Ghilad H. Shenhav Research Associate, Department of Jewish History and Culture, Ludwig- Maximilians-Universität München Resident at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften: September/October 2025 Research topic at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften: »Beyond the Bible: Zionism, Talmud, and the Question of History« Project outline: At the turn of the 20th century, Jewish intellectuals repeatedly integrated Talmudic tales and discussions into their accounts of Jewish politics, particularly about Zionism. However, scholarly literature often overlooks these modern Talmudic interpretations or considers them anecdotal compared to Zionist readings of the Bible. This project challenges the prevailing historiographical claim that the Talmud was excluded from Zionist discourse as part of the »negation of exile.« It studies the political role of the Talmud between 1880 and 1920 in three centers: Eastern Europe, Western Europe, and Ottoman Palestine. By comparing modern accounts of the Talmud, the project complicates common assumptions about the nationalization and secularization of religious sources and suggests a novel narrative of the evolution of early Zionist culture. (Ghilad H. Shenhav) Research partner: Dr. Ghilad Shenhav is a fellow at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften at the invitation of Professor Chrisitian Wiese, Martin Buber Professor for Jewish religious philosophy at Goethe University Frankfurt. His stay is funded by the Frankfurt research focus »Dynamics of Religion«. Scholarly profile of Ghilad H. ShenhavDr. Ghilad H. Shenhav is a scholar of cultural history and religious studies. He is a research associate at the Department of Jewish History and Culture and at the Center for Israel Studies at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. In recent years, his work has focused on the relationship between Zionism and religion, as well as the perception of Israel in German culture.Website: Please find more information about Ghilad H. Shenhav hier. Selected publications:
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