A lecture by Justyna Majewska (Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw), in the frame of the seminar on Modern Jewish History organized by the Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Charles University CEFRES and the Prague Center for Jewish Studies.

Where: CEFRES Library, Na Florenci 3, 110 00 Prague 1
When: from 5:30 pm to 7 pm
Language: English

Abstract

Jews imprisoned in the Warsaw Ghetto pondered not only how to survive the present but also in the days to come. The day of liberation was calculated on the basis of rumours, interpretations of wartime developments and Kabbalistic prophecies. In this paper, among different notions of the future expressed by the inhabitants of the Warsaw Ghetto, I especially focus on the perspective of Jews active in various parties and youth movements. I approach the question of what Jews thought about the future, when it would start and what would lead to it within the broader context of the sociology of time. The primary source used in this paper is the Jewish underground press published in the Warsaw Ghetto.

A lecture by Emil Kerenji (Jack, Joseph and Morton Mandel Center for Advanced Holocaust Studies; United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington), in the frame of the seminar on Modern Jewish History organized by the Masaryk Institute and Archives of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Charles University, CEFRES and the Prague Center for Jewish Studies.

Due to the new coronavirus travel restrictions, Emil Kerenji is unable to come to Prague as planned. We will offer the presentation by Emil Kerenji as a virtual seminar, taking place over the Internet with the help of a videoconferencing software. It will, however, only take place if enough of you express your interest. Please email Daniela Bartáková at bartakova@mua.cas.cz by March 20.

When: 26 March 2020, from 3 pm – VIRTUAL SEMINAR
Language: English

Abstract

This lecture will discuss the long-term project at the Mandel Center at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, to document Jewish perceptions of, and responses to, the series of events between 1933 and 1946 that today we understand as one unified event, the Holocaust. What were the forms of Jewish persecution as it extended beyond Nazi Germany, and eventually descended into genocide? How were they perceived on the ground, and how did geographical, political, cultural, economic, and class circumstances effect these perceptions? What were the options available to Jewish individuals, groups, institutions, and organizations in extremis, and what were some of the typical reactions? Finally, how does this history and understanding of the Jewish experience influence our understanding of the Holocaust? The lecture will also introduce a digital resource that grew out of this project, Experiencing History