"The Wandering Jew in Israel, 1952-1955", with Yair Mintzker

The origin of the expression “Wandering Jew” is a mysterious pamphlet published anonymously in German in the year 1602. The pamphlet describes in great detail the story of a Jew named Ahasversus, who lived at the time of the Second Temple and was cursed by Jesus to eternal wanderings after refusing to help him as he was led to Calvary. For more than four hundred years, many otherwise reliable witnesses have claimed to have met the Wandering Jew in person. Though appearing in different times and places, he is always described in the same exact way. The lecture recounts one of the most recent apparitions of the Wandering Jew. It took place in Israel of the early 1950s.

Yair Mintzker is Professor of European History at Princeton University. He is a specialist in the history of early modern and modern Germany, and the author or editor of five books and many articles in the field. His latest monograph, I, Wandering Jew (Princeton UP, 2016), combines history and memoir to retell the legend of the Wandering Jew across five centuries. Mintzker’s previous book, The Many Deaths of Jew Süss (2017), won the National Jewish Book Award in History and was chosen by the Financial Times as one of the best books of 2017.

*Guests must register by Thursday, April 16, to be approved for campus access; unregistered guests will not be permitted on campus.

Supported by the generosity of the Kaye family.

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