International Workshop

The Workshop on Talmud and Contemporary Thought is an annual intellectual encounter, which explores ways of how the Talmudic tradition of text may offer a medium for contemporary thought, in the sense of thought that engages on issues of contemporary social, political and cultural concern.

The workshop revolves around a Talmudic text, which serves as a medium and environment for thinking together politico-theoretical questions of contemporary concern. The program is based on readings of these texts in view of the guiding questions, which are presented by different participants as a basis for group discussions. A unique feature of the workshop is that it brings together intellectuals with various backgrounds, some more Talmudic, some from other disciplines, in an attempt to enrich conversations and broaden horizons.

The theme for the 2025 workshop is “Thinking War”. The basic question concerns the relation between the two parts of this title: thought and war. Are they at war with each other? Is war the end of thought and thought the end of war? Or are they connected, allied, war arises from thought or vice versa? What is the position of thinkers and scholars in times of war, what is their power? What does this mean for us, in our time, with our wars? What is the role of the Talmud in the current violence?

Venue: Paideia – European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden (Stockholm).

This event is organized by Elad Lapidot at Lille University and Ulrika Björk at Södertörn University, and is a collaboration between Paideia (Stockholm), The Berlin Centre for Intellectual Diaspora Studies (Berlin), and Experimenting with Traditions (Södertörn).

Please find the programme and the speakers’ presentations here.