Institute for the History of the German Jews

Main research interests are:

• History of the Jews in Hamburg, Altona, and Wandsbek

• Documentation of Jewish cemeteries in the greater Hamburg area

• History and culture of Sephardic Jews in Germany

• Jewish religious and cultural history

• History of migratio

• Jüdische Frauen- und Geschlechtergeschichte

Alongside conducting research, the institute publishes monographs and essays by its own as well as affiliated scholars. Furthermore, fostering young scholars is a central concern. The institute’s library holds over seventy thousand volumes in its special collection on Jewish history and culture since the Middle Ages. The library also houses rare Hebraica and around 900 foreign and domestic periodicals. Many of these titles are searchable in the University of Hamburg’s library catalogue, Campus-Katalog recherchierbar.

Digitalization plays an increasingly important role in the field of Jewish history. Accordingly, the IGdJ has been examining its effects and participating in discussions and activities related to the topic. The institute took a leading role in the foundation of the Digital Jewish History network as a member of the digital history working group in the VHD–German Historical Association. The IGdU has also developed its own digital history projects. These include the online reference guide about Jewish Hamburg (Jüdisches Hamburg) and an image database of Jewish life in the city (http://www.bilddatenbank-juedische-geschichte.de/), the Geschichtomat school project, and the bilingual (German/English) digital sourcebook Key Documents of German-Jewish History, a presentation of selected sources in digital facsimile with transcripts and commentary placing each source in its historical context. Currently, the institute is also a member of a European project creating an online guide to archives for Jewish history.

Some of the materials resulting from these digital projects will be linked to the Jewish Places website. The material also provides a foundation for further research on Jewish history (in Hamburg) and can therefore aid in the creation of new Jewish Places contributions.