Philosophy and Jewish Thought: Theoretical Intersections (Jewish Studies)

The relationship between philosophy and Jewish thought has often been a matter of lively discussion. But despite its long tradition and the variety of positions that have been taken in it, the debate is far from being closed and keeps meeting new challenges. So far, research on this topic has mostly been based on historically diachronic references, analogies, or contacts among philosophers and Jewish thinkers. The contributors to this volume, however, propose another way to advance the debate: Rather than adopting a historical approach, they consider the intersections of philosophy and Jewish thought from a theoretical perspective.

Beniamino Fortis holds a PhD in philosophy. He studied in Venice, Florence, and Berlin. His research interests are picture theory, aesthetics, and contemporary Jewish thought.

Ellen Rinner studied history of art, Modern German literature, and philosophy in Berlin and Paris. From 2018 to 2022, she was a research associate at the Selma Stern Center for Jewish Studies in Berlin. Since 2022, she has been working as a research associate at the Department of Transcultural History of Judaism at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin while finishing her doctorate in cultural history and theory. Her research interests include cultural and memory studies, art and visual history, aesthetics, and Jewish studies.

Lars Tittmar studied philosophy and sociology in Hamburg and Berlin. He did his doctorate research in philosophy at Freie Universität Berlin and was a research associate at the Selma Stern Center for Jewish Studies in Berlin. In 2023 he was a research fellow at the Franz Rosenzweig Minerva Research Center in Jerusalem. His research interests are Frankfurt School Critical Theory, social philosophy, philosophy of history, utopian thinking, aesthetics and the work of Jean Améry.