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On September 17, 2023, the Jewish Medieval Heritage in Erfurt was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List at the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee chaired by Saudi Arabia in Riyadh. This brought a decades-long process to its provisional conclusion, in which research into the history of the Jewish community in Erfurt in the Middle Ages and its material evidence had been intensified in preparation for the World Heritage application and also during the evaluation, thus leading to a great increase in knowledge. This process should and must continue, but an (interim) conclusion can be drawn in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the history of the Graß or Graß and Barth publishing house in Breslau from the eighteenth to the middle of the nineteenth century. In particular, it tackles the role of women in the management and the involvement of the printing house in the dissemination of Haskalah literature, two chapters that are usually underrepresented in book history. In addition, the commitment of a Christian printer to Hebrew printing and his involvement with the Jewish Enlightenment will be addressed. The hitherto under-researched history of the Graßische Druckerei in Breslau will thus be embedded in cultural-historical questions about booklore, the Central European Haskalah and Gender Studies. Additionally, the paper examines the transfer of knowledge between the majority and minority population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focusses on Fanny Lewald's historical novel »Prinz Louis Ferdinand« of 1849. I examine the biographical as well as cultural-historical circumstances of the work's genesis. Lewald clearly intended it as a critique of Prussian history, but at the same time the work's focal point turns out to be a quite personal, female perspective. This perspective is mirrored in the prince's experiences of loss and powerlessness. This leads me to explore the poetological dimensions of a writing in which the figure of the Prussian prince becomes a prismatic center of Lewald's self-reflection. Here, the figure of Rahel Levin, as prominently portrayed by Lewald in her novel, plays a special role. It is precisely in her that the author's interest in the political position of the Jewess in her as well as in Rahel Levin's time becomes apparent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hidden in the attics of old synagogues in Germany, the very last remnants of former Genizot survived unnoticed not only the NS period, but also the following years of secular use of these buildings. Since the 1950s Genizot have been found mostly in the course of renovation work on the synagogues. After ages of storage in the attics, Genizah findings are usually in very bad condition. The finders standing before dirty »shambles out of paper« often considered Genizot to be rubbish. Only after some time researchers began to study the material, soon realizing that these findings were much more than »sacred trash«, since they could provide insight into the life of Jewish rural communities from the 17th to 19th century. Till today, dozens of Genizot have been saved in Germany. The Genisaprojekt Veitshöchheim and other researchers are dealing with the inventory, the digitization and the publication of the finds. However, there are still hardly any studies drawing concrete conclusions about Jewish community life based on the Genizah findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is possibly the profession most frequently addressed with expectations of dealing with contemporary forms of antisemitism. However, the topic is not prominently discussed in the field of didactics and teachers report of feelings of overburdening, dealing especially with forms of antisemitism relating to the State of Israel and the Middle East Conflict. These forms are the most controversial variations of antisemitism and also the ones often not mentioned and also not interpreted and responded appropriately. The paper argues for a stronger awareness of non-intended effects of education on antisemitism. It shows their relevance focussing three exemplary contexts regarding spontaneous interventions to antisemitic statements as well as pedagogic concepts represented in published documents. Without a profound understanding of antisemitism as a complex phenomenon with specific patterns, awareness for possible non-intended effects can hardly be reached. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antisemitism today is omnipresent, yet mostly misunderstood, underestimated and trivialized. In schools as well, antisemitic acts are becoming increasingly aggressive and expressible. To combat and prevent Jew-hatred has been the ongoing commitment of antisemitism-critical education. Nevertheless, a (critical) theory-driven insight into the functionality of antisemitism raises why the current educational practice that can be stated as merely imparting knowledge and facts is not sufficient but, urgently, must be supplemented by a self-related and emotion-reflective approach developed in this paper in order to be able to achieve more sustainable success on the educational level. The need to deeper reflect on emotions and the subconsciousness as major roots of antisemitism leads the author to the proposal of specific dialogical-introspective methods, which will be critically contextualized in the end. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]