British Association for Jewish Studies Annual Conference 2021 World in Crisis: Reflections and Responses from Antiquity to the Present 5-7 July 2021 Parkes Institute, University of Southampton www.britishjewishstudies.org CONFERENCE PROGRAMME – PANELS 2 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 3 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 4 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 CONFERENCE PROGRAMME – INDIVIDUAL PAPERS 5 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 6 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 7 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 CONFERENCE PROGRAMME – CONTENTS Conference Programme – Panels 2 Conference Programme – Individual Papers 5 BAJS Conference 2021 11 Conference Information 14 Keynote speakers 17 Plenary Panel: Jewish Studies Addressing Questions of Crisis 19 Abstracts, organised by panel 21 Monday 5 th July 2021 Session One – 10.30-12.00 21 Strand A – Kingship and Crisis 21 Strand B – Religious Crisis in the Medieval Period: From law to liturgy 23 Strand C – Yiddish Responses to the Khurbn 25 Strand D – 'Orthodoxy' facing Crisis 16th-21st Centuries 27 Strand E – Antisemitism and Activism 29 Monday 5 th July 2021 Session Two – 13.00-14.30 31 Strand A – Intermarriage as a Question of Crisis 31 Strand B – Crisis in Communities in the Early Modern Period 33 Strand C – Yiddish Culture in Modern Britain 34 Strand D – The Crisis of Modernity 36 Strand E – Antisemitism around the World 38 Monday 5 th July 2021 Session Three – 15.15-16.45 40 Strand A – Jewish/non-Jewish Relations in Late Antiquity 40 Strand B – Transmission of Knowledge in the Face of Crisis 42 Strand C – Yiddish Theatre and Poetry 44 Strand D – Identity Crisis in Modernity 45 Strand E – Crisis in Communities in the Modern Period 47 Tuesday 6th July 2021 Session Four – 09.00-10.30 49 Strand A – Contact and Conflict with Hellenic Culture 49 Strand B – Apocalypticism from the Emergence of Islam to the Crusades 51 Strand C – Aspects of Zionism 52 8 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 Strand D – Diasporic Jewish History: Theory and Response 54 Strand E – Challenges for Rabbinic Leadership 56 Tuesday 6th July 2021 Session Five – 11.15-12.45 58 Strand A – Crisis in the Second Temple Period 58 Strand B – Who would save us? Competing messianic models in rabbinic literature and the Zohar 60 Strand C – Challenges of Zionism 61 Strand D – Post-Holocaust Philosophy 63 Strand E – Jewish Heritage in/and Crisis I: Memorialisations 65 Tuesday 6th July 2021 Session Six – 14.00-15.30 67 Strand A – The Temple and Responses to its Destruction 67 Strand B – Responding to the Violence of 1391 69 Strand C – Response to Crisis in Eastern Europe 71 Strand D – The Holocaust 73 Strand E – Jewish Heritage in/and Crisis II: Museum Crisis and Critique 75 Tuesday 6th July 2021 Session Seven – 16.15-17.45 76 Strand A – Interpreting Abrahamic Crisis Narratives 76 Strand B – Teaching and Children's Publications in Times of Crisis 78 Strand C – Approaching Crisis through German-Jewish Writings 80 Strand D – Photography Capturing Crisis 82 Strand E – Jewish Heritage in/and Crisis III: Museum history and politics in the Israeli context 84 Wednesday 7th July 2021 Session Eight – 09.00-10.30 86 Strand A – Rabbinic Sources that Define Historical Crisis Situations 86 Strand B – Antisemitism: Informal Discussions 87 Strand C – Crisis in American Art and Literature 88 Strand D – Contested Spaces in British Jewry 90 Strand E – Jewish Heritage in/and Crisis IV: Museum and display politics 91 Strand F – Perspectives on Family, Gender and Sexuality 92 Wednesday 7th July 2021 Session Nine – 11.15-12.45 95 Strand A – Crisis and Response through Psalms and Poetry 95 Strand B – PGR/ECR Career Development Session 97 Strand C – American-Jewish Identities 97 9 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 Strand D – Migration to Britain 99 Strand E – Jewish Heritage in/and Crisis V: Libraries/archives and Crisis 101 Strand F – Jewish Marriage outside the State Rabbinate in Contemporary Israel 101 Wednesday 7th July 2021 Session Ten – 14.00-16.00 104 Strand A – Grammar, Calendars and Manuscripts 104 Strand B – Approaches to Biblical Crises 106 Strand C – Exploring Activism 109 Strand D – Researching Jews and Muslims as figures of alterity in contemporary Europe 112 Strand E – Jewish Heritage in/and Crisis VI: Round Table Discussion 114 Strand F – Multidisciplinary Tools for Resolving Worldwide Conflicts in the Jewish Family: Between Jewish law and Civil law 114 Wednesday 7th July 2021 Session Eleven – 16.45-17.45 118 Strand A – Crisis and Comparative Literature 118 Strand B – Music and Conflict 120 Strand C – Concepts of the State of Israel 121 Strand D – Lithuania in the Twentieth Century 123 Strand E – Approaches to Ritual 124 10 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 WORLD IN CRISIS: REFLECTIONS AND RESPONSES FROM ANTIQUITY TO THE PRESENT 5-7 JULY 2021 PARKES INSTITUTE, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHAMPTON The annual conference of the British Association for Jewish Studies 2021 will explore Jewish perspectives on a world in crisis, whether real or imagined, in different spaces from antiquity to the present. Crisis can be found or understood in a variety of arenas of life from the political to the existential, and can be traumatic and yet, in some instances, lead to innovation. The conference aims to bring together scholars from diverse academic disciplines to explore Jewish perspectives of dramatic or perceived social, political, historical, ideological or religious change, originating from within Jewish worlds and without. The conference will assess Jewish engagement with change and crisis throughout history from the local to the transnational, including within the context of relationships with non-Jews. Analysis of the varied spectrum of reactions to and representation of times of crisis can do much to shed light on diversity within the Jewish experience in different contexts, whether impacting an individual or a community. Furthermore, challenges to the significance of the concept of crisis in Jewish history and culture, and emphasis on long-term trends are an important facet of this discussion. Papers will highlight the multiplicity of Jewish approaches to a world in crisis from resistance to rationalisation, whether literary or visual, and with an interdisciplinary perspective that characterises Jewish Studies. The conference is intended to provide a forum for reflection and critical contributions to significant, long-standing or contemporary issues of crisis and response, and the place of Jews, Judaism and Jewish Studies within this. The British Association for Jewish Studies was founded in 1975 as a learned society and professional organisation. Its aims are to nurture, cultivate and advance teaching and research in Jewish culture and 11 BAJS CONFERENCE 2021 history in all its aspects within Higher Education in the UK and Ireland. This year’s annual conference will focus on a 'world in crisis' in different times and spaces, and aims to bring together scholars from diverse academic disciplines to assess Jewish responses to times of change and crisis throughout history. The theme this year is designed to raise questions about global challenges through time and assess Jewish perspectives and responses. Many thanks to the following institutions for their support of the conference: the European Association for Jewish Studies (EAJS), the Parkes Institute, and the History Department of the University of Southampton. THE PARKES INSTITUTE AND JEWISH STUDIES AT SOUTHAMPTON There has been a long and illustrious history of Jewish Studies at the University of Southampton, which begins with Claude Montefiore (born June 6, 1858—died July 9, 1938). Montefiore was a major theologian and founding leader within the movement of liberal Judaism in the UK. He helped to found the Jewish Religious Union in 1902, and served as president of the World Union for Progressive Judaism from 1926 until his death. Montefiore was a noted philanthropist but also a great scholar. He was a pioneer of interfaith dialogue and produced scholarship in the fields of ancient Jewish history and theology and its relationship with Christianity. He published particularly on the relationship between the Judaism and the New Testament, famously writing some of the first Jewish commentaries on the synoptic gospels in English. Some of his most notable works include Judaism and St. Paul in 1914, a two-volume commentary on the Synoptic gospels in 1927, and Rabbinic Literature and Gospel Teachings in 1930. This remarkable theologian and educator was also the president of what was then University College Southampton from 1913 to 1934 and his association with Southampton is recognised annually at the Montefiore lecture, which was established in his honour in the 1950’s. Indeed, it was attending a Montefiore lecture that prompted James Parkes to donate his library to Southampton in 1964, and which led to the establishment of the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non-Jewish Relations. The Reverend Dr James Parkes is the inspiration behind the Parkes Institute for the Study of Jewish/non- Jewish Relations. James Parkes (1896-1981) was one of the most remarkable figures within twentieth century Christianity. Ordained by the Church of England in 1926, Parkes campaigned against the rise of racist nationalism in Europe as early as the 1920s, especially through his work with the International Student Service and the Student Christian Movement. A tireless fighter against antisemitism in all forms, including from within Christianity, he helped rescue Jewish refugees during the 1930s and campaigned for the Jews of Europe during the Holocaust. During the Second World War he helped found the Council of Christians and Jews, and worked throughout his career in promoting religious tolerance and mutual respect between those of all faiths and none. Parkes wanted to donate his library to a university, so that future generations could develop his research, and a home was found for his materials at the University of Southampton in 1964. In 1965, the Parkes Library opened to the public, having been transferred to the University of Southampton the year before from James Parkes’ own house.