With its events, our Jewish-Islamic Forum strives to reach both a general audience and professionals in academia and government. The Forum's focal points are the circumstances of Jews and Muslims as minorities in Germany and the history of their fluctuating relationship. It pursues questions of religious practice and the philosophy of religion, such as the tension between tradition and modernity in both Judaism and Islam. Additionally, the Forum concerns itself with the impact of the conflicts in the Middle East on German society.
Where
W. M. Blumenthal Academy
Fromet-und-Moses-Mendelssohn-Platz 1, 10969 Berlin
Postal address: Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin
A Comparative Perspective on Judaism and Islam
In particular, the Forum aims to reveal commonalities between Judaism and Islam through a comparative perspective without neglecting the unique attributes of each. With these efforts, we hope to counteract the frequent tendency to frame them as starkly oppositional. The Jewish-Islamic Forum also hosts events that complement our museum's temporary exhibitions, building a bridge between the Academy and the Museum.
Contact:
Signe Rossbach
Provisional Head of the Academy Programs
T +49 (0)30 259 93 344
s.rossbach@jmberlin.de
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Academy Program on Migration and Diversity
Thematic focus of the W. Michael Blumenthal Academy, 2012–20
All About ...
Dialogical Lecture Series
Overview of all recorded dialogical lectures from this series by the Jewish-Islamic Forum
Video recordings
2015–2020
Jewish Museum Berlin Fellowship
Research projects on Jewish history & culture, migration & diversity in Germany
All About ...
Past Events for You to Listen To and Watch
Conferences, lectures, readings, and panel discussions of our Academy Programs
Recordings
2011–2020
Koscher to Go
Perspectives on Religious Food Regulations (with video recordings)
Dialogical Lecture Series
2021
Dialogical Lecture Series: Kosher to Go – Perspectives on Religious Food Regulations (6)
Kosher to Go – Perspectives on Religious Food Regulations
In the dialogical lecture series, Jewish dietary laws are considered in relation to the dietary rules of other world religions (Christianity, Hinduism, Islam) and interpreted using perspectives from anthropology, ethnology, and the sociology of food. In this way, the origins and functions of dietary rules are examined up to the present day.
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The Kitchen as a Substitute Sanctuary? Modern Debates Around Eating
With science journalist and author Kathrin Burger and Jonathan Schorsch, Professor of Jewish Religious and Intellectual History at the University of Potsdam (in German)
Dialogical Lecture Series
25 Nov 2021, 7 pm (video recording available, in German) -
Responsible Eating: Ecology and Dietary Laws in the Same Pot
With Rabbi Avichai Apel (co-community rabbi of Frankfurt am Main) and Thomas Mohrs (Pädagogische Hochschule Oberösterreich)
Dialogical Lecture Series
28 Oct 2021, 7 pm (Livestream) -
Do you eat Insects? – Forbidden Animals In Judaism and Hinduism
With Dr. Syed (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich) and Dr. Mattern (University of Tübingen)
Dialogical Lecture Series
30 Sep 2021, 7 pm (video recording available in German) -
Between Sanction and Sanctification – Alcohol in Judaism and Christianity
With Jordan D. Rosenblum (University of Wisconsin-Madison) and David Grumett (University of Edinburgh)
Dialogical Lecture Series
22 Jun 2021, 7 pm (video recording available) -
Kosher and Halal – Animal Slaughter in Judaism and Islam
With Aaron S. Gross (University of San Diego) and Serdar Kurnaz (Humboldt University of Berlin)
Dialogical Lecture Series
19 May 2021, 7 pm (video recording available) -
Holy Food and Drink – Why Do Dietary Rules Exist?
With Prof. Kikuko Kashiwagi-Wetzel (Kansai University von Osaka) and Prof. David Kraemer (Jewish Theological Seminary of America)
Dialogical Lecture Series
22 Apr 2021, 7 pm (video recording available)
Lecture Series 2019/20: The Others’ Faith (6)
The Others’ Faith
This lecture series explores the complex relationship of Judaism and Islam to the other religions. Two researchers are invited to each event who present the topic from Jewish and Islamic perspectives and enter into dialog with each other.
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On the Path to Enlightenment: Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism
With Jerome Gellman (Ben-Gurion University) und Johan Elverskog (Southern Methodist University)
Lecture Series
24 Sep 2020 (with video recording) -
Tying the Knot versus Bonds with God: Jews and Muslims in Interfaith Marriages
With Madeleine Dreyfus (psychoanalyst with a doctorate in cultural anthropology) und Imen Gallala-Arndt (lawyer and a lecturer at the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology)
Lecture Series
Thu, 18 Jun 2020 (with video recording) -
Non-Transcendental Morality: Judaism, Islam, and Atheism
With Jacques Berlinerblau (Georgetown University) and Ufuk Topkara (Johns Hopkins University), in German and English
Lecture Series
20 Apr 2020 (with video recording) -
What Do You Think about Jesus? Judaism, Islam, and Christianity
With Israel Yuval (Hebrew University in Jerusalem) and Maha El Kaisy-Friemuth (Friedrich Alexander University of Erlangen-Nuremberg), in German and English
Lecture Series
18 Feb 2020 (with video recording) -
Mono or Poly? Judaism, Islam, and Hinduism
With Rabbi Alon Goshen-Gottstein (Elijah Interfaith Institute) and Reza Shah-Kazemi (Institute of Ismaili Studies in London)
Lecture Series
4 Feb 2020 (with video recording) -
Judaism and Islam – The History of Theological Relations
With Lukas Mühlethaler (Free University Berlin) and Imam Abdullah Antepli (Duke University, USA), in German and English
Lecture Series
21 Nov 2019
Lecture Series 2018/19: Science and Faith in Judaism and Islam (6)
Science and Faith in Judaism and Islam
Scientific discoveries in astronomy, geology, and biology over the past centuries have called into question the centrality of humans as the “crown of creation.”
Today, religious and scientific positions are often seen as irreconcilable. This lecture series sets out to explore the tensions and affinities between Judaism, Islam, and the sciences.
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Creation and Evolution in Schools
With Rachel S. A. Pear (Center for Jewish Education in the University of Haifa) and Anila Asghar (Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University, Canada)
Lecture Series
4 Jul 2019 -
Do You Believe in Miracles?
With James A. Diamond (Professor in Jewish Studies at the University of Waterloo, Canada) and Umeyye Isra Yazicioglu (Professor in Religious Studies at St. Joseph’s University in Philidelphia, United States)
Lecture Series
13 Jun 2019 (with video recording) -
Humanity: Between Destiny and Free Will
With Alan Mittleman (Jewish Theological Seminary of America) and Martin Mahmud Kellner (Institute of Islamic Theology, Osnabrück)
Lecture Series
30 Apr 2019 (with video recording) -
How Much God Is in the Holy Scriptures?
With Benjamin Sommer (expert in modern Jewish theology) and Ghassan el Masri (researcher on the Koran in the context of the Arabic literature of his time), in German and English
Lecture Series
5 Mar 2019 (with video recording) -
God, Darwin, and Evolution
With Natan Slifkin (Biblical Museum of Natural History, Beit Shemesh, Israel) and Fatimah Jackson (Howard University, USA)
Lecture Series
31 Jan 2019 (with video recording) -
Science in the Light of Faith
With Geoffrey A. Mitelman (Sinai and Synapses) and Ahmad S. Dallal (Georgetown University, Qatar)
Lecture Series
20 Nov 2018 (with video recording)
Lecture Series 2017/18: Jewish and Islamic Perspectives on Human Rights (6)
Jewish and Islamic Perspectives on Human Rights
Our lecture series addresses controversial human rights topics arising in various walks of life and examines them from Jewish and Islamic perspectives. For every lecture, we invite two scholars who present their own positions and then engage in a dialogue.
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My God, Your God, No God
With Leora Batnitzky (Princeton University) and Anver Emon (University of Toronto)
Lecture Series
14 Jun 2018 (with video recording) -
Equal before God and Humans?
With Susannah Heschel (Dartmouth College) and Katajun Amirpur (University of Hamburg)
Lecture Series
3 May 2018 (with video recording) -
How Much Criticism Do Judaism and Islam Tolerate?
With Suzanne Last Stone (Yeshiva University) and Anshuman Mondal (University of East Anglia), in English and German
Lecture Series
12 Apr 2018 (with video recording) -
The Right to Life
With David Novak (University of Toronto) and Jonathan Brown (Georgetown University)
Lecture Series
8 Mar 2018 (with video recording) -
Human Rights Treaties and How They are Received
With Michael Galchinsky (Georgia State University) and Mashood Baderin (University of London)
Lecture Series
25 Jan 2018 (with video recording) -
Human Rights and Religions – A Contradiction?
With Shaheen Sardar Ali (University of Warwick) and Jill Jacobs (Rabbi and the Managing Director of T'ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights)
Lecture Series
23 Nov 2017 (with video recording)
Film and Reading Series: Between Marrakesh and Mashhad: Jews in Islamic Countries (9)
Between Marrakesh and Mashhad: Jews in Islamic Countries
This film and reading series, hosted by the Academy program’s Jewish-Islamic Forum from July 2016 to September 2017, explored the past and present of Jewish lives in different countries of North Africa and the Middle East.
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Las ultimas palavras
14 September 2017
Documentary, Turkish/Ladino with English subtitles -
Yousef Abad
Video art by the Israeli-Iranian artist Elham Rokni; Persian/Hebrew with English and Hebrew subtitles (audio recording of the talk available)
6 Jul 2017 -
My Father’s Paradise: A Son's Search for His Jewish Past in Kurdish Iraq
11 May 2017
Reading and discussion in English with the author Ariel Sabar
11 May 2017 -
Iraq N’ Roll
27 April 2017
Documentary, Israel 2011, 54 min,
Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles -
Damascus With Love
9 March 2017
Feature film, Syria 2010, 91 min, original Arabic version with English subtitles -
The Jews and the Longest Kiss in History
14 December 2016
Documentary, Great Britain 2011, 60 min, English original version -
Salata baladi – An Egyptian Salad
3 November 2016
Documentary, Egypt 2008, 105 min, Arabic with English subtitles -
Villa Jasmin
28 September 2016
France 2008, 87 min, French/Arabic original soundtrack with English subtitles -
El Gusto
14 July 2016
Documentary, Algeria, France, Ireland, 2012, 88 min, French/Arabic original soundtrack with English subtitles
Lecture Series 2016/17: Ethical Questions in Judaism and Islam (with video recordings) (6)
Ethical Questions in Judaism and Islam (with video recordings)
The lecture series explored contentious ethical issues from diverse aspects of life and shed light on them from Jewish and Islamic perspectives. Two guest scholars gave each lecture, presented their tradition’s position, and engaged in a mutual dialogue.
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Man as Lord or Guardian of Creation?
With Hava Tirosh-Samuelson (Arizona State University in Tempe) and Nawal Ammar (Rowan University in New Jersey), in German and English
Lecture Series
13 Jul 2017 -
Sexual Ethics: Sexuality, Lust, Eroticism, and God
With David Biale (Eros and the Jews) and Kecia Ali (Sexual Ethics and Islam), in German and English
Lecture Series
16 May 2017 (with video recording) -
Military Ethics: The (Religious) Laws Silent Beneath the Weapons?
With Michael Broyde (Emory University) and Asma Afsaruddin (Indiana University), in German and English
Lecture Series
6 Apr 2017 (with video recording) -
The Boundaries of Life - Bioethical Challenges
With Laurie Zoloth (Weinberg College, Northwestern University) and İlhan İlkılıç (University of Istanbul), in German and English
Lecture Series
23 Feb 2017 (with video recording) -
Business Ethics – Is Capitalism Kosher/Halal?
With Nathan Lee Kaplan (author) and Idris Nassery (University of Paderborn), in German
Lecture Series
8 Dec 2016 (with video recording) -
Social Ethics – On Fair Social Order
With Ingrid Mattson (Western University, Canada) and Micha Brumlik (Berlin-Brandenburg Center of Jewish Studies), in German and English
Lecture Series
26 Oct 2016 (with video recording)
Jewish-Moroccan Film Week: My Heart in the Maghreb (5)
My Heart in the Maghreb
In May 2016, the film week My Heart in the Maghreb presented a variety of perspectives on Moroccan Judaism, with feature and documentary films from France, Canada, Israel, and especially from Morocco itself. Most of the films made their German debut in the festival.
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Opening of the Jewish-Moroccan Film Week
8 May 2016
Introductory Talk by Daniel J. Schroeter and Concert by Neta Elkayam Howa Jani -
White Walls & Come Mother
9 May 2016
Two movies: White Walls (Director: Meital Abekassis) and Come Mother (Director: Sami Shalom Chetrit) -
Goodbye Mothers, Moroccan Jews. Destinies Undone & Where are you going, Moshe?
10 May 2016
Three movies: Goodbye Mothers (Director: Mohamed Ismaïl), Moroccan Jews. Destinies Undone (Director: Younes Laghrari) & Where are you going, Moshe? (Director: Hassan Benjelloun) -
Aïda & The Midnight Orchestra
11 May 2016
Two movies: Aïda (Director: Driss Mrini) und The Midnight Orchestra (Director: Jérôme Cohen Olivar) -
Oulad Moumen & They were Promised the Sea
12 May 2016
Two movies and Closing Panel
Lecture Series 2015/16: Judaism & Islam in the Diaspora (with video footage) (5)
Judaism & Islam in the Diaspora (with video footage)
The series of panel discussions explored topical questions that Jews and Muslims in the diaspora confront in their everyday religious practice. Each event featured two academics presenting the Jewish and Islamic perspectives.
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What Does Diaspora Mean for Jews and Muslims?
With Michael L. Satlow (Brown University, Providence) and Sarah Albrecht (Free University Berlin), in German and English
Lecture Series
29 Oct 2015 (with video recording) -
Religious Law and Secular State
With Ronen Reichman (Hochschule für Jüdische Studien Heidelberg) and Mathias Rohe (Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg), in German
Lecture Series
9 Dec 2015 (with video recording) -
Becoming a Jew, Becoming a Muslim
With Tobias Jona Simon (Rabbi of the Association of Jewish Communities in Lower Saxony) and Esra Özyürek (London School of Economics), in German and English
Lecture Series
18 Feb 2016 (with video recording) -
Feminist Approaches to Judaism and Islam
With Judith Plaskow (religious scholar and author) and Ziba Mir-Hosseini, researcher on Islamic law and gender, in English
Lecture Series
14 Apr 2016 (with video recording) -
Organic Meets Kosher and Halal
With Shai Lavi (Tel Aviv University) and Sarra Tlili (University of Florida), in English
Lecture Series
1 Jun 2016 (with video recording)