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“.

CfP: Jüdisches Mittelalter vermitteln

Call for Papers

11th Workshop of the ”Arbeitsgruppe Mittelalter im Netzwerk Jüdisches Kulturerbe“ in cooperation with the Jewish Museum Augsburg Swabia

The ”Arbeitsgruppe Mittelalter im Netzwerk Jüdisches Kulturerbe“ invites to its next workshop on October 8–9, 2026, in Augsburg. The Jewish Museum Augsburg Schwaben is currently preparing to revamp its permanent exhibition. Against this backdrop, the workshop will once again address the question of how to portray and contextualize medieval Jewish life in a museum setting. Unlike in Cologne, for example, there are few archaeological finds or objects that could be used to present the diverse history of the medieval Jewish community in Augsburg. It is primarily municipal sources and a few Hebrew sources that provide insight into the life of this community. Together in Augsburg, we will discuss how vivid, scientifically grounded multimedia and spatial presentations can be developed and narrated from this seemingly disparate source material; how medieval Jewish history can be conveyed within the context of urban history and urban space; and where, on the one hand, the limitations and, on the other, the future potential of museum concepts can be identified.

We invite interested individuals from all disciplines (building research, archaeology, architectural and art history, history, Jewish studies, historic preservation, and museology) to submit short abstracts (max. 2,000 characters) on specific case studies or source studies. Please submit your application by June 15, 2026, at the latest.

The number of participants for both days is limited. Travel and accommodation expenses cannot be covered.

Registration and further information: malin.drees@jmaugsburg.de /maria.stuerzebecher@erfurt.de / simon.paulus@ifag.uni-stuttgart

Job: Baruch College – Assistant Professor – Jewish Studies

Jobs

Baruch College seeks an assistant professor of Jewish Studies to start in Fall Semester 2026. The successful candidate will have interdisciplinary expertise in Jewish Studies suitable for a tenure-track appointment in one of the following academic departments: English, Modern Languages and Comparative Literatures, Philosophy, or Sociology and Anthropology; and affiliation with the Wasserman Jewish Studies Center, including with its newly established Antisemitism Studies Lab. Areas of expertise could include Jewish philosophy; Jewish- British, Anglophone, or American literature; research in contemporary Jewish experience including US and the diaspora; and antisemitism studies. Capacity to engage students in experiential learning is encouraged.

Read more and apply

In-Italja: Interrelation in Italian Jewry Atlas

News

We are pleased to announce the launch of the digital Atlas In-italja. This ambitious platform is the outcome of two and a half years of intensive collaboration among historians, art historians, and scholars of Jewish studies from the Universities of Rome Sapienza, Pisa, Bologna, and Milan. In-italja is an innovative digital humanities project that documents, illustrates, and dynamically narrates the history of Jewish mobility in Italy, as well as the complex interrelations between Jews and Christians from the Middle Ages to 1938.

At its core lies a rich and extensive corpus: the Atlas catalogues and describes more than 20,000 items, including archival documents, books, and images, making it a substantial new resource for research and teaching. The project adopts a spatial approach that moves across multiple fields (political, economic, and cultural history, as well as gender and family history) offering a multilayered and, we hope, genuinely innovative perspective on the history of Jewish communities in the Italian peninsula and the wider Mediterranean.

All data are available in Linked Open Data (LOD) format. The platform features intuitive search functions (by place, chronological span, and names), along with a series of thematic pathways designed to guide users through key topics and connections. The Atlas is further enriched by two accompanying podcasts (in Italian), which expand its narrative and interpretive reach. We warmly invite colleagues, researchers, and all those interested to explore In-italja and to share their feedback.

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Explore

Deadline Extended to 3/27! CFA: Jewish Heritage Center’s Research Fellowships

Call for Applications

The application deadline for both of the Wyner Family Jewish Heritage Center’s research fellowships has been extended to Friday, March 27. 

The Genevieve Geller Wyner Research Fellowship offers the opportunity for a scholar to conduct research in the JHC’s archives, which contain the records of Jewish institutions and businesses and the papers of families and individuals in Greater Boston and New England. To be eligible, scholars must hold a PhD at the time of application. Applications are now open for the 2026 Fellowship. The fellowship will be offered in the amount of $2,500.

The Professor Ronald C. Curhan and Joan Pokross Curhan Research Fellowship supports scholars in Jewish History or Jewish Studies, especially, but not limited to, those at the beginning of their academic careers. Graduate, undergraduate, or predoctoral students will be given preference, although the annual scholarship may also be awarded to postdoctoral scholars. Applications are now open for the 2026 Fellowship. The fellowship will be offered in the amount of $1,000.

Read more and apply

Talk: »The Emergence of Jewish Family Names in the 15th and 16th Centuries«

Talk

25 March 2026, 16:15 CET

Within the Colloquium “Arbeitskreis für Jüdische Geschichte des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit,” Dr. Alexandre Beider (Paris) will speak about »The Emergence of Jewish Family Names in the 15th and 16th Centuries« at Trier University, 16:15 CET.

https://uni-trier.zoom-x.de/j/64506740626?pwd=EjpAFKGNODTI8MifhEf7Gh7uzHVSPN.1

Meeting-ID: 645 0674 0626
Kenncode: WUckD1v0

Talk: „Ein Raum nur für Frauen (?). Neue Einsichten in die Entwicklung von Frauensynagogen in den SchUMStädten“ (in German) by Friederike Schöpf

Talk

March 31, 6.00 pm CET Landesmuseum Mainz and online

Many traditions of modern Judaism appear to be time-honoured and deeply rooted in the religion. The separation of men and women within the synagogue is also often regarded as a self-evident practice. Yet a closer look reveals that behind many of these customs lies a long history of development shaped by cultural and historical influences.

Dr Friederike Schöpf, a recognised expert on ancient Judaism, medieval synagogues and the development of the women’s section in the synagogue at the Institute for Jewish Studies at the University of Münster, will trace the origins and development of women’s synagogues in her hybrid lecture and open up new perspectives on religious life in the SchUM communities through these special places.

Please register by email by 12 noon on 30 March: anmeldung@gdke.rlp.de. For online participation, the access link will be sent by email after the registration deadline.

Virtual Coffee Break with Leor Jacobi

Talk

Terahertz Identification of Buried Characters: A Humanities Perspective on Advanced Imaging within Sealed Bookbindings

Thursday, 9 April 2026, 3:00 – 4:00 PM (CEST)

In his presentation, Leor Jacobi will explore how cutting-edge terahertz imaging techniques can serve the study and preservation of cultural heritage. Beyond the physics, the focus will be on the historical and artistic significance of manuscripts repurposed into paperboard for bookbindings, ethical considerations of non-invasive analysis, and broader implications for scholars in the humanities. The talk will highlight how technology opens new pathways for interpreting texts that have been hidden for centuries. Imaging research presented is the result of collaboration with the laboratory run by Prof. David Citrin of Georgia Tech-Lorraine (Metz), initiated as a Postdoc and Humboldt Research Fellow at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz (JGU) and facilitated by the faculty.

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New Book: Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Jewish Visual Culture and Art

Publications

by Alec Mishory / Ilil Arbel. Frank & Timme 2026


Jewish visual culture is very rich—and this despite the fact, that Judaism has forbidden graven images for centuries. This groundbreaking guide reveals how Jewish artists forged an extraordinary visual language across 3000 years and is the first concise study of the rich Jewish iconography. The dictionary provides the history of visual art as well as the interpretations of biblical, talmudic, kabbalistic, and modern narratives.
The authors decode symbols that embody Jewish identity from Abraham to the Holocaust and beyond. They range from biblical heroes, demons and angels, sacred sites and holy spaces, flora and fauna, to mythical events and lived rituals, ancient artifacts and modern emblems, the calendar and its holy days, and also include abstract concepts such as gender, apostasy, and ritual. This guide is for the interested reader who encounters the topic for the first time as well as for the scholar who seeks a deeper understanding of already familiar symbols. It helps you discover new pathways through Jewish visual culture.

The Authors
Alec Mishory is an art historian and a scholar of visual culture. He worked on Israeli visual culture, Israeli art and on the Jewish art scene in Israel in the 1940s. He is the author of the Open University of Israel’s art history textbooks.
Ilil Arbel specializes in Jewish history, mythology, and folklore. She regularly publishes on these topics and provides editorial services to several organizations, including the American Museum of Natural History and the University of Haifa.

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Talk: »Überlieferungen zu jüdischen Frauen vom 14. bis 18. Jahrhundert. Sprachen – Schriften – Bilder«

Talk

19 January 2026

    Within the Colloquium “Arbeitskreis für Jüdische Geschichte des Mittelalters und der frühen Neuzeit,” Rotraud Ries (Herford) will speak about »Überlieferungen zu jüdischen Frauen vom 14. bis 18. Jahrhundert. Sprachen – Schriften – Bilder« at Trier University, 18:15 CET. For a Zoom link, please register with cluse@uni-trier.de or muellerj@uni-trier.de.