Nordic Network for Jewish Studies

Event Announcement: Lunch with Jewish Studies, Lund University (online via zoom)

On Friday 2 October at 12:00 CET Lund will be holding a ‘Lunch with Jewish Studies’ event.

The organisers welcome all staff and students at Lund University, as well as interested future students from across the Nordic region, to join us for an hour to learn about Jewish Studies as a discipline.

Lund University has 10 staff affiliated with Jewish Studies in the Faculty of Language and Literature and in the Humanities-Theology Faculty. Our members teach and research in a range of Jewish Studies sub-disciplines including religious studies, theology, ancient, medieval and modern history, art history, and language and area studies.

Through ‘Lunch with Jewish Studies’ we will introduce our sub-disciplines, highlight courses we offer including study abroad opportunities, and will be on hand to answer any questions you may have.

Advance registration is not required. Join the event via zoom.

For further information, contact Karin Zetterholm and/or Rakel Nihlén.

The Nordic Network for Jewish Studies was founded and is run by Dr Katharina Keim and Dr Karin Zetterholm at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our blog to receive the latest news from the Network in your email inbox! You are always welcome to get in touch with us at admin[dot]nordicjewishstudies[at]ctr[dot]lu[dot]se.

We welcome news from our members!

The Nordic Network for Jewish Studies was founded earlier this year to connect scholars in Jewish Studies and related fields from across the Nordic region. Our aim is for the Network’s website to become a hub of activity that brings people with an interest in Jewish Studies and related disciplines into conversation with one another.

We want to build a community to share information about new and ongoing research, courses in Jewish Studies (broadly considered), and events taking place throughout the Nordic region. This is not just for our benefit as a collective in terms of keeping us all informed, but also to increase the visibility of Jewish Studies as a discipline and to advocate for the discipline in our local and national contexts.

To that end, we welcome news from our members!

Do you have:

an ongoing research project you’d like to showcase?
a call for papers to share?
a pedagogical tool or innovation you’d like to share?
an announcement about a new publication? or, would you like to review a recent publication?
an announcement or reflection relating to a public engagement event or initiative?
an event to advertise?
a course to advertise?

If so, please have a look at our posting guidance and contact us with the relevant details so we can share the information with the Network as a whole.

We look forward to hearing from you and sharing your news!

The Nordic Network for Jewish Studies was founded and is run by Dr Katharina Keim and Dr Karin Zetterholm at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University.

Course Announcement: “Från Jesus till rabbinerna”, Lund University.

A new course is offered at Lund University in the spring semester of 2021 entitled “Från Jesus till rabbinerna”.

Course description: Kursen behandlar judendomens utveckling från första århundradet fram till och med den rabbinska judendomens framväxt och konsolidering. I fokus står den rabbinska judendomen och dess relation till tidigare former av judendom, inklusive den tidiga Jesusrörelsen. Kursen ger en översikt av Jesusrörelsens framväxt inom första århundradets judendom och av den rabbinska judendomen, de viktigaste rabbinska texterna, deras tillkomsthistoria, innehåll, karakteristika och sociala kontext.

The course will be offered in Swedish as a distance learning course through the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies. Registration closes on 15 October.

More information can be found on the course flyer and on the Lund University website.

Does your University offer courses in Jewish Studies? We would be glad to share news of new and ongoing Jewish Studies courses with our colleagues across the Nordic region. Our aim as the Nordic Network for Jewish Studies is to raise the profile of the discipline, and to share information amongst our members. If you have a course you would like to publicise, please contact us.

The Nordic Network for Jewish Studies was founded and is run by Dr Katharina Keim and Dr Karin Zetterholm at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University.

Course Announcement: Study Abroad opportunity for Lund University students

Students of the Joint Faculties of Humanities and Theology at Lund University are eligible to study abroad as part of their programmes. We would like to highlight that this opportunity includes the chance to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, with which Lund has an exchange agreement. Students can take courses at the faculties of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Hebrew University as well as at the Rothberg International School.

If you would like to know more about study abroad as a Lund University student, including eligibility and how to apply, see the Utbytesstudier pages for more information. Lund also provides information about the study abroad arrangements with Hebrew University as well as a general information sheet for exchange students to Hebrew University.

Applications must be received between 5 September and 5 October 2020 for the academic year 2021.

Does your university have exchange agreements with other universities that Jewish Studies students and staff can benefit from? We would love to advertise exchange arrangements via the Network to increase the visibility of international cooperations in our disciplines. We look forward to hearing from you.

The Nordic Network for Jewish Studies was founded and is run by Dr Katharina Keim and Dr Karin Zetterholm at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University.

Event: The First Nordic Postgraduate Forum in Ancient and Early Medieval Jewish History and Literature, Lund University (22–23 September 2020)

This is our first blog post since the summer break, and we hope that you are all having a safe and healthy start to the new academic year.

We are pleased to announce that in two weeks today Lund University will be hosting the first Nordic Network for Jewish Studies event! It will take the form of a Postgraduate Forum in Jewish Studies and will take place over two half-days on 22-23 September 2020.

Papers will be presented by six current doctoral students from around the Nordic region working on projects that relate to the study of ancient and medieval Jewish history. Each paper will be presented in brief followed by comments from a respondent and general discussion. The programme also features a masterclass in reading Talmudic texts by Prof Philip Alexander (FBA, Emeritus Manchester) entitled, ‘“If they are not prophets, they are sons of prophets”: Tosefta Pesahim 4:13-14 and its reception in the Yerushalmi and the Bavli.’ The programme can be found here.

You are welcome to join us for part or all of the programme. Please register your interest in attending through our Google Form. NB: Due to present Covid-related room capacity restrictions, we are only able to accommodate attendees via zoom.

The papers will not be circulated as they are works in progress. However, you are welcome to use the contact information provided in the programme to write to the presenters directly if you would like to request copies of their papers.

We are grateful to the European Association for Jewish Studies for supporting this event.

If you have any questions about the event, you are welcome to contact us at admin[dot]nordicjewishstudies[at]ctr[dot]lu[dot]se.

The Nordic Network for Jewish Studies was founded and is run by Dr Katharina Keim and Dr Karin Zetterholm at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University.

Course announcement: Study trip to Jerusalem, 19-28 October 2020 (NNJCI)

It has been a while since we have posted a blog, in which time you will all have felt the effects of Covid-19 in your teaching, research, and personal lives. We hope that you are as well as you can be, and wish you all a safe and joyful midsommar.

Before we go into the summer break, we wanted to share the re-issued call for applicants to the doctoral course and study trip, entitled “Jerusalem in History and Imagination.” The course is organised by Anders-Christian Lund Jacobsen and Kasper Bro Larsen at Aarhus University on behalf of the Nordic Network for the study of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in the First Millennium, and remains scheduled for 19-28 October 2020.

The deadline for applications has been extended until 10 August, with no deposit or application fee required. A final decision on whether the trip can go ahead amid coronavirus-related developments and travel advice will be taken on 15 August.

For further details and to register your interest see the NNJCI website.

The Nordic Network for Jewish Studies was founded and is run by Dr Katharina Keim and Dr Karin Zetterholm at the Centre for Theology and Religious Studies at Lund University. You are welcome to get in touch with us at admin[dot]nordicjewishstudies[at]ctr[dot]lu[dot]se.

Online course announcement: Classic Rabbinic Texts, Lund University

Course title: Classic Rabbinic Texts (TRVN13)

Host institution: Lund University

Abstract: This course offers a study of a selection of texts from classical rabbinic literature from the Mishnah to the Babylonian Talmud. After a brief survey of the emergence of the rabbinic movement and the political, cultural and linguistic context in which it developed, the main part of the course is devoted to close readings of a selection of rabbinic texts in Hebrew/Aramaic with a translation. To enable the inclusion of a larger number of texts in order to display the various genres included in rabbinic literature, some texts will be read only in translation. In addition to acquiring and developing skills in rabbinic Hebrew, students will gain insights into rabbinic thought and culture, and acquire a basic knowledge of the scope, style and characteristics of rabbinic texts. The main focus will be on the Mishnah (early 3rd century), the Mekhilta (late 3rd century), Genesis and Leviticus Rabbah (early 5th century) and the Babylonian Talmud (300–700 C.E).

Format: The course is taught online over the entire semester (September–December with the exam due in the second half of December). It also includes a 2-day seminar in Lund, November 4–5, 2020, which is a very important part of the course.

Language of instruction: English.

Context: The course is part of the joint Religious Roots of Europe MA programme, which is shared between the universities of Lund, Copenhagen, and Oslo. The course can be taken as part of this programme, but can also be taken as a stand-alone course.

Deadline: The deadline to apply for fall courses is April 15, 2020. For information about key dates and the application process, see https://www.lu.se/studera/anmalan-och-antagning/viktiga-datum.

NB: More general information in English is to be found through the general university admissions pages, but you will have to apply in the Swedish system since the deadline for international students has already passed (but this should be no problem for Scandinavian students).

For more information, please see https://www.ctr.lu.se/kurs/TRVN13/HT2020/. You are also welcome to contact Dr Zetterholm directly.

Membership Update

We are so grateful to see how positively this initiative has been received by colleagues across the Nordic region. We circulated an introduction to the Network to colleagues and students across the Nordic region by email, and have been surprised by how many responses we have received. We are pleased to say that so far 63 people have completed our GoogleForm, including a number of people that we have not been in touch with before. This is fantastic, and we hope that you will continue to share news of the Network to all those who you think would be interested participating.

We also hope that you will sign up to subscribe to receive our blogposts by email as soon they are published via the subscription widget:

Join 88 other subscribers

The blog is the main way through which we can communicate with one-another, so signing up to receive updates will ensure that you are always kept in the loop. And, of course, subscription to the blog is not limited to members – all are welcome to sign up.

To that end, we would also like to re-iterate our invitation to you to send us news that you would like to circulate via the blog. This could include any of the following:

news of upcoming Jewish Studies events in your department or faculty,
announcements relating to Jewish Studies courses you teach,
project highlights, reviews of recent books, or publication announcements, etc.

Posts can be written in English or in any Scandinavian language.

Take a glance at our author guidelines before submitting a post for publication to us by email. We look forward to hearing from you!

Event: Lund University, Transformations in Stone: Archaeological Testimonies to Transitions within and between Religious Traditions in Antiquity, 5 March 2020

The Centre for Theology and Religious Studies in collaboration with the Department of Archaeology and Ancient History at Lund University invites you to join us for a one-day symposium entitled,

Transformations in Stone: Archaeological Testimonies to Transitions within and between Religious Traditions in Antiquity

Lund University, March 5, 2020
Venue: LUX C126 9–12, LUX B152 13–15
Helgonavägen 3, Lund

Moderator: Samuel Rubenson, Centre for Theology and Religious Studies, Lund University.

Each lecture is followed by questions (15 min)

The programme is as follows:

9.00–9.30 Elizabeth Fowden, Jesus College, Cambridge: “From Deucalion’s Flood to Abrahamic prayers for rain: approaches to sacred space in Athens”

9.45–10.15 Rina Talgam, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem: “From Dura Europos to Huqoq; transitions in Jewish art from the 3rd century CE to the beginning of the 5th century”

10.30–10.55 Coffee

10.55–11.25 Jordan Ryan, Wheaton College: “The Emergence of Christian Commemorative Architecture in Palestine”

11.40–13.00 Lunch

13.00–13.30 Wally Cirafesi, Norwegian School of Theology, Religion and Society: “The Byzantinization of Capernaum in the 5th and 6th Centuries”

13.45–14.15 Response by Henrik Gerding, Department of Archaeology and Ancient History, Lund University

14.15–ca. 15.00 Discussion

Please note: lunch is at participants’ own expense, however coffee will be provided.

Please email Karin.Zetterholm@ctr.lu.se if you wish to participate.

Welcome to the Nordic Network for Jewish Studies!

Why do we need a network for Jewish Studies?

The idea behind this network emerged from informal conversations with colleagues at universities across the Nordic region. It became clear that colleagues in Jewish Studies (and we include here disciplines engaging with a range of texts, traditions, artefacts, and languages from the ancient to the modern world) often meet either at conferences outside of Scandinavia and Finland, or within smaller networks connected to either national networks, co-operations between Nordic universities, or in the context of colloquia in neighbouring disciplines. While these networks will always be important for our research, teaching, and public engagement, there isn’t a platform for those with interests in Jewish Studies and its related disciplines to connect with one another within and across the Nordic countries.

What will this network do?

This network will offer us all a space through which we can discover and engage with colleagues with interests in Jewish Studies (broadly considered), and to share information about the research, teaching, and public engagement in these disciplines. The network will also provide a platform to raise awareness of the discipline and to advocate for Jewish Studies in our universities and in public life.

Who is this network for?

We welcome scholars of all career stages who are affiliated with Nordic Higher Education institutions to join the network as members. We also welcome those from beyond the academy with an interest in Jewish Studies and a connection to the Nordic region.

If you don’t want to join as a member, you can still receive our news by signing up receive blog posts in your email inbox as soon as they are published.

Why not start a newsletter instead?

We intend for this network to go beyond the medium of a newsletter. We want to offer a public space for communication, experience- and information-sharing, and engagement with one another as well as with contexts beyond the academy.

It is not intended for this website to be a one-way flow of communication – the success of this network will hinge on the engagement of its membership.

To that end, we welcome blog posts from members interested in sharing, e.g., news of upcoming events, information about forthcoming courses, project profiles, etc. We have drafted some guidance for blog post authors, which you are welcome to consult before getting in touch. And, don’t forget to sign up to receive blog posts directly into your inbox as soon as they are published.

Announcements of new blog posts will also be published to the network’s Twitter account. Connect with us @nordicjewishstudies #nordicjewishstudies and share your news.

We look forward to hearing from you!