V Praze dne 11 - Pražské centrum židovských studií

PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
PRAGUE CENTRE FOR JEWISH STUDIES,
FACULTY OF ARTS, CHARLES UNIVERSITY
ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2014
Over the three years of its existence the Prague Centre for Jewish Studies (PCJS) has
arranged numerous conferences, workshops and lectures, which have enjoyed
considerable participation both from home and abroad. The Centre has brought out and
supported several publications both here and, for example, at the prestige Harrassowitz
publishers in Wiesbaden. The Centre has now twice organized its unique “Israel Week at
Charles University”, which fosters discussion on the latest trends in Israel Studies. It has
also completed the accreditation process for its Jewish Studies, which can soon be
expected to start.
CONFERENCES, WORKSHOPS, SEMINARS
The Prague Centre for Jewish Studies at the Charles University Faculty of Arts arranged its
third annual conference, the first part of which, the symposium on “Jewish Prague of the
Late Renaissance and its Reflections: New Perspectives” took place on 23rd October. The
second part, in the form of a colloquium entitled “The Hebrew Book in Rudolphine Prague
and Elsewhere”, took place on 6th November. As is now traditional, the conference coorganizer was the City of Prague Archive.
“The Second Israel Week at Charles University” (5th – 11th May) carried on from the
successful first year, which took place in spring 2013. This “Week” aims to chart out the
primary subjects of Israel studies as presented by Czech and foreign specialists, while linking
up the domestic expert community with that of Israeli and other international institutions.
This year it hosted such prominent foreign figures as the Director of the Schusterman Centre
for Israel Studies at Brandeis University, Ilan Troen, and Hanna Yablonka from the Ben
1
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
Gurion University of the Negev. This event took place with the support of the Embassy of the
State of Israel in the Czech Republic and Kolektory, Praha, a company in Prague.
On 8th and 9th May the 6th annual international workshop on the Holocaust in
literature, film and the theatre in Central Europe took place under the title of: “The Aspects
of Genres in the Holocaust Literatures of Central Europe“. The workshop co-organizer was
the ASCR Institute of Czech Literature. The workshop was part of the Israel Week.
LECTURES
2.10. a lecture by Israel Yuval from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on: “The
Contribution of Christianity to Rabbinic Judaism“. Israel Yuval is a professor of Jewish
History and the Academic Director of the Mandel School for Advanced Studies.
3.10. Israel Knohl from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem gave a lecture entitled “The
Mysteries of Yom Kippur“. Israel Knohl is a professor of Biblical Studies.
9.10. a lecture by Mona Körte: “Das Buch im Buch. Schreibstrategien gegen den Tod“ (The
Book in the Book – Writing against Death). Mona Körte is a specialist in GermanEuropean-Jewish literature and cultural history.
PUBLICATIONS
Published
A publication was brought out entitled: Jewish Studies in the 21st Century: Prague – Europe –
World (ed. Marcela Zoufalá) by Harrassowitz in Wiesbaden. This volume contains
thirteen studies by PCJS staff members and guests who follow the issues surrounding
Jewish studies over a broad time range from ancient times to the present day. The
PCJS sees this publication as its most important output, reflecting its academic
activities over the first three years of its existence.
The PCJS also supported the publication of a book of poems by Jiří Mordechaj Langer: Básně
a písně přátelství (Poems and Songs of Friendship), which was brought out by the P3K
publishers in a translation and with a commentary by Hebraist Denisa Garcia with the
support of the Endowment Fund for Holocaust Victims and the Jewish Community
Foundation. This is a selection of poetry collections Básně a písně přátelství (Poems
and Songs of Friendship - Pijutim ve-šire jedidot) and Trocha balsámu (A Little Balsam
- Meat cori). This publication was co-edited by Daniel Boušek and Pavel Sládek.
PCJS also supported the publication of part of a thesis by Olga Zitová (supervised by Jiří
Holý), a Charles University Faculty of Arts graduate, by ibidem-Verlag entitled Thomas
2
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
Mann und Ivan Olbracht. Der Einfluss von Manns Mythoskonzeption auf die
karpatoukrainische Prosa des tschechischen Schriftstellers, Stuttgart 2014 (on the
subject of Mann’s tetralogy Joseph and his Brothers and Olbracht’s works Nikola
Šuhaj loupežník – The Bandit Nikola Šuhaj and Golet v údolí – Golet in the Valley).
Moreover, PCJS supported two different anthologies published as an outcome of the
international workshops on the Holocaust in literature, film and the theatre in
Central Europe. The first one entitled Reprezentacje Shoah w literaturze a filmie w
Europie Środkowej (ed. G. Gazda), Łodż 2014, the second one Der Holocaust in den
mitteleuropäischen Literaturen und Kulturen (ed. R. Ibler), Stuttgart 2014.
Forthcoming
On the basis of the Second Annual PCJS conference we are preparing a collective monograph
entitled Rozpad židovského života: 167 dní druhé republiky – The Collapse of Jewish
Life: 167 days of the Second Republic. This publication comes out with the support of
the Endowment Fund for Holocaust Victims.
Supported:
German version of a collection of papers from a conference on Otokar Fischer entitled:
Otokar Fischer (1883-1938): In Grenzgebieten (under preparation).
Synagoga na Palmovce – 20 let znovu otevřená – The Na Palmovce Synagogue – reopened 20
years, published to mark twenty years of cultural activities at the Na Palmovce
Synagogue (under preparation).
COURSES (extension of standard tuition)
Both semesters saw the continuation by a native speaker of intensive modern Hebrew
tuition, which has now been provided by the PCJS since 2012. Moreover, the spring
semester was enhanced by specialist lectures in modern Hebrew – a lecture course
on the visual culture of the modern State of Israel (with the support of an internal
Charles University Faculty of Arts grant). Modern Hebrew tuition is one of the priority
activities at the PCJS and has outstanding results – two of the Hebrew Studies
students are studying at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the 2014/15 academic
year.
3
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
In the 2014 spring semester the Arabic for Hebraists course run by Pavel Ťupek (Middle East
and Africa Institute) continued. This course fills a palpable interdisciplinary gap and
thanks to its success it will be rerun in a new round of the Bachelor programme from
the winter semester of 2015/16.
OTHER PROJECTS / ACTIVITIES
 13.3. forum with Polish reporter Paweł Smoleński and presentation of a Czech
translation of his book on modern-day Israel – Izrael już nie frunie – Israel will no longer
be flying high, which has been published in a translation by Michala Benešová and Lucie
Zakopalová. The co-organizers are the Polish Institute in Prague and the Dokořán –
Jaroslava Jiskrová/Máj publishers.
 25.10. Presentation of a film by director Mohan Bhavnani Prem Nagar from 1940,
screenwritten by Prague Jew Willy Haas, who fled from the Nazis to India, where he
established himself as a screenwriter at Bhavnani Productions, which was famous in its
day. Willy Haas’s emigration to India and his employment in the Indian film industry
were described in an introductory lecture by Dr. Christoph von Ungern-Sternberg. This
lecture was also accompanied by a reading of Willy Haas’s memoirs. The screening took
place in collaboration with the Czech Union of Jewish Youth and the Bollywood Film
Festival. The main organizer was Petra Nichtburgerová.
 Launch of collaboration on an exhibition project with the free-ranging M Association,
which includes the restoration of synagogue premises in Bohemia and Moravia using
contemporary art.
 The Prague Centre for Jewish Studies has focused over the long term on the acquisition
of foreign literature primarily on the current state of knowledge of modern Jewish
history, literature and culture.
 A new course has started on Abraham Joshua Heschel (Milan Lyčka, lecture/seminar).
 Continuation of the Czech Science Foundation grant-assisted Židé a židovství v české
literatuře 20. století – Jews and Jewishness in 20th century Czech literature (2013 to
2016). The output will be an extensive (approx. 400 page) collective monograph on this
subject (Jiří Holý and team).
4
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
INTERNAL ORGANIZATION
The activities of the Prague Centre for Jewish Studies are supervised by an Academic Board
made up of representatives from associated sections of the Charles University Faculty of Arts
and from the Jewish Museum in Prague. The Chairman of the Board is doc. PhDr. Pavel
Sládek, Ph.D. (Head, Institute of Near Eastern and African Studies, Hebrew Studies Program).
The Institute of Czech Literature and Comparative Studies is represented on the Board by
Professor PhDr. Jiří Holý, DrSc.; he also represents the Centre for the Study of the Holocaust
and Jewish Literature, which he established. Professor PhDr. Milan Tvrdík, CSc. takes part in
Centre activities on behalf of the Institute of Germanic Studies. The Institute of Czech History
is represented by PhDr. Luboš Velek, Ph.D., the Institute of Philosophy and Religious Studies
by PhDr. Milan Lyčka, Ph.D., the Department of Central European Studies by Mgr. Michala
Benešová, the Institute of Art History by PhDr. Josef Záruba-Pfeffermann, Ph.D. and the
Institute of Ethnology by PhDr. Marcela Zoufalá, Ph.D., who is also the Program and
Executive Director of the Centre. The Jewish Museum is represented on the Board by the
Deputy Director of the Jewish Museum in Prague, Michal Frankl, Ph.D., Departmental Head
of Jewish Studies and the History of Antisemitism.
SELECTED EVENTS IN 2015
The Prague Centre for Jewish Studies proudly announces a lecture by an Israeli diplomat and
the current President of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, Dore Gold. This
lecture takes place on 19th February.
Jonathan Meir, a prominent specialist in the history of the Jews in Eastern Europe, Jewish
mysticism, Chasidism and the modern Kabbalah, from Ben-Gurion University of
the Negev promised a visit in the fall.
The third Israel Week will take place at the end of April and the beginning of May (27.4.–3.5.)
at Charles University.
Thanks to its great success, the Prague Hebrew Book Colloquium will go on for a second
year.
The fourth annual conference entitled “Being Jewish in Central Europe Today“ will take
place 12.–15.10. in collaboration with the Kantor Center for the Study of
Contemporary European Jewry, Tel Aviv University. The focus of attention will be
on e.g. the development of Jewish identity in a European context or new forms of
antisemitism.
5
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
Presentation of Israel will no longer be flying high by Paweł Smoleński and a forum with the
author. Discussion chaired by Michala Benešová (Charles University Faculty of Arts).
In the audience was also the Ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs and the candidate for President of
the Czech Republic, Karel Schwarzenberg.
6
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
The third annual conference held by the Prague Centre for Jewish Studies at the Charles
University Faculty of Arts, entitled: Jewish Prague of the Late Renaissance and its Reflections:
New Perspectives took place as before at the Clam-Gallas Palace.
Viera Glosíková (Charles University Faculty of Education): The Prague Jewish ghetto in the
short story collection by Leo Perutz Noc pod Kamenným mostem – Night under the Stone
Bridge.
7
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
Jiří Holý (Charles University Faculty of Arts) /left/: “Rabínská moudrost – Rabbinical Wisdom
by Jaroslav Vrchlický and Pražský žid – Prague Jew by Josef Jiří Kolár“. Milan Tvrdík (Charles
University Faculty of Arts) /right/: “The historical novels of Max Brod from Rudolphine
Prague. The Prince Reuben novel“.
“The Hebrew Book in Rudolphine Prague and Elsewhere”.
Konstanze Kunst (University of Pennsylvania):
„Controlling the Jewish reader instead of the text?:
Perlhefter and the new Prague approach to censorship“.
8
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
“The Contribution of Christianity to Rabbinic Judaism“ – a lecture by Israel Yuval from the
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, who came to Bohemia at the invitation of Kurt and Ursula
Schubert’s Centre for Judaic Studies at Palacký University in Olomouc. The visit was arranged
by Alžběta Drexlerová.
Israel Knohl from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem gave a lecture entitled: “The Mysteries
of Yom Kippur“. (Photo: Petr Balajka)
9
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
Photos from the Israel Week discussion on: “The future of Czech-Israeli relations: CzechIsraeli relations: From sentiment to pragmatism?“. Guests: Gary Koren (Israeli ambassador to
the Czech Republic), Hynek Kmoníček (Director of the Foreign Division of the President’s
Office), Tomáš Pojar (former Czech ambassador to Israel). Chaired by Irena Kalhousová
(Middle East analyst). Interpreted by: Lucie Hindls. Introduction by Marcela Zoufalá and
Pavel Sládek. (Both photographs: Petr Balajka)
10
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
Posters showing the schedules of some events organized or co-organized by the Prague
Centre for Jewish Studies and the covers of books published or supported by the Centre:
11
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
12
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
13
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
14
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
15
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
16
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
17
PRAŽSKÉ CENTRUM ŽIDOVSKÝCH STUDIÍ
For more information contact [email protected]
18
mz ps