Manchester Jewish Museum: Museum Evening Talks
Jewish Studies. Dr Tereza Ward (CJS) will give the next evening talk at the Manchester Jewish Museum titled, ‘“We are the Shaun Spadah boys!” Jewish Youth Culture in Interwar Manchester.’ Tereza’s presentation will be followed by a Q&A open to the audience and hosted by Sherry Ashworth. Thursday 24 April, 6-7:30pm at the Manchester Jewish Museum. Tickets and further information here.
Call for papers, PGR/ECR seminar series
British and Irish Association for Jewish Studies. BIAJS studentship holder Kerry McCall is organising an online seminar series for PhD and Early Career Researchers. The first three seminars will take place on Zoom on 1 May, 29 May, and 26 June from 5:30-6:30pm. All papers related to the field of Jewish Studies are welcome, and all PhD students and Early Career Researchers are welcome to attend the sessions. If you are interested in presenting, please send a short abstract (300 words max), along with a preference on which date you would like to present, to kerry.mccall@manchester.ac.uk by 11 April. Further information.
Studying Judaism Through Artefacts
Experiential learning. A selection of religious material objects in the archives of the John Rylands Research Institute and Library was presented to students on RELT71152 Jews among Christians and Muslims and RELT20572 Interpreting Religion. The study visit was led by CJS Fellows Prof Philip Alexander and Dr Katja Stuerzenhofecker in collaboration with curators at the John Rylands, Dr Zsófia Buda and Dr Tereza Ward. The objects highlighted global migrations and inter-religious encounters, aesthetic forms and ritual functions, what counts as religious, and the ethics of curatorial practices.
Autobiographical reading
Holocaust studies. Join us for Marianne Philip’s reading of her autobiographical account about her flight from Nazi Germany to Britain: This is My Life, My Voice (2018). The reading will be followed by a Q&A session, and presents a unique opportunity to speak to one of the last living Holocaust survivors. Wednesday 26 March, 10am-12pm. The reading will take place on campus, with venue information tbc. To register for the event, please contact Professor Cathy Gelbin.
Podcast, Spaces of Treblinka
Holocaust studies. The Centre for Jewish Studies and the Holocaust Centre North at the University of Huddersfield hosted an online book talk by Dr. Jacob Flaws (Kean University, New Jersey), which is now available to watch on YouTube. Dr. Flaws presented his recently published book, Spaces of Treblinka: Retracing a Death Camp (University of Nebraska Press, 2024). The event was chaired by Prof. Jean-Marc Dreyfus. Watch again.
Sherman Community Lecture 2025
Jewish studies. The annual Sherman Lecture returns on the 20th May 2025 in the stunning Reading Room at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library. Professor Philip Alexander FBA is Emeritus Professor of Postbiblical Jewish Literature at the University of Manchester, and a founder and former director of its Centre for Jewish Studies. Many of his scholarly interests overlap with those of Gaster, and since 1992 he has worked intensively on the Gaster Collection of manuscripts at the John Rylands Library – the largest single collection of its kind in the world. He will critically survey Gaster’s vast range of interests and activities, and assess his scholarly legacy and his place in Jewish history. Tickets here.
The Peake Lecture 2025
The Book of Hebrews. The Peake Lecture will be given at the Nazarene Theological College on Saturday 22 March by HRF Loveday Alexander and Emeritus Professor Philip Alexander. The title is "Sacrifice and Salvation: Reading Hebrews Today", and the event is scheduled to run from 9.30am-4.00pm. Drinks provided, but bring your own lunch. Register here.
Klezmer performance: Walter Carroll Lunchtime Concert Series
Yiddish music. Susi Evans (clarinet) and Szilvia Csaranko (accordion) perform old Yiddish melodies from a remarkable archive of manuscripts collected in Jewish villages in Ukraine between 1912 to 1914. Thursday 13 March, 1:10-1:55pm at the Cosmo Rodewald Concert Hall, Martin Harris Centre. Further information.
Manchester Jewish Museum: Museum Evening Talks
Jewish Studies. Professor Philip Alexander shares his journey from a non-Jewish Norther Irish Protestant background to becoming a leading figure in Jewish Studies. His talk will reflect on the challenges he faced in understanding Judaism, his efforts to establish Jewish Studies as a serious academic field in British universities, as well as some of the interesting people he met along the way. He will also explore how the Jewish community in Britain, and particularly Manchester, has changed over the years from his standpoint as an engaged and sympathetic outsider. Thursday 27 March 6-7.30pm at the Manchester Jewish Museum. Tickets and further information here.
Sephardi Modernities Seminar Series 2025
Jewish studies. Moshe Behar will give a lecture as part of the Sephardi Modernities Seminar Series titled, ‘Leftist Arabised Jews, Arab Nationalism and the Question of Individual and Collective Rights.’ Tuesday 11 February, 5:30pm on Zoom. Register here. Further information.