O.P. Jindal Global University, India
16-18 February
2026
2026
About
Jewish Tides of Connection and Memory
Jewish life along the shores of the Indian Ocean has long remained in the margins of historical discourse. This conference brings to light the trade routes, cultural exchanges, and diasporic ties that linked Jewish communities from the Red Sea to South Asia. By tracing these overlooked connections, we seek to reframe the Indian Ocean as a vital space in Jewish history.
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Speakers
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Attendees
HR
Panels
Exploring Jewish Presence Across the Indian Ocean
Uncovering overlooked dimensions
of the Jewish story
Adopting the lens of the “Oceanic Turn,” the conference approaches the Indian Ocean not as a boundary, but as a dynamic space of mobility, exchange, and connection. It highlights the roles Jewish communities played within broader networks of trade, culture, and migration across maritime Asia.
Bridging Time Periods and
Academic Disciplines
By drawing together scholars from antiquity to modernity and from diverse fields—history, religious studies, anthropology, geography, and more—the conference fosters interdisciplinary dialogue. This integration opens up new perspectives on Jewish diasporas and transregional interaction.
Fostering Global Academic Collaboration
Held in India and organized through cooperation between institutions in South Asia, Israel, and beyond, the conference brings together scholars from across continents. It promotes cross-cultural academic exchange and lays the groundwork for future collaborative research.
Catalyzing Further Research and Publication
This conference is envisioned as a starting point for an emerging field of inquiry. It aims to generate new research, build scholarly networks, and consolidate key findings and methodologies.
Speakers
Dr. Navaras Jaat Aafreedi
Assistant Professor of History at Presidency University
Prof. Achia Anzi
OP Jindal Global University
Sifra Lentin
Author and fellow Indian Council on Global Relations
Dr. Khinvarj Jangid / Suthar
Professor and Director of the Centre for Israel Studies, OP Jindal Global University
Dr. Menashe Anzi
Senior Lecturer in the Department of Jewish History at Ben-Gurion University
Dr. Assaf Avraham
Head of the Research and Education Division at the Shazar Center for Jewish History
Dr. Rachel Yadid
CEO and Chair of Eeleh Betamar
Prof. Shalva Weil
Senior researcher at the Seymour Fox School of Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Prof. Miriam Frenkel
Professor Emerita in Judaism and Islamic Thought at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Prof. Bat-Zion Klorman-Eraqi
Professor Emerita of History at the Open University of Israel.
Dr. Noga Raved
Post-Doctoral Researcher at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.
Prof. Steven Fine
Churgin Professor of Jewish History at Yeshiva University and Director of the YU Center for Israel Studies
Prof. Amihai Radzyner
Professor of Jewish Law, Family Law, and Legal History at Bar-Ilan University’s Faculty of Law
Kenneth X Robbins
Independent scholar and psychiatrist
Dr. Levi Cooper
Senior Lecturer in Bar-Ilan University’s Faculty of Law.
Anna Zacharias
PhD candidate at the Centre for the Study of Social Systems, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi
Arghya Sengupta
Graduate in International Relations at the University of Haifa and the University of Warsaw.
Dr. Emy Merin Joy
Postdoc at the Centre for Religious Studies, Central European University.
Prof. José Alberto Tavim
Professor at the Center for History, University of Lisbon
Joel Jyothis Tom
PhD candidate in Comparative Literature at the Central University of Gujarat
Dr. Geraldine Gudefin
Visiting Scholar at the Centre for Asian Legal Studies, National University of Singapore.
Prof. Jessica Roitman
Professor of Jewish Studies at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Lija Joseph
Fellow of Colonial and Global History at the University of Leiden.
Omer Ghazi
Policy Researcher at the Citizens Foundation for Policy Solutions in Delhi
Rohit Kumar Sharma
Research Analyst at the Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi
Sayan Lodh
PhD candidate at Presidency University, Kolkata
Aditya Shinde
PhD candidate at George Washington University
Suraj Rajan Kadanthodu
PhD Candidate at the Department of Israel Studies, University of Haifa.
Yehuda Pava
PhD candidate in Jewish History at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Prof. Aren Maeir
Professor of Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University and Head of the Institute of Archaeology
Lipika Pelham
Herbert D. Katz Centre for Advanced Judaic Studies at the University of Pennsylvania
Prof. David Hamidovic
Professor at the University of Lausanne.
Rishona Fine
PhD candidate in the Program for Folklore and Folk Culture Studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Dr. Johann Nicolai
Post-Doctoral Researcher Specializing in modern German-Jewish history
Dr.Yigal Sitry
Former Director of the Central Zionist Archives
Dr. Ofer Ashwal
Scholar of Jewish history and law
Dr. Sharon Shalom
Head of the International Center for the Study of Ethiopian Jewry at Ono Academic College.
Elijah Roggen
The United States - India Educational Foundation / O.P. Jindal Global University
Dr.Ran Amitai
Research fellow at the University of Haifa specializing in the history of Indian Jews
Anwesha Das
PhD candidate in Islamic Civilizations Studies at Emory University
Lev Cosijns
PhD candidate in Archaeological Science at the University of Oxford
Prof. Claude (Dov) B. Stuczynski
Head of the Department of General History at Bar-Ilan University
Prof. Arye Edrei
Professor at Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Law, specializing in the history and philosophy of Halakha
Prof. Efraim Lev
Professor at the department of Israel Studies at the University of Haifa
Prof. Zohar Amar
Professor in the Department of Land of Israel Studies and Archaeology at Bar-Ilan University
Dr.Haggai Olshanetsky
Postdoc at the University of Warsaw
Shalom Sabar
Professor Emeritus of Jewish Art and Folklore at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem
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