The Imagined Orient
Lecture Series of the W. M. Blumenthal Academy 2023/24
The lecture series The Imagined Orient introduces ways of understanding German-Jewish and Israeli perspectives on the term “Orient” and explores its contradictory fantasies and realities within the spectrum of modern Jewish experiences.
The series takes us from the 18th century to the present over the course of six events as it presents various biographies, films, photographs, texts and art pieces.
Lecture Series The Imagined Orient
- Landing Page
- Current page: Lecture Series The Imagined Orient: Information on the event series
- Digital Content
- “Orient” – A Magic Word? On the German-Jewish History of a Term: Lecture with Kathrin Wittler, video recording from 9 Oct 2023, in German
- Approaching the “Orient” through pictures – the Life and Work of Jewish photographer Hermann Burchardt: Lecture with Stefan Litt, video recording from 8 Nov 2023, in German
- From Yeshiva to Cairo: How Gustav Weil became a Pioneer in the Study of the Qur’an: Lecture with Susannah Heschel, video recording from 13 Dec 2023
- A Time Machine Made of Glass – E.M. Lilien’s View of the Hebrew Orient in Moses (Design for a Glass Window): Lecture with Shelley Harten, video recording from 23 Jan 2024, in German
- The Dream of a Jewish-Arab Orient: Writer M.Y. Ben-Gavriêl: Lecture with Sebastian Schirrmeister, video recording from 14 Feb 2024, in German
- Events
- The Unorthodox, Israel 2018: A feature film about the founding of the Shas Party: Film screening and discussion with Omar Kamil and Daniel Wildmann, 6 Mar 2024
- See also
- The W. Michael Blumenthal Academy of the Jewish Museum Berlin: A Platform and Laboratory for Diverse Perspectives
Video Recordings: Watch Past Museum Events (80)
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Watch Past Museum Events
We film select events, such as conferences, panel discussions, book presentations, and our lecture series.
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In Two Worlds
Conversation with Eyewitness Jack Weil from Amsterdam
Eyewitness Talk
10 Mar 2025 -
Life and Trajectory of a Jewish Family from Baden
Conversation with Contemporary Witness Kurt Salomon Maier (in German)
Eyewitness Talk
28 Oct 2024 -
KOLOT – קולות – Voices
Perspectives on October 7 (in German)
Discussion
9 Oct 2024 -
Hidden in Enschede
Conversation with Contemporary Witness Herbert Zwartz (in German)
Eyewitness Talk
16 Apr 2024 -
Tolerance of Ambiguity and Antisemitism
Lecture by Ilka Quindeau as part of the series Where Does the Truth Lie? On the Tolerance of Ambiguity by Natan Sznaider (in German)
Lecture/Discussion
13 May 2024 -
Tolerance of Ambiguity and the Jewish Perspective
Opening of the lecture series Where Does the Truth Lie? On the Tolerance of Ambiguity by Natan Sznaider (in German)
Lecture/Discussion
10 Apr 2024 -
The Dream of a Jewish-Arab Orient
Lecture by Sebastian Schirrmeister on the writer M. Y. Ben-Gavriêl, part 5 of the Lecture Series The Imagined Orient, in German
Lecture/Discussion
14 Feb 2024 -
A Time Machine Made of Glass – E.M. Lilien’s View of the Hebrew Orient in Moses (Design for a Glass Window)
Lecture by Shelley Harten, part 4 of the Lecture Series The Imagined Orient, in German
Lecture/Discussion
23 Jan 2024 -
From Yeshiva to Cairo: How Gustav Weil became a Pioneer in the Study of the Qur’an
Lecture by Susannah Heschel, part 3 of the Lecture Series The Imagined Orient
Lecture/Discussion
13 Dec 2023 -
Approaching the “Orient” through pictures – the Life and Work of Jewish photographer Hermann Burchardt.
Lecture by Stefan Litt, part 2 of the Lecture Series The Imagined Orient, in German
Lecture/Discussion
8 Nov 2023 -
“Orient” – A Magic Word? On the German-Jewish History of a Term
Lecture by Kathrin Wittler, Part 1 of the Lecture Series The Imagined Orient, in German
Lecture/Discussion
9 Oct 2023 -
Boychiks in Berlin!
An evening of comedy with YidLife Crisis
Event
15 Jun 2023 -
Theodor Herzl. Statesman Without a State
Lecture and Discussion with Derek Penslar on the Occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of Israel, in German
Lecture/Discussion
31 May 2023 -
I'm Writing You From Berlin. An Evening with the Lasker-Wallfisch Family
Anita Lasker Wallfisch and Raphael Wallfisch join Maya Lasker-Wallfisch in an evening of music and conversation
Reading/Discussion
7 Feb 2023 -
Vanishing Points of Memory. On the Holocaust and Colonialism in the Present Day
A conversation with Natan Sznaider and René Aguigah, in German
Discussion
31 Jan 2023 -
Reconciliation with Evil: Story of a Survival
Book Presentation with Leon Weintraub, in German
Reading/Discussion
27 Oct 2022 -
Albert Einstein, Hans Kaufmann and Zionism
An unknown letter
Symposium
12 Sep 2022 -
Read the Signs
An evening to mark the 70th anniversary of the Night of Murdered Poets, in Yiddish and German
Reading/Discussion
14 Aug 2022 -
Symposium on the 70th Anniversary of the Night of Murdered Poets
Part of the Summer Program for Yiddish Language and Literature, in Yiddish, English and German
Symposium
14 Aug 2022 -
Mendelssohn Discourses: Media Revolution – Publicity, Celebrity, A Flood of Images
Caspar Battegay and Shmuel Feiner talk with curator Inka Bertz and Frederek Musall.
Panel Discussion
5 Jul 2022 -
Mendelssohn Discourses: Enlightenment – Fake News, Sentimentality, Reason
Philosophers Carolin Emcke and Hannah Peaceman in conversation with Frederek Musall and the curators Inka Bertz and Thomas Lackmann, in German
Panel Discussion
4 May 2022 -
Emancipation and Law
On the history of jurisprudence and Jewish equal rights – book launch and panel discussion, in German
Reading/Discussion
26 Apr 2022 -
“Ich kämpfe gegen alles, was mich niederdrücken will“ (I Fight Against Everything that Tries to Oppress Me)
The diary of Jewish communist resistance fighter Karl Neuhof and correspondence with his family, in German
Reading/Discussion
11 Apr 2022 -
Rafi, Judenbub. Die Rückkehr der Seligmanns nach Deutschland
Book presentation and discussion with Rafael Seligmann, publicist, political scientist and historian, and Hetty Berg, director of the Jewish Museum Berlin, in German
Reading/Discussion
24 Mar 2022 -
Staging Jewishness
Artist talk with the photographer Frédéric Brenner
Artist Talk
2 Mar 2022 -
“The Lonely Living Stars”
Concert for the Memorial Day of the Victims of National Socialism, in German
Concert
27 Jan 2022 -
Shtetl Berlin All-Star Concert
Hanukkah 2021: Candle lighting with Yiddish songs, instrumental music and dance
Concert
2 Dec 2021 -
Iber der grenets / Crossing the Border: Yiddish Literature and Culture Today
Presentation of an extensive collection of Yiddish short stories, in German and Yiddish
Reading/Discussion
20 Nov 2021 -
Jews Don’t Count?
Book launch and talk with the author David Baddiel, Sascha Chaimowicz, Marina Chernivsky and Daniel Donskoy, moderated by Jo Frank
Reading/Discussion
26 Oct 2021 -
Is anyone still waiting for the Messiah? – Jewish and Christian Views
With Prof. Christoph Markschies (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) and Prof. Daniel Krochmalnik (University of Potsdam), in German
Discussion
24 Aug 2021 -
Yael Bartana – Redemption Now
Digital opening event with Yael Bartana, Hetty Berg, Shelley Harten and Gregor Lersch
Language: mainly in English, with brief sections in GermanExhibition Opening
3 Jun 2021 -
The 2nd DAGESH Art Award goes to Talya Feldman
& Opening of the Installation The Violence We Have Witnessed Carries a Weight on Our Hearts Language: English and German
Exhibition Opening
20 May 2021 -
In Celebration of Daniel Libeskind’s 75th birthday
with Daniel Libeskind, JMB Director Hetty Berg, and film director Axel Fuhrmann, moderated by Sonja Marx of Saarland Broadcasting
Discussion
4 May 2021 -
Shtetl Berlin All-Star Concert
Hanukkah 2020: Candle lighting with Yiddish songs, instrumental music and dance
Concert
12 Dec 2020 -
Shared History
Virtual Conference on 1,700 years of Jewish life in German-speaking lands, in German
Conference
7–9 Dec 2020 -
Conversation with the Artist Wendy Ewald
With Wendy Ewald and Gregor H. Lersch as part of the exhibition This Place
Artist Talk
5 Mar 2020 -
The Last Veit Simons from Berlin
One of Berlin’s oldest Jewish families in a transnational story of class, gender, and sexuality
With: Anna Hájková and Maria von der Heydt
Language: German, no subtitlesReading/Discussion
11 Dec 2019 -
Conversation with the Artist Thomas Struth
With Thomas Struth (photographer) and Theresia Ziehe (curator of photography), related to the exhibition This Place, in German
Artist Talk
5 Dec 2019 -
About a Tea Bowl
Discussion with brief presentations about interwoven experiences of post-Soviet Jewish migration, in German
Lecture/Discussion
27 Nov 2019 -
Ruth Wodak: Swing to the right?!
Ruth Wodak traces how a new “normality to the right” is establishing itself in many European countries, in German
W. Michael Blumenthal Lecture
17 October 2019 -
Karl M. von der Heyden: From Berlin to New York
In his book Karl M. von der Heyden describes his experiences as a child and youth in war-torn Germany and his journey to the USA, where he rose to the boardrooms of Pepsi and Dreamworks, in German
Reading/Discussion
29 Aug 2019 -
“To Know One Religion Is to Know None”
W. Michael Blumenthal Fellow Walid Abdelgawad talks about reflections on Islam and Judaism in the writings of German-speaking Jewish orientalists between 1833 and 1955, in German
Lecture/Discussion
28 Aug 2019 -
Museums, Religion, and the Work of Reconciliation and Remembrance
with the curators Jisgang Nika Collision (Haida Gwaii Museum, Haida Nation & Canada) and Léontine Meijer-van Mensch (Saxonian State Ethnographic Collections)
Lecture/Discussion
9 May 2019 -
Access Barriers. Critical Perspectives on Racism in Schools and Curatorial Practices
Keynote by Bonita Bennett (District Six Museum, Cape Town) at the conference Access Barriers on museums as places of social change.
Lecture/Discussion
20 Mar 2019 -
The Laskers from Breslau (Wrocław) – A Family Reunion in Music and Words
Cellist and contemporary witness Anita Lasker Wallfisch shares the stage with three generations of her family for the first time
Reading/Concert
27 Jan 2019 -
Happy Birthday, Academy Programs!
Welcoming Remarks and Introducing the Academy Programs | Discussion with Performance: Archive of Life. Memory in a Society Shaped by Migration | Panel Discussion: Jewish Fathers – Jewish Children? | Panel Discussion: A Pre-fascist Era? | Reception: 5 Years – 5 Friends – 5 Gifts
Video Recording
2 Dec 2018 -
Polish Perspectives on '68: March Protests
In Poland, the student protests were co-opted by an antisemitic rampage that resulted in 13,000 Jews being forced to leave the country, in German and Polish
Event
22 Nov 2018 -
Living with Islamophobia
The international conference Living with Islamophobia considered how cultural and religious affiliations are constructed and invited experts to enter into discussion.
Conference
11 + 12 Oct 2018 -
Michael Sfard: The Jerusalem Dispute. The Fight for Human Rights in Israeli Courts
Lecture by Michael Sfard, one of Israel’s leading human rights lawyers
Lecture/Discussion
6 Sep 2018 -
Imported Antisemitism?
Is Antisemitism increasing with the number of refugees from Arab countries? We discuss with political, academic, and practical experts which manifestations of antisemitism among Arab migrants and Muslims in Germany exist, in German
Lecture/Discussion
30 Aug 2018 -
Seyla Benhabib: The Global Refugee Crisis and the Challenge to Liberal Democracies
Seyla Benhabib (Yale University) discusses the challenges migration poses to liberal democracies
Lecture/Discussion
26 Jun 2018 -
Stolen Judaica. Provenance Research in Israel and Germany
In this symposium, research that explores the origins of Jewish ceremonial objects exclusively in Israel and Germany, took center stage for the first time, in German and English
Conference
18/19 Jun 2018 -
Ongoing Struggles. Anti-Discrimination Work during the Rise of the Far Right
Opening Session of the academic conference, including Imani Perry's keynote “What Lies Underneath: Difficult Histories and the Resurgence of The Far Right”
Conference
7 Jun 2018 -
Lives in Common: Arabs and Jews in Jerusalem
Author Menachem Klein in Conversation with Cilly Kugelmann
Reading/Discussion
8 May 2018 -
What is the Relationship Between Antisemitism and Islamophobia?
Lectures by David Feldman and Stefanie Schüler-Springorum, in German and English
Lecture/Discussion
20 Mar 2018 -
The Book of Numbers
Reading and talk with the author Joshua Cohen and literary scholar Jan Wilm, in English and German
Reading/Discussion
12 Feb 2018 -
New Judaism – Alliances in Postmigrant Society
Discussion on concepts of being Jewish within the third generation of Jews in Germany, in German and English
Lecture/Discussion
16 Nov 2017 -
Jews in Muslim Majority Countries
International conference for scholars from different continents and academic disciplines, who discuss questions of culture, identity and memory of Jewish life in Arab and Muslim majority countries.
Conference
24 to 27 Oct 2017 -
Future Memories
Discussion on the Importance of Minority Perspectives for European Societies’ Commemorative Cultures, in German and English
Lecture/Discussion
26 Sep 2017 -
Luther, Rosenzweig, and the Script
Book presentation and discussion with Micha Brumlik, Walter Homolka, Christoph Kasten, Irmela von der Lühe, and Gesine Palmer , in German
Reading/Discussion
18 Sep 2017 -
Between the Lines
An evening with Israeli and German poets, in Hebrew and German
Reading/Discussion
9 Sep 2017 -
Religion. Fashion. Empowerment.
Discussion with Reina Lewis and Meriem Lebdiri, in English and German
Lecture/Discussion
29 Jun 2017 -
José Casanova: Secularisation or the Return of Religion?
Discussion on the Relationship Between Religion and Secularity in European Societies, in German
Lecture/Discussion
16 Mar 2017 -
Jews in North Africa During the Second World War
Theme day with lectures by Michel Abitbol, Eric Salerno, Patrick Bernhard, Haim Saadoun, and panel discussion
Language: German, English, and FrenchLecture/Discussion
26 Jan 2017 -
Sites of Memory: Lost and Entangled Narratives
With: Dr. Rosa Fava, Juliane Jurewicz, Prof. Dr. Iman Attia, Olga Gerstenberger, Ozan Keskinkiliç, Anita Awosusi, Ilona Lagrene, Prof. Dr. Michael Rothberg, and Serpil Polat
Language: German and English, no subtitlesConference
16 Sep 2016 -
Time of Crisis
With: Dan Diner, Adam Michnik, Dietmar Herz, Étienne François, and Hans Kundnani
Language: German, no subtitlesDiscussion
7 Sep 2016 -
Antisemitism in the Arabic World – Facts and Myths
With: Michael Kiefer and Omar Kamil
Language: German, no subtitlesLecture/Discussion
26 Apr 2016 -
Post-migrant Society?!
International conference from 12 to 14 November 2015
Recording of the opening event
Language: German and English, no subtitlesConference
12–14 Nov 2015 -
On Life – Working with People Traumatized by the Shoah
With: Giselle Cycowicz, Martin Auerbach and David Becker and Volker Beck
Language: German, no subtitlesLecture/Discussion
1 Oct 2015 -
Kill Me a Son!
Recording of the opening event
With: Prof. Dr. Peter Schäfer and Prof. Dr. Angelika Neuwirth
Language: German, no subtitlesSymposium
3–4 Sep 2015 -
A Shared View of Europe – Jewish and Muslim Experiences as Reflected in Public Controversies
Panel discussion
With: Prof. Nilüfer Göle, Shai Lavi and Gökçe Yurdakul
Language: English, no subtitlesPanel Discussion
19 Jan 2015 -
Contemporary Jewish life in a global modernity
International conference
Recording of the presentation “Future of European Jewry”
With: Dr. Karen Körber and Dr. Diana Pinto
Language: English, no subtitlesConference
11–12 Dec 2014 -
Snip it?!
Presentation of a study followed by a discussion, in German
With: Professor Kerem Öktem, Mounir Azzaoui, Dr. des. Alexander Hasgall, and Dr. des. Hannah C. Tzuberi.Lecture/Discussion
4 Dec 2014 -
A Rebbe for the World
On the 20th Yahrzeit of Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Introductions by Cilly Kugelmann and Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal and lecture by Joseph Telushkin, in German and English
Lecture/Discussion
1 Jul 2014 -
Concepts of Citizenship and Participation in European Comparison
Recording of the keynote by Prof. Dr. Rainer Bauböck and the followed panel discussion
With: Prof. Dr. Rainer Bauböck, Dr. Manuela Bojadžijev, Josip Juratovic and Dr. Monika Lüke
Language: German, no subtitlesConference
7–8 Apr 2014 -
Art and Culture in the Terezín Ghetto
In four lectures, the symposium explores the history of Theresienstadt, the “ghetto of exceptions,” from four different angles.
With: Wolfgang Benz, Anna Hájková and Hanno Loewy
Language: German, no subtitles
Conference
2 Mar 2014 -
The Connected Audience
Conference from 27 February 2014 to 28 February 2014
With: John H. Falk
Language: English, no subtitlesConference
27 Feb 2014 -
Is Higher Education a Safeguard Against Racism and Antisemitism?
Presentation of a study followed by panel discussion
With: Wassilis Kassis, Charlotte Schallié, Iman Attia, Stefanie Schüler-Springorum and Andreas Zick
Language: German, no subtitlesLecture/Discussion
20 Feb 2014 -
“What do we mean when we say ‘antisemitism’?”
Keynote lecture, opening the conference Antisemitism in Europe Today: the Phenomena, the Conflicts With: Brian Klug, in English
Lecture/Discussion
8 Nov 2013 -
Circumcision: Identity Politics and / or Health Issue?
With: Sander L. Gilman, in Englisch
Lecture/Discussion
8 May 2013
