The Lives of Jewish Things

The Lives of Jewish Things speaks with rare and thoughtful eloquence to our own fraught historical moment, a time of heightened awareness of the power of performativity and keen sensitivity to topics such as appropriation, cultural ownership, and identity. While the essays in this volume address and interrogate the capacious nature of the concept of "Jewish things," their shared focus on specific items, lived experiences, and often overlooked corners of global Jewish history brings a curio cabinet of stories vividly to life. In doing so, the volume as a whole reframes and deepens key discussions taking place in Jewish studies and cultural history more broadly. A true gem!"

~Laura Lieber, professor for the transregional history of religion, University of Regensburg

From the timeworn benches of ancient synagogues to a Bedouin hut repurposed as a Jewish sukkah within the complex Israeli-Palestinian milieu, this collection of essays unveils new dimensions of Jewish history and culture. While much of our understanding of Judaism's past is anchored in texts predominantly authored by men of the rabbinic elite, the contributors of this volume reveal how fleeting artifacts of material culture can shed fresh light on the daily, religious, and social lives of individuals often relegated to the margins of historical narratives—children, women, and the unknown figures who shaped Jewish societies across diverse eras and regions.

~Shalom Sabar, professor emeritus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

As Jewish museums proliferate around the world, greater scholarly attention is being paid to what they display and, more generally, to what constitutes Jewish material culture. The Lives of Jewish Things offers an array of essays addressing these issues, including insightful contributions by some of the leading academics, artists, and curators on the subject.

~Jeffrey Shandler, author of Homes of the Past: A Lost Jewish Museum