Mallorca · Interdisciplinary Seminar · 16-19, June 2026

About the Seminar

The seminar explores Jewish heritage through the conceptual lens of transitional spaces, focusing on the dynamic tension between settlement and passage. Rather than approaching Jewish heritage solely through stable communities or fixed sites of memory, the seminar invites participants to rethink Jewish presence as shaped by mobility, displacement, temporary residence, and moments of transition.

Ports, trade routes, islands, border zones, and sites of forced or voluntary movement emerge as key spaces where Jewish cultural, social, and religious practices were negotiated and transformed.

Held in Mallorca, the seminar places particular emphasis on the island as a paradigmatic transitional space in the Mediterranean. Mallorca’s Jewish heritage – from medieval communities and urban quarters to the complex history of conversion, persecution, and the legacy of the Xuetes – offers a compelling case study for examining how Jewish life persisted, adapted, and was remembered under conditions of rupture and continuity.

Bringing together PhD students and post-Doc researchers from various disciplines, the seminar aims to foster interdisciplinary dialogue on how Jewish heritage can be studied, interpreted, and represented in spaces marked by transition. By combining theoretical discussion with engagement with local sites, the seminar encourages participants to critically reflect on methodological approaches to heritage, memory, and mobility in Jewish history, both on Mallorca and beyond.

Lecturers

• Prof. Jessica Roda
• Dr. Naomi Leite
• Prof. Miranda Crowdus
• Prof. Edwin Seroussi
• Prof. Dr. Sarah Ross
• Dr. Marina Nahum-Sapritzky

Programm/Program