JEWISH-ARABIC CULTURES

This time, we look back on the lecture series commemorating the forgotten Jewish LMU professor Karl Süßheim (1897–1982). We have several interesting events coming up, including a public lecture and masterclass by Diana Matut on Mizrahi Music, and the second Gershom Scholem lecture for which we were able to win Saverio Campanini (University of Bologna). We feature four blogposts on Qaraite and Quranic manuscripts, a new catalogue of Arabic Bible translations in the British Library, an interview with Roberta Mazza on antiquities trade and the role of institutions, and the well-known manuscript hunter Constantin Tischendorf and his lesser known involvement in the trade of Qaraite manuscripts. Our member Sophia Schmitt introduces herself and her interests in the history of interreligious relationships between Jews and Christians. We also have a new fellowship programme. The next call for applications will open in autumn 2025. As always, you will find a list of our members' latest publications at the end.

You can now also check out our previous newsletters archived via the Specialised Information Service for Jewish Studies (Fachinformationsdienst Jüdische Studien). Moreover, we deactived our X account some time ago and changed to Bluesky, where you can follow us and stay up to date.

Karl Süßheim Lecture Series

From October 2024 to January 2025, the Judaic Studies unit of LMU's Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies co-organised together with the Turkic Studies unit, the unit for Modern and Contemporary Jewish History, and the Institut für Zeitgeschichte (IfZ) a series of lectures dedicated to the life and work of the Jewish Orientalist Karl Süßheim (1878–1947) and its broader context.

Karl Süßheim was one of the most outstanding German experts on the Near and Middle East of his time. In Munich, he taught important scholars such as Gershom Scholem (1897–1982) and Franz Barbinger (1891–1967). However, he was denied an academic career in Germany. He was one of the last Jews to escape the Shoa, fleeing to Istanbul in the summer of 1941. There he taught Turkish history at the university until his death in 1947.

The lecture series commemorated Süßheim and shed light on the historical context of his life and circumstances under the title 'Jewish Life between Germany and Turkey: A Lecture Series in Honour of the Forgotten LMU Professor Karl Süßheim' ('Jüdisches Leben zwischen Deutschland und der Türkei: Eine Vortragsreihe zu Ehren des in Vergessenheit gerateten LMU-Professors Karl Süßheim'). In addition to Süßheim's biography, seven lectures examined various aspects such as the role of Jewish intellectuals in Turkey in the 1930s and 1940s, or the fate of other Jewish emigrants from Germany in that country.

In January, the finale featured a discussion and the presentation of a memorial plaque commemorating Süßheim, now installed at the Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies.

Volkswagen Momentum Fellowship Programme: "From Pre-Modern to Modern Perspectives in Judaic Studies"

Beginning in spring 2025, this Volkswagen Momentum fellowship programme invites applications from junior and senior scholars engaged in research on Judaism and the Jewish communities of the Near and Middle East from the early modern to modern periods.

The fellowship programme is designed to bridge the traditionally segmented fields of pre-modern and modern Jewish history in the Near East. It adopts an interdisciplinary perspective that encourages a continuous examination of Jewish history across time. This approach facilitates an integrated understanding of historical phenomena, enabling scholars to investigate how pre-modern developments shaped modern Jewish communities and identities and, conversely, how modern contexts illuminate the legacy of the past.

Structured to foster intellectual exchange, the fellowship program encourages close collaboration between fellows and the research team at the Munich Research Centre for Jewish-Arabic Cultures, directed by Prof Dr Ronny Vollandt. The programme emphasises an interdisciplinary methodology that draws from fields such as anthropology, sociology, political science, law, philology, and religious studies. Furthermore, the programme is committed to challenging Eurocentric and Ashkenazi-focused narratives in Jewish historiography by amplifying the voices and experiences of Mizrahi Jews, particularly those from Arabic-speaking countries.

To implement the expanded perspective in research and teaching, the project awards fellowships for both experienced and young scholars. Each fellow will be affiliated with LMU’s Center for Advanced Studies and is invited to participate in its activities. Fellows are expected to be in residence in Munich and to engage actively with the team at the Munich Research Centre for Jewish-Arabic Cultures.

Principal Investigator: Prof Dr Ronny Vollandt
Program Coordinator: Marina Shcherbakova