Modern Judaism: Through the Lens of October 7

The 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel was the worst massacre suffered by Jews since the Holocaust. Unleashing waves of anti-Zionism and antisemitism, the Jews’ right to a national homeland has been challenged; Israel stands accused as a colonialist, genocidal state denying the rights of native Palestinians.

Led by Dr Miri Freud-Kandel, this lecture series explores critical questions faced by various strands of Jewish life and thought in the aftermath of 7 October, such as:

  • How did we get to this point?
  • How did Zionism emerge?
  • What were the formative influences shaping modern Jewish identity construction?
  • The French Revolution promised a society in which religious discrimination would be eliminated. How did Jews respond to the opportunities heralded by Emancipation?
  • At what cost to Jewish life, faith, and thought?
  • Against a centuries-old legacy of Christian anti-Judaism, Enlightenment thought seemed to promise new beginnings. How did that play out?

Talks will take place in Room 207, Clarendon Institute.

Monday 14 October 2024 (1st Week, Michaelmas Term)

Monday 21 October 2024 (2nd Week, Michaelmas Term)

Monday 28 October 2024 (3rd Week, Michaelmas Term)

Monday 4 November 2024 (4th Week, Michaelmas Term)

Monday 11 November 2024 (5th Week, Michaelmas Term)

Monday 18 November 2024 (6th Week, Michaelmas Term)

Monday 25 November 2024 (7th Week, Michaelmas Term)

Monday 2 December 2024 (8th Week, Michaelmas Term)

This series features in the following public collections: