All posts by Maria Stürzebecher

About Maria Stürzebecher

I am the curator of the Museum Old Synagogue in Erfurt and scientific coordinator for the UNESCO World Heritage application Jewish-Medieval Heritage in Erfurt. Since 2012, I am editing the series "Erfurter Schriften zur Jüdischen Geschichte"; in 2020, the 6th volume "Ritual Objects in Ritual Contexts." was published. I studied History of Arts, Archaeology, Sociology and History and wrote my PhD thesis about the medieval Erfurt Treasure, which was published in 2009 entitled „Der Schatzfund aus der Erfurter Michaelisstrasse – Mittelalterliche Goldschmiedearbeiten als Zeugnisse jüdischen Lebens in Erfurt“.

Center for Jewish History Fellowship Programs

The deadline for all fellowship applications is January 20, 2025, 11:59 PM EST.

The Center for Jewish History (CJH), located in New York City, is the largest and most comprehensive archive of the modern Jewish experience outside of Israel. The collections at the Center for Jewish History (CJH) and its partner organizations (American Jewish Historical Society, American Sephardi Federation, Leo Baeck Institute, Yeshiva University Museum, and YIVO Institute for Jewish Research) span three thousand years, with tens of millions of archival documents, more than 500,000 volumes, as well as thousands of art and cultural objects. The Center is a widely recognized public venue for academic symposia, conferences, and a wide array of cultural, educational, and genealogy programs.

Antisemitic Graffiti targeting the Maribor Synagogue in Slovenia

Statement by Boris Hajdinjak, Director of the Maribor Synagogue

Jews have always been a small minority in Slovenian history. That is why it is exceptional that a medieval synagogue has been preserved in Maribor. Namely: there are not many European cities that have a preserved medieval synagogue. This exceptionality is confirmed by the title of Cultural Monument of National Importance awarded to the Maribor synagogue in 2015. The renovated building of the medieval synagogue houses the Center of Jewish Cultural Heritage Synagogue Maribor, which is the smallest public cultural institution in Slovenia.

Continue reading Antisemitic Graffiti targeting the Maribor Synagogue in Slovenia

Call for Applications: Oxford Center for Hebrew & Jewish Studies Fellowship program

The OCHJS is announcing calls for applications for 4 different forms of Visiting Fellowships as part of its Oxford Seminars in Advanced Jewish Studies programme: OSRJL Visiting Fellowships in Rare Jewish Languages, René and Susanne Braginsky Visiting Fellowships in Manuscript Studies, Salo and Jeannette Baron Visiting Fellowships in Jewish History and Yishai Shahar Visiting Fellowships in Jewish Art History.

European Days of Jewish Culture 2025 central theme: “People of the Book”

The AEPJ has officially announced the theme for the 2025 European Days of Jewish Culture: “People of the Book”. This theme was selected by the EDJC Committee after careful consideration of its rich potential to explore Jewish heritage, foster interfaith dialogue, and inspire innovative programming across Europe.

“People of the Book” highlights the profound role of the written word in Jewish tradition, encompassing sacred texts like the Torah, literary contributions, and the broader cultural and historical context shared with Christianity and Islam. It underscores the transformative power of words to connect communities, preserve memory, and foster mutual understanding. The theme “People of the Book” invites local organisers to explore the shared heritage of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic traditions, promoting interfaith dialogue and cultural understanding. Through this lens, the EDJC 2025 will celebrate the diversity of Jewish culture while emphasizing universal values of justice, compassion, and the pursuit of knowledge.

Talk: „Let’s go local. Medieval Jewish History Versus Jewish Cultural Heritage“ by Prof. Dr. Eva Haverkamp-Rott (Historisches Seminar der Ludwig-Maximilians- Universität München)

Tuesday 11 February, 18:00-19:30 Uhr, Thyssen Stiftung, Apostelnkloster 13-15, 50672 Köln

Evening public lecture as part of the academic conference ‘Digging Deep – New Insights into the Medieval Mikveh of Cologne’. The lecture presents the local Jewish cultural heritage in a wider historical context.

Please register at: miqua@lvr.de.

Talk: Olivier Richard, Judeneide als Spiegel der Interaktionen zwischen Juden und Christen am Oberrhein im Spätmittelalter

13 January 2025

Within the Colloquium “Arbeitskreis für Jüdische Geschichte des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit,” Olivier Richard (Fribourg) will speak about “Judeneide als Spiegel der Interaktionen zwischen Juden und Christen am Oberrhein im Spätmittelalter” at Trier University, 18:15 CET. For a Zoom link, please register with cluse@uni-trier.de or muellerj@uni-trier.de

Merry Christmas and Hanukkah Sameach!

from the Board of mJSNow

14th century Hannukah lamp, France
Musée d’art et d’histoire du Judaïsme, Inv.
D.98.04.017.CL
Copyright Wikimedia Commons


With the Hanukkah lamp in the Jewish Museum Paris, we wish you a Merry Christmas and Hanukkah Sameach!
The lamp comes from the collection of Isaac Strauss (1866-1888) and is said to have been discovered in the 19th century during excavations in the old Jewish quarter of Lyon. It is one of very few surviving medieval Hanukkah lamps and one of the oldest Jewish artefacts from the Middle Ages known in France.