University of Hamburg — Research Associate (PhD) in Jewish Studies

Pending approval of external funding Universität Hamburg invites applications for a Research Associate for the project “Jewish Moralistic Writings (Musar) of the Early Modern Period:1600-1800” in accordance with Section 28 subsection 3 of the Hamburg higher education act (Hamburgisches Hochschulgesetz, HmbHG). The position commences on July 1, 2019.

It is remunerated at the salary level TV-L 13 and calls for 29,25 work hours per week.

The fixed-term nature of this contract is based upon Section 2 of the academic fixed-term labor contract act (Wissenschaftszeitvertragsgesetz, WissZeitVG). The term is fixed to June 30, 2020 with the possibility of an extension for an additional 24 months pending approval of the second funding period of the project.

The University aims to increase the number of women in research and teaching and explicitly encourages women to apply. Equally qualified female applicants will receive preference in accordance with the Hamburg act on gender equality (Hamburgisches Gleichstellungsgesetz, HmbGleiG).

Responsibilities: Duties include academic services in the project named above. Research associates can also pursue independent research and further academic qualifications.

Specific Duties: The PhD candidate will be a member of the Emmy Noether Junior Research Group “Jewish Moralistic Writings of the Early Modern Period: 1600–1800” funded by the German Research Foundation. The group’s objective is to compile an inventory that systematically documents musar-writings that were composed between 1600 and 1800. The inventory aims at presenting the diversity of musar, identifying different schools, literary genres, and literary strategies. The joint project will be supplemented by individual studies that will give the group’s members the opportunity to evaluate the data brought together in the inventory. The successful applicant will pursue an individual research project on a topic related to the project’s thematic focus, and contribute to the preparation of the corpus of musar-writings of the inventory.

Requirements: A university degree in a relevant field. Graduate students with an M.A. degree in a relevant field, who focus on Early Modern Jewish History, Jewish Thought, the History of the Hebrew Book, or other subjects related to the project, and who have a keen interest in current theoretical trends in the humanities and social sciences (textual criticism, gender, the study of emotions etc.), as well as interdisciplinary approaches, are encouraged to apply. The successful candidate will have an excellent knowledge of English, as well as an additional language relevant for the intended individual research project (Hebrew, Judeo-Spanish, Yiddish, or Judeo-Arabic). The candidate should have a high degree of personal responsibility and be willing to work closely with the other members of the group.

Severely disabled applicants will receive preference over equally qualified non-disabled applicants.

For further information, please contact Patrick B. Koch or consult our website at https://www.philosophie.uni-hamburg.de/en/jewish-philosophy/forschung/emmy-noether.html.

Applications should include a cover letter, curriculum vitae, and copies of degree certificate(s), a research proposal (no longer than three pages) that outlines the intended research and its relevance for the project, as well as two letters of recommendation (to be sent directly to Patrick B. Koch, see contact below). The application deadline is March 20, 2019. Please send applications to: patrick.benjamin.koch@uni-hamburg.de.

New commission (2019)

University of Manchester

50 Jewish Objects Artist 

As part of major new public engagement initiative of the University of Manchester’s Centre for Jewish Studies, we seek to select an artist for a two-month project working to create Manchester-based artwork and public encounters in response to one or more of the historical and unique Jewish artefacts and manuscripts held at Manchester University’s John Rylands Library. The selected artist will liaise with a post-doctoral researcher to select an artefact or manuscript and learn about the chosen object in depth. We are looking for works of creative engagement with an object (or objects) responsive to the historical, cultural, linguistic or artefactual research currently being undertaken about them by scholars and which will be able to draw interest from general audiences at one or more artist’s workshops explaining and displaying the artwork created during the project period. The artefacts and manuscripts are part of the material cultural of Jews living in a variety of Jewish and non-Jewish historical and cultural settings. We welcome ideas for creative responses and artistic interpretations in visual/plastic/musical/digital media from artists of all cultural backgrounds.

The full call for artists and further details are available here: http://www.manchesterjewishstudies.org/50-jewish-objects/

We envisage May-June 2019 as the artist’s project period. Specifics are to be agreed when the successful bid is selected. The payment for the two-months’ period is £6,615 (note: all expenses, costs and taxes are be covered by the artist).

Application deadline: Monday 25 February 2019

Contract duration: 48 months, fixed term

Starting date: 1 July or as soon as possible thereafter

Location: Fachbereich Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften, Institut für Judaistik, FU Berlin

Salary: TV-L 13, full time

Reference code: WiMi/2019/13056401/1

The Department of Historical and Cultural Studies at Freie Universität Berlin invites applications for a postdoctoral research position in Jewish Studies within the framework of Emmy Noether Junior Research Group “Patterns of Knowledge Circulation: The Transmission and Reception of Jewish Esoteric Knowledge in Early Modern East-Central Europe,” founded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

The project is seeking a candidate with expertise in Jewish history and/or Jewish thought to fill in the post of research associate (postdoctoral). A preference will be given to candidates who express interest in examining intersections between a variety of Jewish esoteric literatures and practices and natural sciences in the context of early modern East-Central Europe. Research focus may include, but is not limited to, the corpus of manuals of practical kabbalah, how-to books and recipe compilations, occasional pamphlets and calendars as well as other relevant textual formats of early modern Ashkenazi provenance.

Job description:

The work of postdoctoral researcher includes the following duties:

• Independent library and archival research on handwritten and printed texts of early modern East-Central European (Ashkenazi) provenance pertinent to the project theme
• Preparation of a monograph based on the project-related as well as research papers for dissemination (publication)
• Preparation of data for project database; analysing data and results
• Joint-preparation of an international conference and other collaborative research events
• Contribution to the project website and public engagement work of the project
• Presence at the FU Berlin campus during working hours

Requirements:

• PhD in Jewish studies or a relevant field

Desirable:

Knowledge of one or more of relevant fields, such as: Jewish manuscript cultures, history of kabbalistic and/or Jewish magical literatures, history of early modern science and knowledge; experience of working with manuscript and archival material; excellent command of English and Hebrew; command of one or more of the following languages will be an advantage: Yiddish, German, Latin, Polish, Russian, Ukrainian; excellent writing and communication skills; ability to work well both collaboratively and independently; high motivation and excellent organisation skills; IT skills and experience of working with databases; publication record.

Application documents should include:

a cover letter; curriculum vitae; a research proposal related to the project theme (max. 1800 words); a writing sample (max. one article or a chapter of dissertation); copies of degree certificate(s), including transcripts of records.

Two recommendation letters must be submitted directly by the referees to Dr Agata Paluch (paluch@zedat.fu-berlin.de) by the deadline for applications.

Please submit all the application documents, quoting the reference code WiMi/2019/13056401/1, as one pdf file by email to judaist@geschkult.fu-berlin.de or by post to:

Freie Universität Berlin

Fachbereich Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften

Institut für Judaistik

Frau Dr. Agata Paluch

Fabeckstr. 23-25

14195 Berlin (Dahlem)

The deadline for applications is 1^st March 2019.

For informal enquiries and further information about the position, please contact Dr Agata Paluch at paluch@zedat.fu-berlin.de.

Applicants should be prepared to reside in the Berlin area. We especially encourage international applications. As Freie Universität Berlin aims to increase the number of female researchers, it expressly encourages women to apply. Applications from suitable candidates with severe disabilities will receive preferential treatment.

Contract duration: 48 months, fixed term

Starting date: 1 July or as soon as possible thereafter

Location: Fachbereich Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften, Institut für Judaistik, FU Berlin

Salary: TV-L 13; 65% fte

Reference code: WiMi/2019/13056401/2

The Department of Historical and Cultural Studies at Freie Universität Berlin invites applications for a doctoral position in Jewish Studies within the framework of Emmy Noether Junior Research Group “Patterns of Knowledge Circulation: The Transmission and Reception of Jewish Esoteric Knowledge in Early Modern East-Central Europe,” founded by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

The project is seeking a doctoral research associate to work on the subject of “Printing Jewish kabbalistic literatures in early modern East-Central Europe.” An interest in the histories of print, Jewish book and editorial practices as well as material history is essential. The focus may include book collecting practices and the status of Jewish cabbalistica in public and private book collections, book ownership patterns and the exchange of kabbalistic books as markers of power and authority, history of editorial practices, and/or the modes of circulation of kabbalistic knowledge between manuscripts and print in early modern East-Central Europe.

The work of doctoral researcher includes the following duties:

• Library and archival research on printed and handwritten texts of early modern East-Central European (Ashkenazi) provenance pertinent to the research theme
• Preparation of doctoral dissertation based on the project-related research
• Preparation of data for digital catalogue; analysing data and results
• Joint-preparation of an international conference and other collaborative research events
• Contribution to the project website
• Presence at the FU Berlin campus during working hours

Requirements:

MA degree in Jewish Studies or a relevant field

Desirable:

Knowledge of one or more of the following fields: reception history, book history, Jewish manuscript cultures, history of kabbalistic literatures; excellent command of English and Hebrew; command of one or more of the following languages will be an advantage: Yiddish, German, Latin, Polish, Russian; excellent writing and communication skills; ability to work well both collaboratively and independently; highly motivated, excellent organisation skills; IT skills.

Application documents should include:

one-page cover letter; curriculum vitae; a research proposal related to the subject specified in the job description (max. 1800 words); copies of degree certificate(s) including transcripts of records.

Two recommendation letters must be submitted directly by the referees to Dr Agata Paluch (paluch@zedat.fu-berlin.de) by the deadline for applications.

Please submit all the application documents, quoting the reference code WiMi/2019/13056401/2, as one pdf file by email to judaist@geschkult.fu-berlin.de or by post to:

Freie Universität Berlin

Fachbereich Geschichts- und Kulturwissenschaften

Institut für Judaistik

Frau Dr. Agata Paluch

Fabeckstr. 23-25

14195 Berlin (Dahlem)

The deadline for applications is 1^st March 2019.

For informal enquiries and further information about the position, please contact Dr Agata Paluch at paluch@zedat.fu-berlin.de.

Applicants should be prepared to reside in the Berlin area. We especially encourage international applications. As Freie Universität Berlin aims to increase the number of female researchers, it expressly encourages women to apply. Applications from suitable candidates with severe disabilities will receive preferential treatment.