Webinar: A Conversation on Epidemics, Disease, and Plagues in Jewish History & Memory

Epidemic diseases usually strike humans indiscriminately. Yet the social and cultural responses to them can often exacerbate the differences that set people apart. The plague first broke out in Europe in 1348, but it recurred every generation, and was a feature of daily, social, and cultural life. For Jews, outbreaks of disease carried a double threat: one biological, the other social. In this conversation, we explore examples of disease in the Jewish past to examine the ways in which moments of epidemic challenged Jewish life and ritual, and to explore how governments, Jewish leaders, and Jewish and Christian neighbors responded to the pressures of plague.

In a conversation with Magda Teter, Ph.D, professor from Fordham, Joshua Teplitsky, Ph.D., professor from SUNY Stony Brook, will discuss special the role of memory and the constructions of myths and narratives about health, hygiene, immunity, and responsibility as they revolved around public health and the fear of contagion.

Joshua Teplitsky, Ph.D., teaches Jewish history at SUNY Stony Brook. He is the author of Prince of the Press: How One Collector Built History’s Most Enduring and Remarkable Jewish Library, which was a finalist for the National Jewish Book Award. He is also the author of dozens of articles in academic journals and popular venues. Teplitsky received many prestigious fellowships. He is currently a Harry Starr Fellow at Harvard University, working on a book about Jews and plagues in premodern Europe.

Magda Teter, Ph.D., is a professor of history and the Shvidler Chair in Judaic Studies at Fordham University. She is the author of Blood Libel: On the Trail of an Antisemitic Myth, Sinners on Trial: Jews and Sacrilege after the Reformation, and Jews and Heretics in Catholic Poland. She has published numerous articles in English, Hebrew, Italian, and Polish. Her research has been supported by the John Simon Guggenheim and Harry Frank Guggenheim foundations, the Yad Ha-Nadiv foundation, Harvard University, and the NYPL’s Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, among others.

This event, which will take place as a webinar via Zoom, is co-produced by Fordham University and the Center for Jewish History. All Jewish Studies events are free and open to public.