MA fee bursary in Jewish Studies, 2021

Masters degree in Religions and Theology. Congratulations to Jennifer Litherland who has won a £10,000 MA fees bursary in a national competition, awarded by the Centre for Jewish Studies. Jennifer completed her BA Hons English Language Studies at Northumbria University.

Teaching presentation, Jerusalem

Holocaust Studies. Ion Popa will give an online presentation at the Yad Vashem International Institute for Holocaust Research entitled "Destruction, Survival, Dissidence: Jewish Life in Romania in the context of the Holocaust." The presentation is organised as part of a partnership between Yad Vashem and Haifa University and aimed at MA students. Yad Vashem, Jerusalem, 20 July 2021.

Research project, BRIC-19

Prayer in the age of COVID. Dr Katja Stuerzenhofecker's investigation of Jewish Orthodox female-only online prayer groups has brought to light important insights into the religious and quotidian motivations and needs of women and girls. Some of the findings are specific to current conditions under the pandemic, but many concern perennial issues that will live on in the after-times such as accessibility, participation and leadership. Research participants who attend the prayer groups are invited to learn more about the findings and give their feedback on 11 July. This is part of the research project 'Social Distance, Digital Congregation: British Ritual Innovation under Covid-19'. Further information.

Social responsibility

Policing during COVID. Hon. research fellow Bishop David Walker has been chairing the monthly meetings of the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC)'s Ethics Committee, looking at the policing of the Covid pandemic (Operation Talla) since July 2020.

Screen & Talk, CJS

Jewish Studies. The Centre for Jewish Studies at Manchester University is pleased to announce that the next Screen & Talk event will be the streaming of ‘Wall’ (2017) by Moran Ifergan, Winner of Best Israeli Film Award at the 2017 Docaviv festival. Ifergan explores the spirituality surrounding Israel’s sacred Western Wall, her own journey from her ultra-Orthodox upbringing to a secular life, and the disintegration of her marriage. This film streaming was organised by Katja Stuerzenhofecker and is accompanied by a recorded discussion with Robyn Ashworth-Steen, Principal Rabbi of Manchester Reform Synagogue, and Cathy Gelbin, Professor of Film and German Studies at the University of Manchester. The discussion is chaired by Judy Ironside MBE, Founder and President of UK Jewish Film. 2-9 July 2021. Further information.

Teaching innovation, Undergraduate Scholars Project

Language and Knowledge. The School of Arts, Languages and Cultures runs an annual programme for undergraduates who want a chance  to engage in (non-credit) funded research and writing on a variety of over-arching themes. This year, Alex Samely was offering supervision on 'How the Story of Our Words Informs and Distorts Present Knowledge' and the result was the project entitled "An analysis of Matt Hancock's 2021 Speech, 'We must bring the Mental Health Act into the 21st century'". 

New appointment

British Academy postdoctoral researcher. The Department of Religions and Theology is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Sarah Parkhouse as an incoming British Academy postdoctoral fellow, transferring from KCL. Her project is entitled 'Coptic Apocrypha Lived Religion and the Egyptian Landscape'. We extend our warmest welcome to Dr Parkhouse on her part-time appointment 2021-25, which started 1 June 2021.

Graduate videos, TRS-UK

Theology and Religious Studies. The representative organisation Theological and Religious Studies UK has posted a number of useful video presentations about the career trajectories of TRS graduates; a number of those featured are Manchester graduates. New videos added! Further information.

Conference paper, international

Dead Sea Scrolls. George Brooke presented on 'The Dead Sea Scrolls and Authorship'.  Dead Sea Scrolls: Second Public Conference, under the auspices of NYU Skirball Department of Hebrew & Judaic Studies and the Israel Antiquities Authority. 6-9 June 2021. Further information.

Featured archive

Jewish Studies. "Rediscovered: The Tobias Theodores Papers. Tobias Theodores (1808-1886) was born in Prussia. He moved to England when he was sixteen and soon began teaching languages. He was a prominent member of the Jewish Reform movement and a founding member of the Reform Synagogue in Manchester. Theodores was closely involved with many charitable causes, especially with the Manchester Jews’ School..." Rylands Library, University of Manchester. Further information.

Student conference paper, HEA teaching and learning

Higher Education and new technologies. Emen Hussain (2nd year, Religions & Theology) and Dr Jennifer O’Brien will present a paper at the HEA Teaching and Learning Conference 2021 entitled ‘Post COVID, does technology enhanced learning offer a more equitable and empowering learning space for students than the traditional classroom? A student-led, students' view.’ This is based in part on survey and focus group work Emen conducted recently. 6-8 July 2021. Further information.

Podcast, Religion in Britain

Christian Studies. The book launch celebration of William Gibson and Geordan Hammond (eds), Religion in Britain, 1660-1900: Essays in Honour of Peter B. Nockles, Bulletin of the John Rylands Library, 97/1 (Spring 2021) is now available to view online. Watch on YouTube.

BBC Radio 4, Woman's Hour

Jewish Studies. Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe Post-Doctoral Fellow Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz is used to writing about women in Judaism. Now, following her ordination as a female Orthodox rabbi, she has become part of the story; listen again to Woman's Hour (17 June).

Letter to the Church Times

Christian studies. David Law has written to the Church Times on the subject of the 'Theological gap concerning work and ministry'. 11 June 2021. Further information.

Publication legacy, Potsdam University

New Testament and Jewish Studies. Daniel Langton's The Apostle Paul in the Jewish Imagination (Cambridge, 2010) is the inspiration for a new public-facing course at the University of Potdam entitled 'Paul in Jewish Imaginations'. The lecturer, Dr Kathy Ehrensperger, describes the core  reader for the course as an 'inspiring and highly important publication.' Further information.

Research impact

Jewish Studies. Here we highlight a research project in our Dept that has had impact in wider society - Digital Jewish Community: Ethnographic study of religious innovation among Orthodox Jewish women under Covid-19. Further information.

Teaching excellence, award

  Religions and Theology. Congratulations to Holly Morse who has won the 2021 'Student Union Education Award: Inclusive teaching practice' for her course SALC21132 All About Eve. For other examples of local teaching success, see this year's remarkable NSS score, and recent awards and nominations and student evaluations.

Collaboration with partner institutions: PhD training

Postgraduate research training. David Law and Andy Boakye will be participating in enhanced training programmes for supervising PhD students with our partner institution, Nazarene Theological College. Topics include best practice for 'Application procedures', 'Supervision to Completion' and 'Thesis to Book: Supporting Publishing, and Issues of Open Access vs Embargo'.  21 and 30 June 2021.

The Complete University Guide 2022

League table ranking. We are delighted to report that The Complete University Guide 2022 has placed our Department 6th highest in the UK. Further information.

Conference contributors, BAJS 2021

Jewish Studies. Staff and honorary fellows who are contributing to the BAJS2021 conference on 'World in Crisis: Reflections and Responses from Antiquity to the Present' include: Katja Stuerzenhofecker: 'Revisiting Kurt Lewin's action research for a world in crisis'; Katharina Keim: 'Apocalypticism at the Emergence of Islam'; Marcel Stoetzler: 'What is 'left-wing' about 'left-wing antisemitism'?'; Avishalom Westreich: 'Religious Identity, Law and Politics: The Challenge of Reproductive Technologies', and Stefania Silvestri will contribute to a panel discussion on 'Jewish Heritage in/and Crisis VI: Libraries/archives and Crisis'. 5-7 July 2021. Further information.

Rabbinic ordination, in press

Gender and Judaism. Congratulations to Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe Post-Doctoral Fellow Lindsey Taylor-Guthartz, based in the Centre for Jewish Studies, who will be receiving Orthodox rabbinic ordination on 15 June 2021 from Maharat, New York, as part of their ninth cohort of women rabbis, and only the second woman from the UK. See the Jewish Chronicle article (14 June), the Jewish Chronicle (17 June), Times of Israel (17 June), Times of Israel (22 June), the Jewish Chronicle (24 June).

New publication

History of Atheism. Daniel Langton, "Atheism" in Encyclopedia of Jewish-Christian Relations Online, edited by Martin Thurner, Peter Schäfer, Christoph Markschies, Amy-Jill Levine, Rainer Kampling and Walter Homolka. (Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2021). Author-submitted manuscript and online.

Teaching excellence, nomination

Religions and Theology. Congratulations to Holly Morse who has been nominated for a 'Student Union Education Award: Inclusive teaching practice' for her course SALC21132 All About Eve.

SALC PhD studentship award, 2021

PhD in Religions and Theology. Congratulations to Rachel Miller who has been awarded a PhD studentship of c.£20,109 p.a. (fees and maintenance) by the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (SALC). The provisional topic of the research project is 'An intersectional analysis of victim-blaming, female agency and male violence in the Hebrew Bible.'

SALC MA student fee bursary award, 2021

Masters degree in Religions and Theology. Congratulations to Libby Jackson who has been awarded a £10,000 fee bursary by the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures (SALC). As a result of studying for her degree in Religions and Theology, she plans to continue to research the portrayal of women in the Bible and its implications for the modern global Church.