The International Institute for Holocaust Research
Conferences and Workshops
5th Annual Summer Workshop for Holocaust Scholars
Theological Contemplations and Debates vis-a-vis the Holocaust in Real Time
Monday, 9 July – Thursday, 12 July 2012
Submission deadline: 1 March 2012
The dimensions of the persecution and especially the murder of the Jews during the Holocaust and the ways they enfolded since the ascendance of the Nazi party to power in Germany in January 1933 through the collapse of the Third Reich in May 1945 triggered theological contemplations and debates among Jews as well as among Christians and others. Some written treatises and oral responses as well as rabbinical responsa dealing with evil and redemption, the People of Israel and its place in history, the relations between God and Humankind in general and with the Jewish People in particular, faith, doubt and religious skepticism, etc., have been analyzed and published in the past decades, but research on these issues has lost its prominent place in recent years.
The purpose of this workshop is to encourage new research in this field and bring together scholars from a variety of disciplines who are currently involved in such research on theological responses whether in Nazi-occupied, Nazi-allied and satellite countries or in the free world. Each participating scholar will have to present a paper sustained by primary documentation, which will be discussed in the workshop.
We call upon interested scholars (established as well as PhD candidates) to submit proposals on the following issues:
- Unknown theological treatises, and writings of Jews, Christians and others of all streams and denominations;
- Theological contemplations in letters and other writings written by religious Jewish leaders, Christian clergymen, nuns and priests who hid Jewish children, and the like;
- Artistic representations, whether visual or musical, reflecting religious interpretations of the on-going events;
- Inter-religious contacts, cooperation and attempts to reach solutions, whether theoretical or practical.
Location
The workshop will take place in the International Institute for Holocaust Research at Yad Vashem on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem, Israel.
Instructions and Application Process
All application materials must be emailed and submitted either in Hebrew or English and received by the Institute no later than 15 February 2012. Incomplete applications will not be considered after this date. Late applications will not be accepted.
An application consists of:
- A Completed Application Form
- A one-page abstract (300 words) in English
- A preliminary list of relevant documentation that would be presented
- A short academic biography (15-20 lines)
Please send the application materials by email to eliot.nidam@yadvashem.org.il.
If you have any questions or concerns while completing your application, please contact Eliot Nidam Orvieto at eliot.nidam@yadvashem.org.il or at 972-2-6443-480.
About Yad Vashem and the International Institute for Holocaust Research
Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority, is located on the Mount of Remembrance in Jerusalem, Israel, and was established in 1953 by an act of the Knesset – the Israeli parliament – in order to enshrine and preserve the memory of the six million Jews annihilated by Nazi Germany, and the thousands of flourishing Jewish communities destroyed in the process. Yad Vashem is the monument of a nation’s grief. Apart from its role as a commemorative institution, Yad Vashem is recognized as an academic center that specializes in Holocaust research and education.
The International Institute for Holocaust Research – Yad Vashem was formally established in the 1993. It inherited a research and publication legacy dating back to the establishment of Yad Vashem. The Institute is active in the development and coordination of International research; the planning and undertaking of scholarly projects; the organization of symposia, conferences, and seminars; the fostering of cooperative projects among research institutions; financial and academic support for scholars and students of the Shoah; offering MA, PhD and postdoctoral fellowships, and publishing academic research, documentation, conference anthologies, diaries, memoirs, and albums about the Shoah.
