‘The Other Within’ – The Hebrew and Jewish Collections of The John Rylands Library

Updated Call for Papers: ‘The Other Within’: The Hebrew and Jewish Collections of The John Rylands Library

Conference, Monday 27-Wednesday 29 June 2016 at The John Rylands Library, 150 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 3EH.

The John Rylands Research Institute invites paper proposals for its upcoming 2016 conference on the Hebrew and Jewish collections of The John Rylands Library.

The John Rylands Library preserves one of the world’s valuable collections of Hebrew and Jewish manuscripts, archives and printed books. The holdings span Septuagint fragments to the papers of Moses Gaster and Samuel Alexander. The Rylands Genizah and rich collections of medieval manuscript codices and early printed books are among the strengths of the collection, making The John Rylands Library an important centre for the study of Judaism from the ancient world to the twentieth century.

The aim of this conference is to convene scholars, curators and students researching areas represented in the Library’s Hebrew and Jewish collections, including (but not limited to): the Cairo Genizah; medieval Hebrew manuscript codices; early printed Hebrew books; Samaritan manuscripts; and, the collections of Moses Gaster. It will take place as part of a programme of activities at the John Rylands Research Institute that aim to facilitate the study of the Library’s Hebrew and Jewish holdings. This includes the 2015-2018 externally-funded project to catalogue the Hebrew manuscripts and two ongoing projects on the Gaster collections.

Studies of the Rylands collections, of related Hebraica and Judaica libraries, and of resources and methods that facilitate such research will be particularly welcome. The expectation is that the conference will result in an edited collection of essays.

Due to significant interest, the submission deadline for paper proposals has been extended to 17:00 GMT on 26 February 2016. The conference organizing team will be able to facilitate access to further information on our holdings and support the development of your paper proposal. Full details of how to submit a proposal can be found online at: http://www.jrri.manchester.ac.uk/conference-2016/.

This event is supported by the European Association of Jewish Studies’ Conference Grant Programme in European Jewish Studies.