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.

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.

According to their call, “the Jewish Studies Program at Boston College invites applicants for a Visiting Scholar Fellowship in Jewish Studies. The fellowship is for a one-week residency during the Spring 2025 semester, the exact dates of which will be determined in consultation with the fellow. During their time at Boston College, the fellow will present their research in a public lecture and separately join two class sessions of Jewish Studies courses at the university. Fellows will also have opportunities to meet with faculty and students informally. $3000 will be provided as a stipend, along with a meal allowance. Fellows will be responsible for their own travel, housing, and insurance. Fellows will be provided with office space, computer, printer, and library privileges.”

Deadline: 15 January 2025.

Read Ronny Vollandt’s new article about “Saadiah Gaon and the Transmission of his Tafsīr,” Manuscript Cultures 24.1 (2024): 141–93.

Read the new Post of the Genizah Research Unit with the Fragment of the Month December 2024 on the perhaps earliest Esther scroll by Marc Michaels

from the Board of mJSNow

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.

The German Research Foundation (DFG) has announced the funding of a new multi-project research group about Ashkenazic Jewish Migration in the 15th and 16th Centuries:

“In den rund 200 Jahren seit dem Beginn der großen Vertreibungen um 1390 bis zur demographischen Stabilisierung jüdischer Gemeinden unter repressiven Daseinsbestimmungen im Konfessionellen Zeitalter, vollzogen sich für aschkenasische Jüd*innen gravierende gesellschaftliche Wandlungsprozesse. Damit verbunden waren massive Herausforderungen für den Fortbestand des von Disruption, Dislokation und Migration betroffenen Judentums. Dieses noch unzureichend verstandene Kapitel der jüdischen Geschichte ist Thema der Forschungsgruppe »Aschkenas in neuen Lebenswelten. Akteure, Praktiken und Räume in der jüdischen Geschichte Mitteleuropas während des 15. und 16. Jahrhunderts«. (Sprecher: Professor Dr. Stephan Laux, Universität Trier).”

Read the article at the Librarians blog by Daniel Lipson