JMB Book Club – The Song of Songs
To accompany the exhibition Sex: Jewish Positions
Read along!
The new JMB Book Club is already entering its second round: To accompany the exhibition Sex: Jewish Positions, the JMB library is once again curating a selection of texts and books for us to read and discuss together. We will begin with the “original text” of Jewish sexuality – the Song of Songs.
Past event
Where
W. M. Blumenthal Academy, Library
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
Postal address: Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin
There has been much discussion as to why this unusual series of erotic love poetry found its way into the canon of the Hebrew Bible. With the weight of his authority, Rabbi Akiva declared the “Song of Songs” to be the “holiest of the holy,” thereby contributing substantially to the establishment of this poem.
In conversation with Rabbi Jasmin Andriani, who leads the liberal Jewish community in Göttingen, we will explore the tension between holiness and eroticism in the Bible.
Various translations of the Song of Songs can be accessed via the following links:
| The book Song of Songs translated by Martin Buber (in German): | Gesang der Gesänge (windmuller.de) Hoheslied – Die Schrift (bibel.github.io) |
|---|---|
| Unified translation (in German): | Hohelied 1 - Einheitsübersetzung (EUE) - Die-Bibel.de |
| Lutheran translation (in German): | Hoheslied 1 - Lutherbibel 2017 (LU17) - Die-Bibel.de |
Sex: Jewish Positions: Features & Programme
Exhibition Webpage
Sex: Jewish Positions: Exhibition, 17 May to 6 Oct 2024
Publications
- Sex. Jüdische Positionen: Catalog accompanying the exhibition, German edition, 2024
- Sex: Jewish Positions: Catalog accompanying the exhibition, English edition, 2024
Digital Content
- Letʼs Talk About Sex: Online feature accompanying the exhibition
- What do the artists say? Interview series accompanying the exhibition
- Listen to the exhibition’s soundtrack: Playlist on Spotify
- The Song of Songs. Between Literal and Allegorical Loves: Essay by Ilana Pardes
- “Sex Is A Force:” Interview with Talli Rosenbaum
- Androgynous Characters in I.B. Singer’s Literary Shtetl: Essay by Helena Lutz
- Jewish Places: Find information about Jewish sites related to the exhibition on our interactive map
