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October 10, 2002
CJS Annual
General Meeting and Fellows' Meeting
There was
an attendance of approximately 30, including the following Fellows
of the Centre: Professor Alexander (Co-Director of the Centre),
Mrs. Cohen, Professor Frankenberg, Mrs. Garside, Professor Jackson
(Co-Director), Dr Langton (Coordinator), Dr Unterman, Mr Williams.
The meeting
welcomed Mr Dan Shaham, newly appointed Director of Public at
Affairs at the Israel Embassy, attending the meeting as a guest.
Unless otherwise
indicated, the minutes below represent also the report provided
by Professor Jackson, Co-Director of the Centre, for the 2001-02
academic year.
1 New Fellows:
Three new Honorary Research Fellows had been appointed by the
Planning Committee in the course of the year: Cathy Gelbin (Department
of German), Ronnie (ex of Anthropology) and Pauline Frankenberg.
2. Teaching
Support: In the past year, the Centre had supported the part-time
teaching of Dr Irene Lancaster and Dr Unterman, and had been
able to make a substantial contribution to the full-time salary
of Dr Langton. However, this had resulted in a minimal carry-forward
of funds to the current financial year, so that it was no longer
possible for the Centre to provide funds in support of this
teaching, in the absence of new sources of income. For the moment,
part of this teaching was being supported from other, non-CJS,
sources, but its continuation was not assured.
3. Student
Support: In the past year, a number of Lionel Black bursaries
had been given to MA in Jewish Studies students, and this appeared
to have encouraged recruitment. There had been eight new enrolments
on the MA last year, which was encouraging (following similar
success the previous year); the enrolment this year appeared
to represent a dip. It would be necessary to seek a renewal
and if possible expansion of the bursary scheme in advance of
next year's recruitment. It had not proved possible, for financial
reasons, to award a PHD studentship, and new sources for this
were also urgently needed.
4. Research
grants: Despite the failure of a couple of major bids to the
AHRB (one which is currently being revised for resubmission),
the Centre had had a successful year in raising support for
research activities:
a Pledges of 27.5k had been received so far for the Agunah Research
Unit.
b A grant of 18k had been received from the Association of Jewish
Refugees, for a project on the reception and contribution of
Jewish refugees in Manchester before and after the second world
war. This was being directed by Mr Williams, and good progress
was being made.
c A contract had recently been signed by the Library with the
Friedberg Genizah Project of Canada, under which the latter
would provide 35,000 dollars in support of the cataloguing of
the Genizah fragments in the Rylands library, provided that
matching funding could be raised. This was initially for one
year, but it was anticipated that the Project would last for
five years, and the Friedberg Genizah Project was willing in
principle to continue such support, subject to continuing matching
funding and satisfactory progress. It was reported that Mr Joe
Dwek had pledged an initial 10,000 dollars towards the matching
funding, and was active in assisting us to seeking to raise
the rest
d A grant of 1k had been received from the Nathan Laski Trust
in support of a project to provide a web site selecting, describing
and evaluating internet sources particularly valuable for use
by teachers at different levels in Jewish education. Work on
this was in progress.
5. Sherman
Lectures: Professor Kushner had kindly advanced his series from
2003 to 2002, in the light of Dr. Rosner's indisposition, and
had delivered a stimulating series (details on the web site).
Dr. Rosner had recently confirmed his availability to give the
lectures in 2003; details are on the web site and in the attached
yellow leaflet. The lecturer in 2004 would be Professor Daniel
Sperber of Bar-Ilan University, on a theme related to custom
in Jewish law and history. Professor Menachem Elon, former Deputy-President
of the Israel Supreme Court, had also recently agreed to give
a series of Sherman Lectures
6. Research
Seminars: In the past year, seminars had been given by Hyam
Maccoby, Joanna Weinberg, Jonathan Magonet and Max Kohanzad
(a current PHD student) and an additional seminar in the occasional
rabbinics series had been given by Professor Lawrence Kaplan
of McGill University, Canada. The programme for the current
year included speakers from Manchester, London and San Francisco
(visiting Oxford): details on the web site and the attached
yellow leaflet.
7. Extra-mural
activities: Professor Jackson commented that after the success
of the first year of the Centre's extra mural programme (in
1998-99), attendances had dropped somewhat and there had been
experimentation on different formats in subsequent years, with
no very clear pattern emerging. In the past year, Professor
Jackson had given a series of four intensive, text-based sessions
on Agunah at the Yeshurun synagogue to a small but enthusiastic
group; 5 Fellows had presented lectures in Southport on the
theme of the history of Jewish identity, under the auspices
of the Southport Jewish Representative Council; and there had
been a Day-School on June 9th at the Rylands Library (Deansgate)
on "Jewish Heritage at the Rylands". This last had
been particularly successful, attracting approximately 70 participants,
and appeared to have been very much appreciated. See the web
site for a detailed report. It had been notable for the participation
of Professor Stefan Reif (of Cambridge), and for the announcement
by the Vice-Chancellor of the agreement with the Friedberg Genizah
Project (4c, above).
8. Web site:
Dr Langton reported, in response to a question posed at last
year's meeting, that statistics were now available for "hits"
on the Centre's web site (www.mucjs.org), and its component
pages. The site as a whole currently attracts about 14,000 hits
per month; it has been accessed from 42 countries. The most
popular areas of the site include the "Manchester and Zionism"
exhibition, the surveys of Jewish and Holocaust Studies in the
UK (part of the BAJS pages, which the Centre hosts), and articles
such as that by Professor Maccoby on rabbinic argument (the
text of his research seminar last year). Recently added features
of the site include details of the Genizah Manuscripts Project,
of the Agunah Research Unit, and a beautifully illustrated omer
counter with paintings by Pauline Frankenberg. The Centre also
hosts the sites of the Jewish Law Association and the Jewish
Built Heritage Research Project (both closely associated with
the research of Fellows of the Centre). The site also fulfils
a valuable promotional role in relation to the Jewish Studies
courses, undergraduate and postgraduate, at Manchester. Dr Langton
distributed a flyer listing some of the principal features of
the site (attached hereto).
9. Finances:
Professor Jackson stressed that new sources of income were urgently
required. The success of the Centre recently had been in relation
to specific research projects, but support for the continuing
teaching infrastructure, in the form of teaching fellowships
and student bursaries, was urgently required. The Centre had
survived for much of the past year without secretarial assistance,
the burden being carried largely by Dr Langton and Professor
Jackson with occasional student help. Approaches for new sources
of funding were currently being made, though the outcome could
not be assured.
10. Co-Directors:
The Constitution provided for an initial five-year term, from
1st September 1997, for the Co-Directors, renewable for a period
of three years. Such renewal was in the hands of a Faculty Appointments
Committee, which had not as yet been convened.
11. AOB:
Professor Jackson indicated that assurances had been sought
from the University, in the wake of the Mona Baker affair and
the projected transfer of Professor Baker's Unit to the School
of Linguistics of the University of Manchester, relating to
possible discriminatory policies. A reply been received from
the Registrar and Secretary of the University, in the following
terms: "May I say quite unequivocally that the University
stands firmly by its Charter obligation not to impose any religious,
racial or political test on any person. That obligation applies
to the University and all its constitute parts." In this
context, there was discussion of the current absence from the
University teaching staff of expertise in Modern Hebrew Literature
and Israeli Studies (History, Sociology, Politics) and the desirability
of establishing such. It was noted that this would complement
the current work of the Department of Middle Eastern Studies,
the Head of which had in the past expressed support for such
a post.
A report
was given by Dr Langton on the establishment of a Centre library,
based on a generous deposit of books by Mr Williams, and with
further material from other sources (Jackson's Row and Menorah
Synagogues, the estate of Rabbi J. Weinberg, Noam Livne, and
Geoff Price). A start had been made with regards to cataloguing,
thanks to the generosity of Joy Wolfe, though further funding
for this would be required to complete the work. The library
complemented the holdings of the Rylands particularly in areas
of modern Jewish history, and would prove a valuable teaching
resource. It was a reference library, the books not being available
for borrowing. It was open for consultation when staffed (it
is housed in the Centre's office, which is also the office of
Mr Williams). In this context, Professor Jackson reported also
on an offer just received from Dr. Noah Lucas of Oxford, to
dispose of his collection of books on modern Israel (600 in
English, 200 in Hebrew), but indicated that outside support
would be necessary to effect such a purchase.
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