About the Conference

Encounters at the Seam – Between Jewish Tradition, Society, and Identity

An interdisciplinary conference will be held in Zefat this autumn, organized by the World Union of Jewish Studies in collaboration with Zefat Academic College and its Center for Research of Galilee Cultures. The conference aims to examine the intersections between classical Jewish studies and the tools and methodologies of the social sciences (sociology, anthropology, psychology, economics, and political science).

The conference will be dedicated to the dialogue between Jewish text, history, and culture and a changing social reality, with the goal of examining religious, cultural, and political processes through diverse research tools. Holding the conference in Safed allows for an exploration of these issues within a space where historical layers and a unique human fabric serve as a backdrop for examining the links between tradition and modernity, and between community and state.

Conference themes include, among others:

● Community structures, leadership patterns, and power institutions in the Jewish world.

● Social, political, and economic aspects of religion and tradition.

● Identity and the individual in the global era: Psychological and sociological perspectives.

● Community resilience, ethics, and social justice in light of Jewish sources and contemporary reality.