Conference Programme
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A two-day interdisciplinary congress to be held on Day 1 at the Hebrew University and Day 2 at the Ben-Zvi Institute in Jerusalem on December 18-19, 2016.*
Day 1
December 18, 2016
Location: Research Institute for Innovation in Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Room 242**
10:00-10:15 Registration and refreshments
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10:15-10:45 Greetings
Gad Yair, Director, RIFIE, Hebrew University
Yaron Ben-Naeh, Director, Misgav Yerushalayim Research Institute
David Shulman, Professor Emeritus, Depts. of Asian Studies and Comparative Religions, Hebrew University
Anat Bernstein-Reich, Chairperson, Israel-India Chamber of Commerce
10:45-11:30 Session 1: The Jews of Goa: From Early Settlement to Modern Times
Chair: : José Alberto Rodrigues da Silva Tavim, Centre of History, Faculty of Letters, University of Lisbon
Pratima Kamat, Head, Dept. of History, University of Goa
Indo-Portuguese History, Maritime Studies and the Connection with the Jews
Shalva Weil, RIFIE, Hebrew University
The Jews of Goa: State of the Art and State of the Scholarship
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11:30-11:45 Coffee break
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11:45-13:00 Session 2: The Jews of Goa under the Portuguese in the Eyes of Contemporary Novelists
Chair: Palmira Fontes da Costa, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
Richard Zimler, author of “Guardian of the Dawn” (Skype interview)
The effect of the Goa Inquisition on the Zarco family
Naomi Keren, author of “La Senora”
The Lady of the Seas: the story of a 16th century Spice Trade Empire and the Marrano connection
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13:00-14:00 Lunch Break
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14:00-16:00 Session 3: Jews in Goa in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries
Chair: João Teles e Cunha, Institute of Oriental Studies, Portuguese Catholic University
José Alberto Rodrigues da Silva Tavim, Centre of History, Faculty of Letters, University of Lisbon
The Jews in sixteenth and seventeenth century Goa
Moises Orfali, Dept. of Jewish History, Bar-Ilan University; head of Zefat Academic College
Dejanirah Couto, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris
Discussant: Yaron Ben-Naeh, Bernard Cherrick Chair in the History of the Jewish People and Contemporary Jewry Dept., Hebrew University
On the Ottoman Connection
16:00-16:30 Summary and Discussion
Day 2
December 19, 2016
Location: Ben-Zvi Institute, 14 Ibn Gabirol St., Rehavia, Jerusalem
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9:00-9:30 Registration and refreshments
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9:30-10:00 Greetings
Chair: Ambassador Mark Sofer, Deputy Director-General, Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Head of Asia and Pacific Division
Eyal Ginio, Director, Ben-Zvi Institute
Shalva Weil, Conference Organiser
His Excellency Ambassador of India to Israel, Pavan Kapoor
Relations between Israel and India, with special reference to Goa
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10:00-11:15 Session 4: Conversos and Crypto-Jews
Chair: Alisa Meyuhas Ginio, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of History, Tel Aviv University
Palmira Fontes da Costa, Universidade Nova de Lisboa
The many lives of the Jewish-Physician Garcia de Orta: An historiographical perspective
João Teles e Cunha, Institute of Oriental Studies, Portuguese Catholic University
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11:15 – 11:30 Coffee Break
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11:30 -12:45 Session 5: Israelis in Contemporary Goa
Chair: Uriel Adiv, Translator and Interpreter
Dennis Kurzon, Professor Emeritus, Dept. of English Language and Literature, Haifa University
The success in the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) among Konkani speakers
Darya Maoz, Dept. of Government and Social Sciences, Hadassah Academic College, Jerusalem
Hagit Bonny-Noach, Dept. of Criminology, Ariel University
'Moral Panic' over backpackers in Goa India: The construction of a social problem
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12:45-14:00 Lunch Break
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14:00-15:45 Session 6: Reactions to the Inquisition
Chair: Dejanirah Couto, Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes, Paris
Miryam Silvera, Università di Roma Tor Vergata
The Inquisition in Goa following Charles Dellon’s report
Ana Canas, Centre of History, Faculty of Letters, University of Lisbon; Director of the Portuguese Overseas Historical Archive
Behind the Inquisition curtain: New Christians and Jews in the Portuguese Estado da Índia
Panel Discussion 1: Are There Anusim/Marranos Today in Goa?
Panelists: Michael Freund, Jacqueline Moreno, Solomon Souza
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15:45-16:00 Coffee Break
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16:00-17:00 Panel Discussion 2: How do We Progress from Here in the Study of the Jews of Goa?
Chair: Shalva Weil, Hebrew University
Panelists: José Alberto Tavim, Dejanirah Couto, Palmira da Costa, Ana Canas
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* This invitation will enable entrance for pedestrians with ID/passport to the Hebrew University. If you wish to park in the Faculty of Humanities parking area, pls email your name, ID no, license plate no., and mobile tel no. by Dec. 13th, 2016 to: shalva.weil@mail.huji.ac.il