Guest lectures

The Center for Judaic Studies has been the organizer of several guest lectures and courses, inviting specialists from abroad.

Courses and presentations delivered by guestlecturers:
  • "Anthropology of Neighbours: Jews and Slavs" by Svetlana Nikolajeva (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation)(26th of March 2012, 16:15-17:45)
  •  "The Praxis of Name Giving of East European Jews: Traditions and Transformations" by Svetlana Nikolajeva (St. Petersburg, Russian Federation) (28th of March 2012, 16:15-17:45)

    • “The Funny Mishna”, a course of guest lectures by Mark Gondelman (Israel). In collaboration with the Faculty of Theology of the University of Latvia (6-15th of September, 2011).
    • “The Alternative Judaism: Insight into the History of Caraites”, a public lecture by Mikhail Kizilov (Oxford), 21st of September, 2011.
    • “The Hebrew Literature at the Beginning of the 20th Century: Berdichewski, Brenner and Rachel as the Examples of Literary Processes”, a course of lectures held by Ilmars Zvirgzds (Latvia), 4-6th of October, 2011.


      Rachel Bluwstein

    • "Synagogues and kinesas", public lecture by dr. Vilma Gradinskaite (Lithuania) (30th of September, 2010)
    • „Judaism and Christianity: Common Origins, Separation and Dialogue”, a course of guestlectures by Dr. Alexander Zanemonets (Russian State University, Moscow; University of Haifa, Israel). In collaboration with the Faculty of Theology for Doctoral students. (October 8 - 11, 2007).

       

    • Lectures on the History of Palestine from Middle Ages till Modern Times, by Prof. Rashid Kaplanov (Chairman of the Academic Board of Moscow Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization "Sefer"). In collaboration with the Faculty of Foreign Languages Oriental studies Department. (May 9-10th, 2007).
    • “Israel: Jewish Nationalism before the Challenge of Globalisation”, a public lecture by Prof. Ze'ev Khanin (Dept. of Political Studies, Bar-Ilan University, Institute for Eurasian Studies, IDC Herzliya, Israel). In collaboration with the Faculty of Foreign Languages Oriental studies Department. (March 15th, 2007).

       

    • “Warfare, Seafaring and Shipbuilding in the Ancient Near East”, an intensive course of guestlectures by Leonid Dreyer (Russian State University for the Humanities, Center for Jewish and Biblical Studies, Moscow). In collaboration with the Faculty of Theology. (December 12 - 13, 2006).

       

    • "An Exetended Midrash on the Story of Tower of Babel", a guest lecture by Prof. Leonid Matsikh (December 4, 2005);

       

    • "Jewish Mysticism", a lecture course by Prof. Leonid Matsikh (Vice Rector on Jewish studies and International Academic Relations, International Solomon University - Kiev, Ukraine). Lectures offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Theology. (November 29 - December 2, 2005).
    • "Modern East-European Jewish history", a lecture course by Prof. Rashid Kaplanov (Chairman of the Academic Board of Moscow Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization "Sefer", President of the European Association of Jewish Studies). Lectures offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Theology. (November 23-28, 2005).

       

    • Musicological Research Problems in Ancient Israel/Palestine", a guest lecture by Prof. Joachim Braun (Bar-Ilan University, Israel) at the Faculty of Theology of the University of Latvia (May 3, 2005).

       

    • "Abraham Isaac Kook and Mystical Expierence of Modernity", a public lecture by Rabbi Yehudah Mirsky (a Fellow at Harvard University and the Van Leer Institute in Jerusalem, Israel) in collaboration with Embassy of Israel in Latvia (December 15, 2004).

       

    • "Peripheral Jewish Communities" (Prof. Dan Shapira, Bar-Ilan University and the Open University of Israel, Israel), a public lecture at the Center (November 24, 2004).

       

    • "Anti-Christian Polemics in Talmud and Midrashim", a lecture course by Prof. Leonid Matsikh (Vice Rector on Jewish studies and International Academic Relations, International Solomon University - Kiev, Ukraine). April 26 - May 4, 2004.
    • “History of European Jews in New and Newest (Modern) Times” (Prof. Rashid Kaplanov), May 2003
    • "The History of Ancient Mesopotamia" (Prof. Joel Veinberg, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel), April - May of 1999.
    • "Ashkenazim and Sephardim in Jewish History" (Prof. Julien Klener, University of Ghent, Belgium), March 2000.
    • "World Religions -I: Religious-anthropological Tradition of the Near East" (Professor Andrey Zubov, Russian Academy of Sciences, The Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow), April, 2000.
    • "Introduction to Egyptology" (Dr. Olga Pavlova, Russian Academy of Sciences, The Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow)
    • "Ancient Israel and Surrounding Cultures" (Dr Victor Rebrik, University of Muenster, Germany), September, 2000.
    • "Ugaritic Language" (Dr Victor Rebrik, University of Muenster, Germany), September, 2000.
    • "Introduction to History of Ancient Egyptian Language" (Dr Victor Rebrik, University of Muenster, Germany), September, 2000.
    • "World Religions -II: Religions of Jewish Cultural Circle" (Professor Andrey Zubov, Russian Academy of Sciences, The Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow)
    • "Maniheism: sources, their interplay and Talmudic discourse" (Professor Eugenia Smagina, Russian Academy of Sciences, The Institute of Oriental Studies, Moscow and Moscow Hebrew University), October, 2000.
    • "Methodology of Oral History projects" (Prof. Dov Levin, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel), October, 2000.



    • "History of European Jews in the Middle Ages" (Prof. Rashid Kaplanov, Chairman of the Academic Board of Moscow Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization "Sefer", Member of the World Council of Jewish Studies), March 2002.
    Individual lectures:
    • “Ethical Aspects of Exodus” (lecturer Israel Aizenscharf).
    • "Unique and universal Elements in Jewish History and Nowadays" (Prof. Herman Branover, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel)
    • "Yiddish in the Baltics" (Dr Anna Vershik, Tartu University, Estonia), November 2000.


      Prof. Lazar Fleishman lecture:
      The Jewisness of Boris Pasternak (2000)

    • "Jewish Cemeteries in the FSU", methodological lecture by Artem Fedorchuk, International Center for Jewish Education and Field Studies, Israel (at the Center for Judaic studies library - May 22, 2009).

    Public lectures:
    • "Israel: Challenges of the Modern Era", a public lecture (University of Latvia Small Hall, April 26, 2004).
    • "Historian: the personal and scientific" (Prof. Joel Veinberg), April - May of 1999.
    • "Judaism as a Religion" (Prof. Julien Klener), March 2000.
    • "Torah and Science" (Prof. Herman Branover)
    • "Cane from Riga" (Prof. Elisa New, Harvard University, USA)
    • "Exodus from Egypt: the new data" (Prof. Victor Rebrik), September, 2000.
    • "Fall of Man in Torah and other Near Eastern Religions" (Prof.A. Zubov), September, 2000.
    • "The influence of Talmudic Hagaddah on the early Christianity" (Prof.J.Smagina), October,2000.
    • "The Jewisness of Boris Pasternak" (Prof. Lazar Fleishman, Stanford University, USA, Head, Department of Slavic studies), February 2001.
    • "European Jewry during the Interwar Period" (Prof. Rashid Kaplanov, Moscow Center for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization "Sefer"), March 2002.