The Scales of Suffering: Neo-Lachrymosity and the Writing of Jewish History, Conference, 31 March 2025 (Zoom)

“Is the writing of Jewish history possible without tears and tales of woe? This was the challenge leveled nearly a hundred years ago by perhaps the most influential Jewish historian in the United States, Salo Baron. Since then, scholars have worked to ensure that Jewish history is not reduced to a tale of suffering alone, and rightly so. But in recent years historians of Jewish life—from the Ancient Mediterranean to the modern Americas—have begun to wonder if perhaps we have written suffering and sadness too far out of the stories we tell. In this conference, an international group of scholars will join together to rethink this important question for the writing of Jewish history.”


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Andreas Lehnertz (March 26, 2025). The Scales of Suffering: Neo-Lachrymosity and the Writing of Jewish History, Conference, 31 March 2025 (Zoom). medievalJewishStudiesNow! Retrieved November 10, 2025 from https://doi.org/10.58079/13knp


About Andreas Lehnertz

As Juniorprofessor of medieval history with a specialization in Jewish history at the University of Trier, Andreas Lehnertz studies the social, cultural, and religious history of Europe. His academic pursuits focus on the nuanced dynamics of everyday Christian-Jewish relations, the study of marginal Hebrew and Yiddish deeds, the study of Jewish and general sealing practices, and the in-depth study of Jewish craftspeople. He wrote a book on "Jewish Seals in the Medieval German Empire: The Authentication and Self-Representation of Jewish Men and Women". His expertise has been further honed through his roles as a postdoctoral fellow in the ERC project "Beyond the Elite - Jewish Daily Life in Medieval Europe" at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and as a member of the Martin Buber Society in the Humanities and Social Sciences, also at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Currently he writes a book about "Jewish Craftspeople in Medieval Germany". Through his research and publications, he aims to make a meaningful contribution to the academic discourse surrounding medieval history and to provide valuable insights into the rich tapestry of European history during this pivotal period.