Marcela Menachem Zoufala Books

What are the future perspectives for Jews and Jewish networks in contemporary Europe? Is there a new quality of relations between Jews and non-Jews, despite or precisely because of the Holocaust trauma? How is the memory of the extermination of 6 million European Jews reflected in memorial events and literature, film, drama, and visual arts media? To what degree do European Jews feel as integrated people, as Europeans per see, and as safe citizens? An interdisciplinary team of historians, cultural anthropologists, sociologists, and literary theorists answers these questions for Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Germany. They show that the Holocaust has become an enduring topic in public among Jews and non-Jews. However, Jews in Europe work self-confidently on their future on the "old continent," new alliances, and in cooperation with a broad network of civil forces. Non-Jewish interest in Jewish history and the present has significantly increased over decades, and networks combatting anti-Semitism have strengthened.

This volume consists of studies that originated in connection with the activities of the recently established Prague Centre for Jewish Studies at the Faculty of Arts of Charles University in Prague. The Centre’s main focus is on the specific characteristics of the Central-Eastern European region, with special regard for the cultural memory of the city of Prague. Some of these articles are based on papers presented at the Centre’s First Annual Conference, held on October 18th and 19th, 2012. The various studies contained in this publication demonstrate the diversity of Jewish Studies as an academic discipline covering numerous topics important for contemporary academic debate. At the same time, they show the interrelated nature of seemingly disparate issues and the need for a collaborative and interdisciplinary approach to Jewish Studies. The studies are ordered chronologically from the beginning of the Common Era (study of Tamás Visi) to the present, and their common denominator is that they share new approaches to research into Jewish Studies. The main subjects dealt with are Jewish Middle Ages in Contemporary Discourse (Daniel Boušek, Pavel Sládek), Jews in the Bohemian Lands (Jan Županic, Louise Hecht, Hillel J. Kieval), Jews and Judaism in Literature (Jirí Holý, Milan Tvrdík, Milan Lycka, Štepán Balík), Jews and the Totalitarian Regimes in the 20th Century (Zbynek Tarant, Jan Dvorák/Adam Hradilek) and Antisemitism and Jewish Identity in the 21st Century (Marcela Zoufalá).