KONFERENCJA 2008

Modern Jewish Culture: Diversities and Unities

  1. DAY (Tuesday, June 24)

    1. Welcome and Introductions: Marcin Wodziński (University of Wrocław, Poland), Connie Webber (Littman Library of Jewish Civilization, UK), Simon J. Bronner (Pennsylvania State University, USA)
    2. Why (and What) Culture? Moderator and Respondent: Moshe Rosman (Bar-Ilan University, Israel)
      1. Mikhail Chlenov (State Jewish Maimonides Academy, Russia), “How Jews Understand They are Jews: Jewish Identities in the Modern World”
      2. Harvey E. Goldberg (Hebrew University, Israel), “How Israeli Social Scientists Came to Recognize Culture”
      3. Jonathan Webber (University of Birmingham, UK), “Representing Jewish Culture: The Problem of Boundaries”
    3. Virtual and Authentic Jewish Culture Moderator: Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (New York University, USA)
      1. Dan Ben-Amos and Batsheva Ben-Amos (University of Pennsylvania, USA), ”Virtual and Authentic in Jewish Culture”
      2. Felicitas Heimann-Jelinek (Jewish Museum Vienna), “The Rivalry Between the Virtual and the Authentic — A Misunderstanding?”
      3. Ruth Ellen Gruber (Italy), “Beyond Virtually Jewish: New Authenticities, Real Imaginary Spaces, and the Commodification of Jewish Culture”

      TOUR OF JEWISH WROCLAW guided by Marcin Wodziński, including meeting with representatives of the Wroclaw Jewish Community, short presentation of current events in the community, tour of the White Stork Synagogue, the ‚Machzikei Torah’ Synagogue, the old mikvaot and the Jewish Community Center guided by Rabbi Yitzchak Rapoport

  2. DAY (Wednesday, June 25)

    1. Creating, Displaying, and Depicting Jewish Memory and Culture Moderator: Richard I. Cohen (Hebrew University, Israel)
      1. Suzanne Rutland (University of Sydney, Australia), “Presentations of, and Controversies about, Holocaust Memory in Australian Museums”
      2. Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett (New York University, USA), “Creating the Museum of the History of Polish Jews: A Work in Progress”
      3. Maren Krüger (Jewish Museum Berlin), “Communicating German-Jewish History and Culture: The Jewish Museum Berlin”
    2. Representing and Performing Jewish Culture Moderator: Dan Ben-Amos (University of Pennsylvania, USA)
      1. Mikel Koven (University of Worcester, UK), “Stereotyping and the Ethnic Jew: The Case of Ost und West”
      2. Richard I. Cohen (Hebrew University, Israel) “Moses Mendelssohn as a Jewish Icon”
      3. Shalom Sabar (Hebrew University, Israel), “Ideal, Religious, Zionist, and Militaristic – The Changing Image of the Simchat Torah Flag from Shtetl Culture to Modern Israel”
    3. Jewish Cultural Landscapes, Past and Present Moderator: Joachim Schlör (University of Southampton, UK)
      1. Agnieszka Jagodzinska (University of Wrocław, Poland), “The Jewish Cemetery Landscape as a Text of Culture”
      2. Haya Bar-Itzhak (University of Haifa, Israel), “Diaspora and the Jewish Legend in Israel”
      3. Karen Sarhon (Ottoman-Turkish Sephardic Culture Research Center, Turkey) “Ladino: The Sound That Has Slowly Disappeared From the Wider Soundscape Of Turkey”
    4. Defining and Constructing Jewish Culture and Memory Moderator: Suzanne Rutland (University of Sydney, Australia)
      1. Joachim Schlör (University of Southampton, UK), “Jewish History and Memory: Means of Transport and Storage”
      2. András Kovács (Central European University, Hungary), “Culture as Identity Peg: The Role of Culture in the Construction of Jewish Identity”
      3. Steve Siporin (Utah State University, USA), “Mixed Motives: Sustaining and Defining Jewish Heritage in a Small Italian City Today”

      Bente Kahan: Home. Songs and Tales by European Jews, the White Stork Synagogue, Włodkowica Street

  3. DAY (Thursday, June 26)

    1. Jewish Culture and Jewish Identities in Contemporary Poland Moderator: Jonathan Webber (University of Birmingham, UK)
      1. Erica Lehrer (Concordia University, Canada), “‚Jewish Like an Adjective’: New Inflections of Polishness in Krakow’s Kazimierz”
      2. Michael Steinlauf (Gratz College, USA), “Something Lost that Seeks Its Name: Dybbuks in Post-Communist Poland”
      3. Michael Schudrich (Poland) “Jewish Life in Poland Today”
    2. Diversities and Unities in Modern Jewish Culture: Retrospective on the Conference and Prospect for the Future
      1. Marcin Wodziński (University of Wrocław, Poland) and Simon J. Bronner (Pennsylvania State University, USA)