Reading Group, Book of Esther (Biblical Hebrew)
Biblical and Jewish Studies. Philip Alexander will be leading a reading group focusing on the Book of Esther and Jewish commentaries. The class will meet via Zoom once a week. The primary aim of this non-credit course will be to provide students at BA, MA or PhD levels who have done some Hebrew with the opportunity to advance their knowledge. This semester the focus will be on the so-called Second Targum to Esther, and Prof. Alexander will give an introduction to the Targum in the first session. Knowledge of Hebrew and Aramaic will be a help, but is not necessary. English translations of the relevant texts will be supplied. 11am, Mondays, starting 27 Sept.
Blog entry, Council of Christians and Jews
Jewish Studies. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz writes on the subject of 'Rosh Hashanah: In the Presence of the King.' 3 Sept 2021. Further information.
Public event, Bric-19
Prayer in the age of COVID. Dr Katja Stuerzenhofecker's ethnographic study of female-only Orthodox Jewish online prayer groups is part of the research study ‘Social Distance, Digital Congregation: British Ritual Innovation under COVID-19’. You are warmly invited to hear and discuss the results of this year-long research project into the ways in which the pandemic has shaped the ritual lives of religious communities of all kinds across the UK. Wed 29 September, 1-5pm BST, Manchester Metropolitan University city centre campus; also streamed online. The event is free and open to the public, but please register in advance. To sign up, see further infomration.
Podcast, Jewish Renaissance
Jewish Studies. 'Peh, Peh, Peh: Spitting at the Evil Eye and other Curious 'Kosher' Customs.' Have you ever worn an amulet? Or 'touched wood'? Or tied red thread on a baby’s cot? Recent research on Jewish women has revealed a wide array of customs that are still being used to protect people and ward off the angel of death. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz investigates Jewish and anthropological definitions of magic and asks why people... Watch on YouTube.
Public event, Maharat
Jewish Studies. Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz speaks on 'Our Journey towards God: A Walk through the Piyutim of Erev Yom Kippur' as part of the Yeshivat Maharat (NY) 'Power Hour of Torah - High Holiday 5782 Edition'. Starts at 9:40 minutes. Watch on YouTube.
Online seminar
Jewish Studies. Moshe Behar gave a presentation on 'Genealogy of the Two-State solution in Israel/Palestine' at the International Webinar on the Prospect of Two-State Solution in Palestine, the National Institute of Management, Quetta, Pakistan. 19 June 2021. Further information.
Philip Alexander student essay prize 2021
Undergraduate student prize in Jewish Studies. The joint winners for 2021 are Ellie Birket for a dissertation on 'Voices of the past: narrating Red Army rape in post-war Eastern Europe' (supervised by Ewa Ochman) and Philippa Dennis for a dissertation on 'Is consent implied in the biblical narration of the sexual encounters of Bathsheba, Tamar and Dinah?' (supervised by Alex Samely). This £100 prize is awarded annually to the student with 'the highest grade in a Jewish Studies-related module or dissertation' at the University of Manchester. It honours the Centre's first co-director Philip Alexander, FBA. Further information.
New publication
Jewish and Biblical Studies. Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe Post-Doctoral Fellow Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz, 'Mishlei/Proverbs: Weaving the Web of Wisdom' in European Judaism 54:2 (2021), 45-53. Further information.
Call for information, Limmud
Research in Anglo-Jewish history. Dr Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz, who is currently working on the history of Limmud, is still looking for Limmud programmes for the years 1984 (Portsmouth 1st year), 1988, and 1989 (both at Oxford). Any other Limmud documentation from the 1980s would also be very welcome! She is happy to receive originals or scans. If you have any of these, do please get in touch with her to arrange how to send/scan them: lindsey.taylor-guthartz@manchester.ac.uk
New publication
Dead Sea Scrolls. George Brooke, 'The Dead Sea Scrolls' (chap 3) in The Biblical World, 2nd edn, ed. Katharine Dell (Routledge: 2021). Further information.