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Galicia: Sources and Perspectives
An international academic workshop exploring new methodologies and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of Jewish Galicia's rich historical and cultural heritage.
Welcome and Workshop Overview
This international gathering brings together leading scholars and students to foster in-depth interdisciplinary research into the historical and cultural complexities of Jewish Galicia. The workshop features a diverse array of session types, thoughtfully organized into six distinct thematic blocks, providing unprecedented glimpses into both Jewish life in Galicia and ongoing research projects.
All sessions maintain a strong methodological focus, encouraging participants to engage critically with primary sources, navigate complex historiographical debates, and explore contemporary perspectives that reshape our understanding of Galician Jewish heritage.
Key Details
  • Dates: February 8-12, 2026
  • Location: University of Haifa, Israel
Workshop Program at a Glance
1
Day 0: February 8, 2026
Arrival and Check-in
2
Day 1: February 9, 2026
10:00 Gathering and registration
10:30 Welcome to the University of Haifa and HIUPS: Dr. Anat Vaturi
11:15 Session 1: New approaches to study of old texts: gravestones and pinkasim (Chair: Dr. Alicja Maślak-Maciejweska)
  • Prof. Maciej Tomal & Prof. Leszek Hońdo: On Difficulties in Reading Hebrew Texts: Selected Gravestones in Galician Cemeteries (45 min source presentation)
  • Mikołaj Wojciechowski: Galician Pinkasim and Their Importance for Research on Jewish History at the Turn of the 18th and 19th Centuries
12:30 Lunch (Effie menza, Eshkol Tower, 1st floor)
13:45 Session 2: Galicia and Digital Humanities (Chair: Dr. Anat Vaturi)
  • Dr. Ilia Lurie: Digital Atlas of Galicia and Gravestones' project
  • Dr. Johannes Czakai: Navigating Jewish genealogy and biographical research in Galician sources
15:15 Coffee break
15:30 Session 3: Policies and institutions (Chair: Dr. Dorota Burda-Fischer)
  • Prof. Rachel Manekin: Government Policies Concerning the Galician Rabbinate Before and after the 1848 Revolution (45 min source presentation)
  • Dr. Hanna Kozińska-Witt: Jews and Galician self-government: still the untold story (lecture)
17:00 Guided tour: The Museum and Archive for the History and Heritage of the German-speaking Jewry in Israel (Museum Hecht)
18:15 Reception
3
Day 2: February 10, 2026
9:30 Gathering
9:45 Session 4: Hostility, violence and what's behind it (Chair: Prof. Marcos Silber)
  • Dr. Tim Buchen: "Recognizing familiarity behind acts of hostility" Antisemitism in rural Galicia as a lens on Jewish-non-Jewish relations before the Great War (lecture)
  • Dr. Jan Rybak: Galicia 1918: Interpreting Violence (Zoom)
11:00 Coffee
11:15 Session 5: Education in Galicia (Chair: Prof. Maciej Tomal)
  • Dr. Alicja Maślak–Maciejewska: Jews and Judaism in Galician public school (45 min source presentation )
  • Michał Augustyn (MA student): Teachers of Judaism in Galician public school - online database (15 min)
  • Dr. Ela Bauer: Between Mickiewicz and Schiller; Jewish Gymnasium Students in Galicia, 1867-1914 (source presentation 45 min)
13:00 Lunch (Effie menza, Eshkol Tower, 1st floor)
14:00 Session 6: Hasidim, healers and the sick (Chair: Dr. Ela Bauer)
  • Prof. Daniel Reiser Healing the soul: Rabbi Mendel Ekstein of Rzeszów and modern psychotherapy (Zoom)
  • Dr. Marek Tuszewicki Caring for the sick and elderly in Galicia: between family and institutions.
15:15 Coffee break
15:30 Session 7: Literature and Culture (Chair: Dr. Anat Vaturi )
  • Dr. Karolina Koprowska: Galicia as a place of birth in Jewish autobiographical narratives (lecture)
  • Dr. Dorota Burda-Fischer: Polish - Jewish cultural exchange in eastern Galicia (lecture)
  • Dr. Keren Fite: Ginczanka in Lwów: the poem ‘Non Omnis Moriar' as a mocking representation of Jewish acculturation (lecture)
17:00 Coffee break
17:15 Book talk with Yechiel Weizman, Moderator: Prof. Marcos Silber
18:00 Pizza night
4
Day 3: February 11, 2026
Trip to Jerusalem: CAHJP, The National Library
8:30 Departure from the hotel
12:00 Seminar with CAHJP
13:00 Lunch
14:00 Guided Tour of the Library
16:00 Return to Haifa
18:00 Free evening
5
Day 4: February 12, 2026
Departure from Israel
Reading Materials and Resources
Pre-Workshop Materials
The curated reading materials below are organized by presenter surname and comprise both primary sources and historiographical essays. Materials are available in multiple languages to facilitate international scholarly engagement. Participants are encouraged to review these documents prior to the workshop.
Materials include translated and original primary sources, as well as historiographical essays designed to establish common ground for interdisciplinary dialogue.
📄 Reading materials and sources

Google Drive

Galicia 2026 - Google Drive

Gallery
Venue and Logistics
Important information for foreign participants:
To enter Israel by plane, most visitors from visa-exempt countries now need an approved ETA-IL (Electronic Travel Authorization), a digital pre-check valid for two years, alongside a passport valid for at least six months past arrival. You must apply online via the official Israel-entry.piba.gov.il website before your trip, even if you previously didn't need a visa, as it's required for entry.
Workshop Venue
Mitzpor Rabin, Rabin Building, Top floor.

israel-studies.haifa.ac.il

Campus Map

Campus Map - To download the map in PDF format click here.

Senior Faculty Housing
Colony Hotel Haifa in the historic German Colony neighborhood. Address: 28 Ben Gurion Boulevard, Haifa. https://colony-hotel.co.il
Phone:+972-4-8513344
Student Accommodations
University Guest Rooms offer comfortable dormitory-style housing on campus.
Getting to Haifa
  • Ben Gurion Airport: 90 minutes by train to Haifa Hof HaCarmel , then taxi.
  • Local Transport: Bus and taxi services available
Getting to the university
A minibus will pick up the guests from the hotel
09.02.26: 9:30
10.02.26: 9:00
Wi-Fi Access at the University of Haifa: AirCarmel - an open guest network available on campus without password.
Meals and Catering
  • Daily breakfast included with accommodation in hotel only.
  • Lunches and dinners provided during workshop sessions.
  • Coffee breaks with light refreshments.
  • Welcome reception dinner.
All dietary requirements and preferences will be accommodated with advance notice.
About the Organizers
This workshop represents a unique collaboration between three leading institutions dedicated to advancing Polish and Jewish studies through rigorous interdisciplinary research and international scholarly exchange.
Haifa Interdisciplinary Unit for Polish Studies
University of Haifa
The Institute of Jewish Studies
Jagiellonian University, Krakow
The Marcell and Maria Roth Chair in the History and Culture of Polish Jewry
Bar Ilan University
"By bringing together diverse scholarly perspectives and methodological approaches, we aim to deepen our understanding of Galician Jewish life and its enduring significance for modern Jewish history."
Contact and Further Information
Get in Touch
We welcome inquiries about the workshop, accommodation arrangements, and opportunities for participation. Our organizing committee is committed to facilitating meaningful scholarly exchange.
Workshop Inquiries
Please allow 2-3 business days for response to your inquiry. For urgent matters, please indicate "URGENT" in your subject line.
Stay Connected
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