EP 80: A New Orient. From German Scholarship to Middle Eastern Studies in Israel

"A New Orient" explores the history of Zionist and Israeli Oriental Studies, focusing on the transfer of knowledge about Islam, Arabic, and the Middle East from German universities to Mandatory Palestine. This migration involved scholars who arrived either as Zionists or refugees from Nazi Germany, joining the Hebrew University. The book traces how the field shifted from a textual-philological approach in Germany to a direct, often tense, encounter with the region's realities, shaped by the growing Jewish-Arab conflict. Drawing on archival sources in multiple languages, it highlights the Orientalists' roles beyond academia, including efforts at Jewish-Arab dialogue and cooperation with diplomatic and security bodies. This study sheds light on the entanglement of scientific research with political, social, and cultural dynamics in 20th-century Palestine and Israel, offering fresh insights into the roots of the Jewish-Arab conflict and the impact of academic knowledge on its development.