Acknowledgements
This collaborative volume is the result of the Oxford Seminar in Advanced Jewish Studies and a conference organized in 2022 by the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies (OCHJS) and the Oxford School of Rare Jewish Languages (OSRJL).
We would like to take this opportunity to extend our warmest thanks to Prof. Judith Olszowy-Schlanger, Director of the Centre, and Celeste Pan, the OSRJL Administrator, for their warm welcome, constant support, and fruitful scientific discussions throughout the seminars. We are also thankful to the OCHJS for its financial support, without which this volume could not have come to fruition. We are grateful to Prof. Veltri for accepting the publication of this work in his collection Studies in Jewish Culture and History, published by Brill. A special thanks to César Merchán-Hamann, Director of the Leopold Muller Memorial Library, and to Victor Blank, Curator of Hebraica and Judaica, Bodleian Library, both of whom spared no effort in facilitating access to and study of the treasures of the Bodleian Library. They helped advance our research on Jewish languages, generously sharing their vast knowledge with the seminar’s participants. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Barak Blum, Librarian of the Leopold Muller Memorial Library, for his advice, kindness, and crucial assistance. The seminar could not have run as smoothly as it did without the constant availability and helpfulness of Madeleine Trivasse and Priscilla Lange. They deserve our heartfelt thanks.
In the preparation of this volume, we have been fortunate to be able to call on Jean Baumgarten, Ruth von Bernuth, Moshe Lavee, and Symon Foren, who diligently dedicated their energy, time, and specialized knowledge to its realization. Last but not least, we thank Katerine Sofianou, Brill’s editor, and Sanne Hadfy-Kovács for their careful and professional work throughout the publishing process.
The collaboration that made this volume possible has resulted in warm memories of discussions with seminar members, colleagues, and friends, who enabled us to make significant progress in our research. We sincerely hope that these fruitful scientific exchanges will contribute to a better knowledge and understanding of the richness and diversity of Jewish vernacular literature.
Oxford, Haifa, Chapel Hill, Paris
13 Elul 5784–16 September 2024