading short pieces of text followed by a free discussion, where we can share and compare our experiences of reading and discuss the theoretical background of interacting with textuality. Open to all PGRs who consider themselves neurodivergent. Monday 20 May, 10am - 1pm in A116 Samuel Alexander building. Register here.
Reading group, Phenomenology
Phenomenology. The Phenomenology Reading Group will devote its final meetings this semester to Walter Benjamin’s Messianic-materialist thought on the nature of history. The meetings will be Wednesdays at 5–6.30 pm by zoom on 22 May and 5 June (the latter to be confirmed). We will begin by discussing Benjamin’s “Theses on the Philosophy of History”. Please get in touch with the convenor Alex Samely (alex.samely@manchester.ac.uk) if you wish to join. Further information.
New podcast series
Jewish Studies and New Testament Studies. 'What would Jesus the Jew do?' is new podcast exploring key questions that will help readers of the New Testament to better understand Judaism at the time of Jesus. In each episode, scholars from the Centre for Jewish Studies and Centre for Biblical Studies at the University of Manchester talk listeners through a topic. The companion website provides links to all of the episodes as well as additional resources to deepen your understanding. Further information.
Film event, Drama with Centre for Jewish Studies and German
Holocaust Studies. You are invited to the screening of Farewell, Herr Schwarz (Germany/Israel, 2014) followed by filmmaker Q&A session. Yael Reuveny’s documentary attempts to answer for the filmmaker herself why her great-uncle, a Holocaust survivor, chose to resettle in East Germany after the war and start a family there; a life her family in Israel only learned about after his death in the late 1980s.
The event takes place on Monday 15 April 2024, 12:00 – 15:00. Please email katja.stuerzenhofecker@manchester.ac.uk for venue details.
Student travel grant
Holocaust studies. As part of her bequest to the University of Manchester, Prof. Fanny Bogdanow funded an annual lecture series and a number of student travel bursaries for educational visits to Auschwitz-Birkenau. This year the Centre for Jewish Studies can allocate up to 2 awards of £400 each. Application deadline: 8 April 2024. For more details on eligibility and how to apply, see further information.