MANFRED R. LEHMANN MEMORIAL MASTER WORKSHOP

ANNOUNCEMENT



THE MANFRED R. LEHMANN MEMORIAL MASTER WORKSHOP IN

THE HISTORY OF THE JEWISH BOOK


The Jewish Studies Program at the University of Pennsylvania, in conjunction with the University of Pennsylvania Library and the Katz Center for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, are pleased to announce the eleventh annual Manfred R. Lehmann Memorial Master Workshop to be held on May 8-9, (Sunday-Monday), 2011, at the Katz Center. The topic is Collectors and Collections: Hebrew Manuscripts and Incunabula in Russia. This year’s workshop will be led by Dr. Shimon Iakerson, the Head Researcher at the Institute of Oriental Manuscripts of the Russian Academy of Sciences and Curator of the Judaica collections of the Russian Museum of Ethnography. One of the world’s leading experts on Hebrew incunabula, Professor Iakerson is the author of many books including Ohel Hayim Vol. 3 (Incunabula and Sixteenth Century Books in the Manfred and Ann Lehmann Collection) and the monumental Catalogue of Hebrew Incunabula from the Collection of the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America.

About 22 thousand Hebrew manuscripts and more than 100 Hebrew incunabula are preserved in the libraries and research centers of Russia. Until recently these volumes were largely unavailable to Western scholars. Since the opening of these collections some twenty years ago, they have revolutionized many fields in Jewish Studies. This year’s Lehmann Workshop will deal with the histories of these collections, the stories of the collectors and bibliographers who built them, and the importance of these books for the history of Jewish culture. Other topics to be treated will include the nature of the earliest Hebrew codices; Karaite manuscripts and communities; forgery; and the importance of the Russian incunabula for understanding the beginnings of Jewish printing. Since the workshop will concentrate upon reading colophons, dedications and owners’ notes, knowledge of Hebrew is highly desirable.

The workshop is open to professors and independent scholars, professional librarians in the field of Jewish and related studies, and graduate students in Jewish Studies. Attendance at previous workshops is not a prerequisite for admission.

For faculty and professionals, tuition is $250. In addition to attendance and all materials for the workshop, the tuition includes two or three nights in a hotel (double-occupancy) for the nights of May 7 and 8 (with the option of May 6), and all meals and refreshments (all kosher) during the course of the workshop.
Graduate students may apply for a full scholarship to the workshop. To apply for the scholarship, a graduate student should write us giving the details of his or her academic program and a brief statement explaining how the workshop will further his or her academic studies. S/he should also ask a faculty advisor to write us a letter of recommendation on the student's behalf.

Attendance is limited. If you are interested in attending the workshop, please notify us immediately. Full payment must be received by March 1, 2011. Make checks payable to “Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania.” A registration form is available at: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/jwst/registrationLW2011.pdf

Please address all correspondence to:
Lehmann Workshop
c/o Jewish Studies Program
711 Williams Hall
255 S. 36th Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305
jsp-info@sas.upenn.edu
215-898-6654

The Manfred R. Lehmann Memorial Master Workshop in the History of the Jewish Book has been made possible by a generous contribution from the Manfred and Anne Lehmann Foundation along with grants from Mr. Albert Friedberg, the Lucius N. Littauer Foundation, Andrew H. Cohn, Esq. C'66, and the University of Pennsylvania Research Foundation.