Noam Zadoff, Department of Contemporary History, Universität Innsbruck
In his New York Times op-ed from March first, the arguably most prominent living Israeli writer and intellectual David Grossman quoted Gershom Scholem in order to describe the current situation of a wounded Israeli society. On a first glance this reference seems to be surprising: What makes a Kabbala scholar, born in Berlin in 1897 and immigrated to Palestine in his youth, a relevant voice today, more than 40 years after his death? This lecture focuses on Gershom Scholem as a political figure, and on his role in the Kulturkampf that took place in Israel. Many of these debates are still relevant today. Therefore analyzing these past controversies helps to better understand the political situation in Israel today, and Scholem's continued relevance in times of crisis.
Noam Zadoff is Assistant Professor at the Department of Contemporary History, Universität Innsbruck. He is the Author of: Gershom Scholem: From Berlin to Jerusalem and Back (Brandeis UP, 2017), and: Geschichte Israels: Von der Staatsgründung und bis zur Gegenwart (C. H. Beck, 2021).
The College of Arts