Poland and Hungary: Jewish Realities Compared

Description

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the Jewish communities of Poland and Hungary were the largest in the world and arguably the most culturally vibrant, yet they have rarely been studied comparatively. Despite the obvious similarities, historians have mainly preferred to highlight the differences and emphasize instead the central European character of Hungarian Jewry. Speakers at this conference will reflect on the usefulness of historical comparisons thinking about the different social and cultural trajectory of Hungarian and Polish Jews, the Holocaust, historical consciousness, and the role of Jews in the respective entertainment industries. Author Barry Cohen joins us at the conclusion of the conference, with his reflections on conversations with Poles who discovered their Jewish origins late in life.

• ‘Polin Vol. 31’ is published by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization/Liverpool University Press.
• Volume Editors: François Guesnet, Howard Lupovitch and Antony Polonsky.
• It will be available to purchase at the conference at a 25% discount.

Programme 

9.30 - 10am: Registration

Session 1: General introduction to the topic and the volume
Howard Lupovich, Wayne State University, in discussion with Antony Polonsky

Session 2: Similar but Different? The Potential of Historical Comparison

Chair: François Guesnet, UCL
Victor Karady, Budapest
Tim Cole, University of Bristol
Anna Manchin, Budapest

Lunch

Session 3: Jews in Polish and Hungarian Entertainment Before World War Two

Chair: Antony Polonsky, Brandeis University/UCL
Mary Gluck, Brown University
Beth Holmgren, Duke University

Session 4: Book presentation

Barry Cohen: Opening the Drawer. The Hidden Identities of Polish Jews (2018)

Francois Guesnet (UCL) and Antony Polonsky (Brandeis University) will Chair and lead discussions.

Organised by the Institute for Polish-Jewish Studies and the Institute of Jewish Studies, UCL. Co-organised and supported by the Embassy of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Cultural Institute, London, with support from the UCL European Institute.

Concessions