Sotheby’s has its catalogue out for the upcoming Judaica sale on 18 December 2024. According to their announcement, “the sale is comprised almost exclusively of manuscripts from the Sassoon (lots 1-29) and Montefiore (32-121) collections, separated by two special additions from private sources (30-31). […] There will be an exhibition for several days (December 11-17) prior to the live sale itself (December 18). The exhibition is free and open to the public, and its hours are 10am-5pm each day, except Friday (10am-4pm), Shabbat (closed), and Sunday (1-5pm).”
Category Archives: Events
In Memoriam: Honouring the Legacy of Ilana Tahan, 6 December 1946 – 6 July 2024

5 December, 2024
18:00-19:00 GMT | 19:00-20:00 CEST | 10:00-11:00 PT | 13:00-14:00 ET | 20:00-21:00 Israel
Join this online event to honour and celebrate the legacy of Ilana Tahan, OBE—our much-loved colleague, and the international authority on Hebrew Manuscripts. As the Lead Curator for Hebrew and Christian Orient Collections, Ilana oversaw the British Library’s holdings of Armenian, Aramaic, Coptic, Hebrew, Samaritan, and Syriac manuscripts, and printed books. In this role, she was exceptionally active in reaching out to communities and scholars. She published many articles and chapters on the Hebrew collections, and undertook dozens of public workshops and presentations to bring the manuscripts closer to audiences. Ilana received her Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to scholarship in 2009.
‘Philosophy by Hand’ Lecture Series – Yoav Meyrav: ‘Manuscripts and the Historiography of Medieval Philosophy: A View from the Margins’ on 22 October 2024
This talk Yoav Meyrav is part of the Lecture Series Philosophy by Hand: The Agency of Manuscripts in Shaping Human Thought organised by the ERC Project HEPMASITE in collaboration with the Centre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures at the University of Hamburg.
Symposium on “The Golden Age of Karaism”
The Goldstein-Goren Diaspora Research Center at Tel Aviv University, and the chair for Jewish culture in Islamic countries and for the study of the Genizah named after Yosef Vassil Meiser, are pleased to invite you to a symposium marking the publication of the book “The Golden Age of Karaism. A Hebrew Anthology of Karaite Literature from the Ninth to the Twelfth Centuries”.
The event will take place on Monday, November 11, 2024, in Room 496, Gilman Building, at Tel Aviv University and will also be recorded and broadcast live. The event will be held in Hebrew.
Video Recording of Anna Abulafia’s Book Launch “Christian-Jewish Relations 1000–1300”
Watch now the recording of Anna Abulafia’s book launch Christian-Jewish Relations 1000-1300: Jews in the Service of Medieval Christendom (2nd edtion, Routledge, 2025).
Webinar on the Index of Jewish Art
The Center for Jewish Art “is offering a free introductory webinar on the Index of Jewish Art. This webinar is designed to help you effectively navigate the Index and utilize its diverse tools. It can also be integrated into course curricula and other group activities with students. For additional information, please reach out to Dr. Anna Berezin, Head of the Ritual and Ceremonial Section at the Center for Jewish Art, at anna.berezin@mail.huji.ac.il.”
Oxford School of Rare Jewish Language Classes
Oxford School of Rare Jewish Languages has announced “that applications for Oxford School of Rare Jewish Language’s classes beginning in Michaelmas Term 2024 are now open.”
Online Webinar: Reveal the Hidden History: Spiritual Jihad during Medieval Times – Muslims and Jews
Sunday, August 18, at 6 PM (Jerusalem time, GMT+2)
Explore the fascinating world of Jewish-Muslim relations during the Middle Ages. Join Dr. Michael Ebstein, Head of the MA in Islamic & Middle Eastern Studies at the Hebrew University, as he dives deep into this complex topic.Intrigued? Learn more about the program, application process, and available scholarships! Free Registration.
Certificate for Jewish-Medieval UNESCO World Heritage Site presented in Erfurt

Minister of State at the Federal Foreign Office Katja Keul hands over the certificate to Erfurt’s Lord Mayor Andreas Horn (© City of Erfurt)
On 11 August 2024, the World Heritage certificate was officially presented in Erfurt and celebrated with a big party in the medieval Jewish quarter!
Talk: 1424 – Die Ausweisung der jüdischen Gemeinde „Up ewige tzyden“ by Christiane Twiehaus
MiQua:forum, Alter Markt 31, Cologne, Thursday, 25 July, 4 p.m.
If you are in Cologne on Thursday 25 July, listen to Christiane Twieshaus’ short lecture on the expulsion of the Jewish community in 1424!