Abraham Berliner Lectures
The Abraham Berliner Center is our umbrella association for the research at the Heidelberg Center for Jewish Studies, dedicated in particular to the study of the Bible and Semitic languages, Jewish exegesis, Targum and Masorah. The annual Abraham Berliner Lectures always address topics from the above mentioned fields, either strengthening the research already implemented at the Heidelberg Center for Jewish Studies, or addressing in particular those fields that are not in our own field of focus. They are often combined with a workshop in order to integrate students and doctoral candidates and make them acquainted with international research fields and personalities.
Previous Lectures
Abraham Berliner Lecture 2023
Prof. Dr. Meira Polliack (Tel Aviv University)
- Lecture »A Medieval Foray into the Moral Development of Biblical Characters«
Abraham Berliner Lecture 2022
Daniel Stökl ben Ezra, PhD (École pratique des hautes études, Paris)
- Lecture »KI-כ“י: Künstliche "Intelligenz" und hebräische Handschriften«
Abraham Berliner Lecture 2019
Prof. Dr. David Marcus (Jewish Theological Seminary New York)
- Lecture »The Rationale Behind the Masoretic Notes«
- Workshop
Abraham Berliner Lecture 2018
Prof. Dr. Ronny Vollandt (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München)
- Lecture »›Eine Übersetzung in unserer Sprache, welche die Gemeinde versteht‹: Vom Targum zu den arabischen Fassungen der hebräischen Bibel«
Abraham Berliner Lecture 2017
Prof. Dr. Alberdina Houtman (Protestant Theological University Amsterdam)
- Lecture »Your Eyes will see the Presence of the Lord in the Sanctuary: Temple Theology in Targum Isaiah«
Abraham Berliner Lecture 2016
Prof. Dr. Stefan Schorch (Martin Luther-Universität Halle-Wittenberg)
- Workshop »Die Samaritanische Tora im Kontext der jüdischen Literalkultur des 2. Jh. v.u.Z.«
- Lecture »Samaritanisch-hebräische Manuskriptkultur und samaritanische Toralesung«
- Yom ha-Atzma‘ut Reception
Inaugural Ceremony: Abraham Berliner Lecture 2015
- Prof. Dr. Hanna Liss, Opening Lecture: »Abraham Berliner und seine Stellung im Kontext der Wissenschaft des Judentums«
- Prof. Dr. Johannes Heil (HfJS), Ceremonial Greeting
- Prof. Dr. Gerrit Kloss (University Heidelberg), Ceremonial Greeting
- Prof. Dr. Guiseppe Veltri (University Hamburg, Verband der Judaisten), Ceremonial Greeting
- Prof. Dr. Jordan Penkower (Bar Ilan University), Keynote »The Oldest Complete Torah Scroll form the 12th – 13th Century«