UCL Hebrew & Jewish Studies

Call for Papers - 2026 Conference: The LBI is accepting proposals for papers to be presented at its 2026 conference The LBI is accepting proposals for papers to be presented at its 2026 conference Between Revolution and Reaction: German-Speaking Jews and the Ideas, Politics, and Cultures of the Right

Reposting this CfP for fall conference on German Jews and the Right -- deadline approaching fast please help spread the word. #academicsky 🗃️
www.lbi.org/news/confere...

😂 wouldn't that be something!

Anna Switaj awarded inaugural Jonathan Hill Architectural Design PhD Prize Architectural Design PhD candidate Anna Switaj has been selected as the first recipient of the Jonathan Hill Architectural Design PhD Prize Fund at the Bartlett School of Architecture.

Mazel tov to Anna Świtaj (co-supervised by @guesnet.bsky.social) on being the first ever recipient of the Jonathan Hill Architectural Design PhD Prize!
www.ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/new...

Here's my new blog post about Jewish dance cards and a recent UCL bicentennial event where we learned Edwardian ballroom dances from a Jewish dance card in @uclhjslibrary.bsky.social to the same tunes that were performed in 1909. #UCL200

In partnership with @uclhjs.bsky.social and the UCL IJS.

A newly identified copy of the 'Syriac Book of Medicines' HJS Research Fellow Abigail Pearson has discovered a previously unidentified version of an important Syriac text

HJS Research Fellow Abigail Pearson has discovered a previously unidentified version of the Syriac Book of Medicines at the @bodleian.ox.ac.uk

www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

Celebrate Hebrew International Language Day with us on 21 February!

Experience Bialik, King of the Jews - a powerful film by Yair Qedar - followed by a Q&A and poetry readings in Hebrew and Yiddish.

Secure your spot: buff.ly/leE7wk6
@uclhjs.bsky.social

Lovely to read this tribute to Prof Ada Rapoport-Albert z"l from one of her research students @uclhjs.bsky.social

Learn about this new @stanfordpress.bsky.social book at Sasha Senderovich's 26 Feb UCL Institute for Jewish Studies talk 'In the Shadow of the Holocaust: Translating Jewish Writers from the Soviet Union'.
@uclhjs.bsky.social @biajs.bsky.social @uclssees.bsky.social

www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

UCL has trial access to Women’s Studies Archive: Female Forerunners Worldwide, part of Gale Primary Sources, until 5th March 2026. It includes lots of Hebrew and Jewish studies related material @uclhjs.bsky.social blogs.ucl.ac.uk/library-ejou...

A newly identified copy of the 'Syriac Book of Medicines' HJS Research Fellow Abigail Pearson has discovered a previously unidentified version of an important Syriac text

HJS Research Fellow Abigail Pearson has discovered a previously unidentified version of the Syriac Book of Medicines at the @bodleian.ox.ac.uk

www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

Fun Fact: The first known mention of the Italian word 'pizza' appears in a Judeo-Italian text (Italian written in Hebrew script), from the 14th century. The first non-Jewish mention of the word pizza appears more than 200 years later.

...or as I like to tell people at parties: Jews invented pizza!

Come Fill Your Dance Card: A Celebration of Jewish Dances Cards in the Library Special Collections 5 February 2026 at 18:00

Looking forward to tomorrow's 'Come Fill Your Dance Fill Your Dance Card'.
Hosted by @uclhjslibrary.bsky.social, @uclhjs.bsky.social and the IJS.

We're all booked up, but you can sign up for the waitlist (or let us know if you'd like a similar future event).

www.tickettailor.com/events/uclin....

Come learn Edwardian ballroom dances from a 1909 Jewish dance card in the Gaster Papers!
With dance instructor Susan de Guardiola (USA), Subject Librarian @vrfreedman.bsky.social and myself (talking about Jewish balls).

@uclhjs.bsky.social @artshumsucl.bsky.social @biajs.bsky.social

A newly discovered Syriac version of the ‘Revelation of Ezra’ HJS Research Fellow Abigail Pearson has discovered a previously unknown Syriac version of a famous medieval text

HJS Research Fellow Abigail Pearson has discovered a previously unknown Syriac version of the ‘Revelation of Ezra’ (a famous medieval text used to predict the coming year based on the day of the week on which it began)

Tomorrow!

HJS Research Fellow Abigail Pearson has discovered a previously unknown Syriac version of the ‘Revelation of Ezra’ (a famous medieval text)

blogs.ucl.ac.uk/neastr/2026/...

Jews, Judaism and Mental Health Zoom Series Explore Jewish mental health, depression, and Haredi psychotherapy on Tuesdays from 1-2pm.

Our Jews, Judaism and Mental Health series is free and open to the public.

The second session is on 20 January from 1-20m GMT on Zoom

www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

Looking forward to presenting @uclssees.bsky.social next week on Tea Arciszewska’s life and her (tragically timely) modernist play about children in wartime, “Miryeml.”
@uclhjs.bsky.social @biajs.bsky.social @yiddishbookcenter.bsky.social

We are thrilled to announce a call for our inaugural Yiddish & Hebrew issue edited by @samspinner.bsky.social
Please circulate widely. We are open to work that engages with Jewish literature, culture, and thought in any language.
@hopkinspress.bsky.social

Event poster for 'Mourning a lost future: Miryeml, a Yiddish Drama of Children in Wartime' with a photo of Tea Arciszews­ka.

Please join us for this Study of Central Europe seminar with @sgollance.bsky.social, will discuss her translation of Tea Arciszewska’s play 'Miryeml' as part of a broader effort to uncover Yiddish plays by women.

🗓️ 2 December at 6pm
📍 UCL SSEES
➡️ buff.ly/dOMrzrO

@uclhjslibrary.bsky.social

Blood Libel | Holocaust Encyclopedia Blood libels were false allegations that Jews used the blood of non-Jewish children in rituals. Nazi propagandists used this false charge in their antisemitic propaganda.

For those unfamiliar with the term 'Blood Libel' @ushmm.bsky.social has a helpful explainer on this allegation of Jewish ritual murder and cannibalism.
encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/a...

Statement from HJS on Blood Libel incident We applaud UCL for taking swift action and look forward to UCL leadership communicating directly to the UCL community to specifically call out ideas and language that will not be tolerated on campus.

We applaud UCL for taking swift action and look forward to UCL leadership communicating directly to the UCL community to specifically call out ideas and language that will not be tolerated on campus.

www.ucl.ac.uk/arts-humanit...

Architecture of Memory Architecture of Memory explores architectural disappearance, urban remembrance and functional change amid social upheaval. Using archival, architectural and artistic methods, Natalia Romik investigate...

Do check out this *absolutely amazing* volume on Jewish spaces in postwar Poland by UCL @uclhjs.bsky.social and Bartlett graduate Natalia Romik (Warsaw), published yesterday.

Big congratulations from a very proud former co-supervisor :-)

Open access from UCL Press:

uclpress.co.uk/book/archite...

📆 Coming up on 18 Nov: UCL Lunch Hour Lecture, The Witch in the Bible and Beyond

Hear from Dr Alinda Damsma on her research about the impact of the Bible on the early modern witch-hunts. These lectures are free, open to all and online.

Book now: buff.ly/LupLYZS
@uclhjs.bsky.social

HJS academics are offering free in-person workshops to schools to support students wishing to enter the competition.

History Prize 2026 2020 saw the launch of the Sir Martin Gilbert History Prize, an annual competition to honour Sir Martin’s work and inspire the next generation of historians.

We are delighted to launch the 2026 Sir Martin Gilbert History Prize with the SMG Learning Centre! We are inviting entries from UK students in Years 10 and 11, with a First Prize of £400 and a Second Prize of £200. sirmartingilbertlearningcentre.org/smg-history-...

May their memory be a blessing 🕯️

Lunch Hour Lecture | The Witch in the Bible and Beyond | 18 November

Join this lecture where Dr Alinda Damsma (UCL Hebrew and Jewish Studies) will introduce her research on the impact of the Bible on the early modern witch-hunts.

Book your free place now: buff.ly/LupLYZS
@uclhjs.bsky.social

Shana tova to all those celebrating!!
Wishing you and yours a joyful and sweet new year 🍎🍯

Mazel tov to joint HJS and @uclssees.bsky.social student Dov Forman on being named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential Content Creators for his work posting educational content about the Holocaust on TikTok and Instagram. time.com/collections/... @artshumsucl.bsky.social @ucl.ac.uk