International Conference: Tracing Jewish Histories: The Long Lives of Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts, Judaica, and Architecture, The Courtauld, 19-20 May 2025

International Conference

Tracing Jewish Histories: The Long Lives of Medieval Hebrew Manuscripts, Judaica, and Architecture

19-20 May 2025

Vernon Square Campus, Lecture Theatre 2, The Courtauld, London

Ibn Shoshan Synagogue (now the Church of Santa María la Blanca), first built 1180, Toledo, Spain

Free, but booking is essential.

For more information and to book tickets, visit https://courtauld.ac.uk/whats-on/tracing-jewish-histories-the-long-lives-of-medieval-hebrew-manuscripts-judaica-and-architecture/

Works of art and architecture made by or for Jewish communities in the medieval period are often examined through the lenses of persecution and expulsion, or are contrasted against Christian or Muslim“styles.” This symposium seeks to expand and nuance these narratives in order to highlight how works of art and architecture can uniquely trace the history of particular Jewish communities by mapping their movements and traditions across generations and geographies. Medieval Jewish objects and spaces can also serve as loci to examine ideas related to collective memory and cultural identity. To that end, the symposium seeks to open new dialogues regarding the “afterlives” of medieval Jewish art more broadly, initiating discussions regarding the ways in which works of art and architecture continued to bear witness to the richness of Jewish life and culture long after they were created.

Organised by Laura Feigen and Reed O’Mara, this symposium is supported by Sam Fogg and the Mellon Foundation with additional support from The Department of Art History and Art at Case Western Reserve University and The Medieval Academy of America Graduate Student Committee Grant for Innovation in Community Building and Professionalization.