Dorota will present how the Aramaic-speaking Jews have viewed their own language and identity ever since coming to Israel in the 1950s, and how their culture was perceived by those around them—Kurdish Muslims and Christians in Iraq and later, by fellow Israelis.
She will also talk about their language—Modern Aramaic—and how it differs from the language of the Talmud. Based on stories and language documentation gathered in her own fieldwork with the Aramaic-speaking community in Israel.
The Jews that immigrated to Israel from Kurdistan spoke Aramaic—an ancient and once prestigious Jewish language. Ironically, however, their linguistic heritage and culture were at first not appreciated in their new homeland. Rather than being welcomed, the community battled with a profound sense of alienation from the Israeli society, as well as a loss of a historic homeland and an erosion of trust with their erstwhile Iraqi neighbours.
Dorota Molin has an undergraduate degree in Hebrew and Arabic from the University of Cambridge, and a Masters in Biblical Hebrew from the same University. She obtained her PhD in 2021 for her documentary and comparative research on a dialect of Modern Aramaic spoken by the Jews from north-western Iraq. She now works as a researcher at Cambridge, working on the relations between various types of Modern Aramaic and the relationship with the neighbouring Kurdish languages. She also teaches Biblical Hebrew in Oxford. Aside from—naturally—languages—she loves travelling, music, novels and choral music.
JW3 is delighted to be partnering with the Oxford Centre for Jewish and Hebrew Studies and hosting this series showcasing the Fellows of the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish studies.
NB: This session will not be recorded.
