Jewish Studies at a Crossroads: Central Europe and Beyond

EAJS Conference Grant Program in Jewish Studies

Report

CEU Jewish Studies 25th Anniversary Conference (CEU, Vienna):

“Jewish Studies at a Crossroads: Central Europe and Beyond”

The conference marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Jewish Studies Program at Central European University. Created in Budapest, it has now found its home in Vienna as a place of research and teaching about the historic and contemporary Jewish experience. Over the past 25 years, the CEU Jewish Studies Program has offered a Specialisation in Jewish Studies for students in different MA programs and today looks at an impressive list of 128 alumni.

Celebrating these achievements, the conference brought together many of the alumni who have made their way in higher education and came to play important roles in the field of Jewish Studies and invited them to share their current research. At the same time, the conference aimed to look forward, to take stock of the challenges Jewish Studies as an academic discipline faces, to learn from colleagues in different areas and institutions, and to discuss steps forward for the wider field.

The conference, which was made possible with the generous support by the European Association for Jewish Studies, as well as Stadt Wien Kultur (the cultural department of the City of Vienna), and the Knapp Family and the Salo W. and Jeannette M. Baron Foundations, achieved the goals it set for itself. Not only could attendants learn about new, pathbreaking research, but, crucially, the conference was a space where some of the most pressing issues facing the field of Jewish Studies today were discussed openly, straightforwardly, doing important work for the future strengthening of the field.

Legacies and Empires

The conference opened with a roundtable discussion between Kateřina Čapková (Charles University, Prague), András Kovács (CEU), and Melissa Feinberg (Rutgers University, New Brunswick) on the implications that the tremendous changes of 1989 and the fall of the Soviet bloc brought for the field of Jewish Studies in Eastern and Central Europe. András Kovács, who had played an important role in the re-building of Jewish Studies in Hungary, reflected on how the destruction of the Shoah had also fundamentally changed what might be termed the ‘social base’ for Jewish Studies in the country and how this had shaped the field there before the events of 1989. Kateřina Čapková then shared her own experiences and what the opening of archives and new opportunities for travel and research meant for the field. Melissa Feinberg spoke about the optimism of the 1990s and (early) 2000s, the opening of new possibilities, and the creation of new programs but at the same time cautioned against a romanticisation of the period and questioned the very common narrative of a ‘renaissance’ in this period.

The second day of the conference began with a paper by Željka Oparnica (University of Belgrade), wonderfully entitled ‘Extra Wurst: Sephardim from the Balkans in Conversation with German Jews (1900s–1920s)’, in which she discussed the complexities of Sephardi-Ashkenazi encounters and debates over identity, modernity, and belonging in the period of (post-)imperial transition. Marie Crhová (Palacký University, Olomouc) approached Jewish family networks as a tool to understand economic ties and developments in the wider imperial space and Camelia Crăciun (University of Bucharest) took the case of the Vilna Troupe Yiddish theatre group in interwar Romania to analyse connections, culture, and audiences that transcended nation states and communities. All three papers demonstrated the centrality of the imperial experience in Central and Eastern Europe, how it did not end off with the collapse of the imperial states after the First World War, and – crucially – how the Jewish story was not only shaped by empire, but shaped empire in turn, and is a crucial perspective to understand it.

This intimate connection between the European imperial story and the Jewish experience was also at the heart of Panel 2, where Olga Petrova (CEU) discussed the cooperation and agreements between Jewish-national and Ukrainian-national activists during the revolutionary upheavals and the civil war of 1917–1920. The story she told was a complex one, of ideological conviction, tactical agreements, bitter disappointment, and violent destruction that remains of great relevance for discussions more than 100 years later. Anastasiia Strakhova (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) gave a fascinating, nuanced picture about Russian government policies towards Jewish emigration in the late imperial period, and Máté Rigó (Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich) presented his current research on Jewish volunteers in the French Foreign Legion, their integration into the French war efforts in Southeast Asia, and the complexities of their experiences – not least in light of them becoming part of an imperial war effort few had endorsed, and where, from the late 1940s, they often had to serve alongside former Nazi perpetrators.

Pieter M. Judson (European University Institute, Florence) in his keynote then made clear the centrality of studying Jews for the understanding of Central Europe, of imperial societies, and of communities in general. Building on his leading work on the Habsburg Empire, he discussed not only what modernisation, institution-building, and gradual democratisation meant for the Jewish citizens of the Habsburg state, but also how centring them can change conventional, established narratives about nationalism and local political agency. Clearly, the imperial story, so much at the centre of a university with two campuses in the two imperial capitals – Vienna and Budapest – can look quite differently if read through the Jewish minority’s perspective.

Communist Rule and Politics of Memory

The second major thread of the conference was the experiences of Jews in post-Holocaust societies and the politics of memory in Eastern and Central Europe under communist rule. István Pál Ádám (Holocaust Memorial Center, Budapest) and Péter Buchmüller (CEU) presented their joint research on early commemoration by the Budapest Bar Association of fellow Jewish lawyers who had been murdered, showing both the complexities of this moment, as well as the long-term trajectories of integration and exclusion of the Jewish community in the Hungarian capital. Ksenia Poluektova-Krimer (Leibniz Center for Contemporary History, Potsdam / Viadrina University, Frankfurt an der Oder) then analysed how  Putin’s regime in Russia instrumentalises, misconstructs, and hijacks the memory of the Holocaust for both domestic and foreign aims and for the mobilisation of its war of aggression. Closely connected, Ilya Yablokov (University of Sheffield) discussed the historical narratives about the Second World War as propagated by the current Russian regime and how it tries to re-write the history of the Holocaust for its own imperial aims.

Returning to the post-war years, Hana Kubátová (Charles University, Prague) discussed a fascinating aspect of her current project on the ‘recycling’ of elites from the fascist to the communist period in Eastern and Central Europe. Focusing on Slovakia in her paper, she not only centred on local experiences and administrative and personal decision-making but also on how Jews encountered the old perpetrators who they became part of the new regimes. Kata Bohus (UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø) carefully analysed then the changing use and role of Holocaust survivors’ testimonies during the period of the collapse of the communist regimes. Finally, Ágnes Kelemen (Jewish Theological Seminary, Budapest) centred on one of the most important Jewish institutions in the communist bloc, namely the Hungarian Rabbinical Seminary, the only institution that trained rabbis, and how it functioned under multiple pressures, becoming a vital, contested, international institution.

Just as the ‘big thread’ on Central and Eastern European empires and their legacies, these stories on the Holocaust and its aftermath, communism, and the politics of memory in Eastern and Central Europe demonstrated the expertise and focus of the CEU Jewish Studies Program over the past 25 years. It brought together scholars with different backgrounds and expertise into a joint conversation that also linked historical and contemporary questions.

Challenging Times

The third major thread of the conference was a series of vital discussions on the challenges that Jewish Studies in Europe and beyond currently face and what strategies might be developed for the future. In doing so, the conference organisers brought together different perspectives, stakeholders, and institutions in a series of roundtables. On the first day, Barbara Staudinger (Vienna Jewish Museum), Zsuzsa Toronyi (Budapest Jewish Museum), Pavla Niklová (Prague Jewish Museum), and Dariusz Stola (Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw) together discussed the changing role of Jewish museums. Representing diverse institutions, with different backgrounds, different funding structures, and different missions, they all emphasised the continuing relevance and changing nature of the Jewish museum in conveying the Jewish story and in being part of wider societal conversation. Panellists spoke about the challenges represented by digitalisation and the ethical and curatorial implications of this in changing the relation between visitors and exhibits. In regard to the challenges of the past years – the title of the panel, after all, was ‘Jewish Museums in Times of Crisis’ – the panellists emphasised that the Jewish museum also ought to be a safe space for individuals and communities and at the same time a room where sometimes hard and difficult debates can be had in a serious, thoughtful, and respectful way. Crucially, all agreed on the central task of Jewish museums to connect academic research with wider society, of building bridges between communities, and of being a space for learning and engaging with Jewish history and society.

As the panellists on the very first day discussed, many of the institutions that are today the backbone of Jewish Studies in Central and Eastern Europe were established in the optimistic 1990s and 2000s. This often happened with considerable financial support from philanthropic organisations and funders, who remain essential for the day-to-day functioning and the future of the field. Because of this, and, even more importantly, because Jewish Studies Funders themselves are important parts of the scholarly community, the panel brought together Ruchama Johnston-Bloom (Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe) and Semion Goldin (The Leonid Nevzlin Center for Russian and East European Jewry / The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) in a fascinating discussion that highlighted the perspective of funding bodies whose support is essential for many institutions in the field. From their contributions and through the discussion with the audience, several questions and dilemmas emerged. One was over the support for established, long-standing institutions and the question of creating new spaces and institutions and of supporting new projects. Another was a shift in interest among some, especially younger, philanthropists, not least since the attacks of 7 October 2023 and the war and conflicts that ensued, with some of them shifting their priorities more towards the study of antisemitism or Israel. Importantly, Jewish Studies scholars and programs, focused on Central and Eastern Europe, need to make sure that they reach new audiences and continue to remain relevant for wider debates and emerging discussions.

The second keynote by Marcin Wodziński (University of Wrocław / Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich) then introduced a great debate over the future of Jewish Studies in the region. Entitled ‘The Last of Us? The Fate of Jewish Studies in East-Central Europe’, it highlighted some of the serious problems the field currently faces: from declining student numbers, to fewer submissions to Jewish Studies Journals and a certain ‘provincialisation’ of others, to experiences of isolation and ostracism, especially since 7 October 2023. These many challenges are both a part of the wider crisis of the humanities and at the same time also unique to the field of Jewish Studies. The keynote was an extremely important, honest accounting that is essential for the field to confront and overcome these challenges in the future.

The keynote in many respects introduced the final roundtable discussion on the future of the field. Michael L. Miller (CEU), Scott Ury (Tel Aviv University), François Guesnet (University College London), and Constanza Cordoni (University of Vienna) represent very different institutions – in Europe and Israel, public and private, stand-alone degrees and specialisations, etc. – and are therefore confronted with sometimes very different challenges. Importantly, one key challenge is the changed perception of Jewish Studies and Jewish history since the attacks of 7 October 2023 and the subsequent wars, with the image of Jews as a paradigmatic minority questioned by many in the public, including many prospective or potential students. At least in Israel, as Scott Ury argued, this is also in part related to a crisis of Zionism. All panellists agreed on the necessity to openly account for and to confront shortcomings and challenges, on the need to reach new people and new audiences, and on highlighting the continued relevance of Jewish Studies and Jewish history for research and learning about some of the most fundamental aspects of society – as demonstrated, not least, by many of the aforementioned panellists.

Conclusions and Outcomes

One of the principle takeaways from both the keynote and the final roundtable is that much of the future of Jewish Studies depends on cooperation and mutual support between institutions and colleagues. For the organisers, the conference has highlighted the great academic strength of many of their alumni as well as the dynamic network, brought together in Vienna, that bridged not only many different countries but very different institutions and communities. Bringing these different perspectives together into dialogue is crucial for the future of the field.

From the perspective of CEU Jewish Studies, this conference not only marked an important milestone but also a departure point for the rebuilding of the program. We plan to build on this conference and its lessons during a restructuring process of the Program to be started in the 2026/27 academic year (alongside a restructuring of Central European University). This means bringing together colleagues and their experiences and expertise, to build on the lessons from the conference and subsequent debates. For this, and for the wider future of Jewish Studies in Central Europe and Beyond, the conference was a key moment and we are grateful to the European Association for Jewish Studies for making it possible.

Final Conference Program  

DAY 1: MAY 31, 2026

4:30 – 5:00 p.m. Registration

5:00 – 5:15 Welcome remarks by Michael L. Miller (CEU)

5:15 – 5:30 25 Years of Jewish Studies at CEU

  • Michael L. Miller (CEU) and Michael K. Silber (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

5:30 – 7:00 Roundtable 1: Winds of Change — Central Europe after 1989

  • Moderator: Carsten Wilke (CEU)
  • Kateřina Čapková (Charles University, Prague)
  • András Kovács (CEU)
  • Melissa Feinberg (Rutgers University, New Brunswick)

DAY 2: JUNE 1, 2026

9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Panel 1: Jews and the Legacy of Empire

  • Chair: Scott Ury (Tel Aviv University)
  • Željka Oparnica (University of Belgrade) Extra Wurst: Sephardim from the Balkans in Conversation with German Jews (1900s–1920s)
  • Marie Crhová (Palacký University, Olomouc) Jewish Family Networks and Entrepreneurship on the Imperial Periphery
  • Camelia Crăciun (University of Bucharest) About the Vilna Troupe in Interwar Romania: A True Love Story

10:30 – 11:00 Coffee Break

11:00 – 12:30 Roundtable 2: Jewish Museums in Times of Crisis

  • Chair: Éva Kovács (Vienna Wiesenthal Institute for Holocaust Studies)
  • Barbara Staudinger (Vienna Jewish Museum)
  • Zsuzsa Toronyi (Budapest Jewish Museum)
  • Pavla Niklová (Prague Jewish Museum)
  • Dariusz Stola (Polin Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Warsaw)

12:30 – 2:00 p.m. Lunch Break

2:00 – 3:30 Panel 2: A People That Dwells Apart?

  • Chair: Susanne Korbel (University of Graz / CEU)
  • Olga Petrova (CEU) In the Shadow of Empire(s): Ukrainian-Jewish Political Cooperation, 1917–1920
  • Anastasiia Strakhova (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) Jewish Exceptionalism? Filtration Policies and Emigration from the Late Russian Empire
  • Máté Rigó (Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich) From Eastern Europe to Latin America: Escape Routes in an Era of Global Crises

3:30 – 4:00 Coffee Break

4:00 – 5:00 Roundtable 3: Jewish Studies Funding Priorities in Central Europe

  • Moderator: Michael L. Miller (CEU)
  • Ruchama Johnston-Bloom (Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe)
  • Semion Goldin (The Leonid Nevzlin Center for Russian and East European Jewry / The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

5:00 – 5:30 Coffee Break

5:30 – 6:45 Keynote 1

  • Pieter Judson (European University Institute, Florence) Jewish Neighbors in the Habsburg Empire: Between Difference and Democratization, 1848–1920
  • Moderator: Michael K. Silber (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

DAY 3: JUNE 2, 2026

9:00 – 11:00 a.m. Panel 3: The Politics of Memory in Central and Eastern Europe

  • Chair: Ines Koeltzsch (University of Vienna / CEU)
  • István Pál Ádám (Holocaust Memorial Center, Budapest), Péter Buchmüller (CEU) Responsibility and Remembrance – Budapest Lawyers and the Memory of a Troubled Past
  • Ksenia Poluektova-Krimer (Leibniz Center for Contemporary History, Potsdam / Viadrina University, Frankfurt an der Oder) Hijacking History: Holocaust Discourse as a Domestic and Foreign Policy Tool in Putin’s Russia
  • Ilya Yablokov (University of Sheffield) “Genocide of the Soviet People”: How the Kremlin’s Memory Politics Rewrite the History of the Holocaust in the USSR

11:00 – 11:30 Coffee Break

11:30 – 1:00 Panel 4: Communism’s Jewish Question

  • Chair: András Kovács (CEU)
  • Hana Kubátová (Charles University, Prague) Everyday Communism after Fascism: Jewish Encounters with Recycled Elite
  • Kata Bohus (UiT – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø) From Agents of Memory to Agents of Change: Holocaust Survivor Testimonies during the Collapse of State Socialism
  • [Ágnes Kende (CEU Democracy Institute, Budapest) From Above to Below: Official and Grassroots Holocaust Memorialization in Communist Hungary]
  • Ágnes Kelemen (Jewish Theological Seminary, Budapest) The Internationalization of Hungary’s Rabbinical Seminary during State Socialism

1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Lunch Break

2:00 – 3:00 Keynote 2

  • Marcin Wodziński (University of Wrocław / Ludwig Maximilians-University, Munich) The Last of Us? The Fate of Jewish Studies in East-Central Europe
  • Moderator: Jan Rybak (CEU)

3:00 – 3:30 Coffee Break

3:30 – 5:30 Roundtable 4: The Future of Jewish Studies in Central Europe and Beyond

  • Chair: Ágnes Kelemen (Jewish Theological Seminary, Budapest)
  • Michael L. Miller (CEU)
  • Scott Ury (Tel Aviv University)
  • François Guesnet (University College London)
  • Constanza Cordoni (University of Vienna)

5:30 – 5:45 Concluding Remarks

We would like to thank the European Association for Jewish Studies, Stadt Wien Kultur, and the Knapp Family and the Salo W. and Jeannette M. Baron Foundations for their generous support for this conference.