Jewish-Christian ties eyed at May 31 PSU medieval conference
By Deborah Moon Seldner
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Art buffs as well as people interested in European history, Jewish culture and religious conflict will experience "a treat for the eyes as well as the ears," when Portland State University hosts a free conference entitled "Looking at Jewish-Christian Relations: Visual Culture in Medieval and Early Modern Europe" on May 31.
This one-day conference will bring together scholars from Jewish studies, history, English, art history, and Spanish to discuss Jewish-Christian interactions and their representation in art, literature and film. The conference will meet from noon to 8 p.m., May 31 at PSU's Smith Memorial Student Union, Room 236.
"This conference will stimulate not only the ears, but the eyes as well," said PSU Judaic Studies Professor Michael Weingrad, who organized the conference with the help of Professor John Ott, PSU Dept. of History. "The Jews are part of the history of the West, and there is not only a literary, but also a visual record of that fact."
Weingrad said he expects the conference to attract students, scholars and community members.
He said the conference is a reflection of the fact that "Jewish studies carries on intellectual dialogues with every field of the humanities and social sciences. This conference will feature speakers from the fields of art history, medieval European history, English and Spanish literature, and religious studies, all coming together to look, listen and learn."
"He is a brilliant and engaging scholar who teaches at Vassar and is widely recognized as one of the foremost specialists in medieval Jewish art," said Weingrad. "He makes the illustrations in medieval Passover haggadahs, for instance, 'come alive' and 'speak' to us about the relations between Jewish and Christians at that time."
Following Epstein, Judith Baskin, head of the Judaic studies program at the University of Oregon, will speak at 2:30 on "Educating Jewish and Christian Young Women in Medieval France and Germany: The Roles Of Class, Religion, and Gender."
Weingrad said her lecture will "bring women's experience to the discussion."
Beginning at 4:15, a panel will discuss "Looking at Jewish-Christian Relations in The Medieval and Early Modern Periods: From Illuminated Manuscripts to the 'Merchant of Venice.'" PSU's Anat Gilboa and Amy Greenstadt will be joined by Kate Regan from the University of Portland.
"The third panel will range from art history professor Anat Gilboa's work on how Jewish motifs show up in Christian Renaissance manuscripts to English professor Amy Greenstadt's work on 'The Merchant of Venice' on stage and in film," said Weingrad. "This will allow people in different fields of study to share how they look a visual objects dealing with Jewish-Christian relations of centuries past, with some applications for today."
The conference will conclude with the 7 p.m. showing of Regan's documentary film "The Sephardic Legacy of Segovia, Spain: Pentimento of the Past" followed by questions and answers with the filmmaker.
The conference is sponsored by the Harold Schnitzer Family Program in Judaic Studies, Department of History, Department of English and Department of Art at Portland State University. For more information, call 503-725-8449.