César Merchan-Hamann introduced by Samuel Fanous

Bodleian curator César Merchán-Hamann discusses the major collection of texts in Judeo languages held by the Bodleian Libraries and what they tell us about the vibrant culture of the Jewish diaspora.

Merchán-Hamann says the manuscripts offer an extraordinary insight into the richness of Jewish life.  Jewish communities have been using many languages other than Hebrew for 2,000 years including Judeo-Arabic, Judeo-French, Judeo-Italian, Yiddish, Ladino and the more obscure Judeo-Tatar. The languages were written in the Hebrew alphabet. Many of the languages have now died out but the texts are important testimonies to cultures that once flourished.

Merchán-Hamann is the Victor Blank Hebraica and Judaica curator in the Bodleian Library and director of the Leopold Muller Memorial Library at the University of Oxford. He will be introduced by Samuel Fanous, head of publishing at the Bodleian Library

Part of the festival’s programme of Jewish and Hebrew literature and culture.

Presented by Bodleian Libraries.