Monthly Archives: March 2026

Researcher of the Week

Reed O’Mara

Ph.D. candidate, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) (dir. Professor Elina Gertsman) and 2025–27 Samuel H. Kress Institutional Fellow in the History of Art at the Zentralinstitut für Kunstgeschichte (ZI) 

In my research, I focus on the art of medieval Ashkenaz, with a special interest in Hebrew illuminated manuscripts and incunabula. My dissertation examines word and image relationships in manuscripts and printed works in order to better understand the ever-changing perceptions of the Hebrew language in the late Middle Ages, ca. 1200–1500, by Jewish and Christian communities alike. From examples of visual-verbal wordplay to the material splendor of word panels in thirteenth- and fourteenth-century Mahzorim all the way to the weaponization of Hebrew in fifteenth-century broadsides and anti-Jewish polemics, my work aims to contribute to our appreciation of how language and art operated in tandem in medieval visual culture.

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Kollektivintentionalität u. Kollektivkommunikation im Mittelalter. Das Judenpogrom und der Einzug der Pest in Straßburg im Jahr 1349

You can now read the new article by Harald Haferland about “Kollektivintentionalität u. Kollektivkommunikation im Mittelalter. Das Judenpogrom und der Einzug der Pest in Straßburg im Jahr 1349” in the new issue of Das Mittelalter. Perspektiven mediävistischer Forschung. Beihefte focussing on Fake News im Mittelalter? Zur kulturellen Aushandlung von Falschheit in politischen, religiösen und literarischen Diskursen, ed. Marcel Bubert and Pia Claudia Doering.

The Wandering Jew and other myths: a special issue of Patterns of Prejudice

According to their call, the welcome “submissions discussing legends and mythic figures exclusively through the lens of reclamation responding to racial, national, ethnic or religious exclusion. These narratives emerge out of harmful contexts, disseminating derogatory and divisive storytelling about the misunderstood ‘stranger’. Be it a warrior, supernatural guide, or everyman, how is this type removed from such origins, and reshaped by indigenous (or other) cultural actors? We are especially interested in non-formal methods of knowledge as transmitted through folklore or oral tradition, and representations in the visual arts, literature and music. Submissions may explore the difference between Israeli and diasporic approaches to the Wandering Jews; its resonance amongst other traditionally nomadic peoples, such as Roma; or relevance for other postcolonial cultures.”

Deadline: 12 June 2026.

Three New Studies About the Simon of Trient Case, a Ritual Murder Accusation

There are three new studies about the Simon of Trient Case, a Ritual Murder Accusation from the 15th century.

  1. Hannah Heinrichs writes about “Zwischen Märtyrerkult und antijüdischen Feindbildern. Eine Untersuchung des Ritualmordkonstrukts in Text und Bild der Historie von Simon zu Trient (1475)”
  2. Kevin Reinardy writes about “Kein Märtyrer ohne Ritualmord. Die Historie von Simon zu Trient als Verschwörungstheorie?”
  3. Marco Heiles writes about “Die Historie von Simon zu Trient – eine judenfeindliche Verschwörungserzählung aus dem Jahre 1475”

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

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

International Conference Moving Beyond Prevailing Narratives

Moving Beyond Prevailing Narratives: Rethinking the Medical Knowledge of Pre-Modern Jews at the Crossroads of Cultures, Sources and Traditions

Granada, 7-8 September 2026

The development of medicine and the provision of healthcare among pre-modern and early modern Jewish cultures have received significant scholarly attention, especially in recent decades. However, despite the extensive bibliography that continues to grow, important areas remain underexplored, particularly with regard to medical theories, concepts, practices, and beliefs as transmitted through a wide range of texts.

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

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.