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Lunchtime seminar with Professor Teplitsky, “The social life of Jewish books: How a book collector was crowned a prince of Jerusalem and caused a sensation in Prague.”
October 27, 2015 @ 11:45 am - 1:00 pm
Books are often thought of as bearers of knowledge, most useful for private study or the pursuit of scholarly ends. While this is undoubtedly true, books also arouse passion as commodities of collection and avenues of exchange. In this session, we explore the bibliophilic career of David Oppenheim, chief rabbi of Prague in the eighteenth century. Oppenheim’s pursuit of “books to no end” led him into surprising relationships, including one with the Jews of Jerusalem, who called him their prince. But when the imperial authorities in Vienna caught wind of this royal title, a love of books led this man into more trouble than he had bargained for. This session follows Oppenheim’s story to explore how a “social life of books” can invite us into new understandings of cultural and political pasts.
Lunch will be served