JQR 116.2 is here! Learn about: -Maimonides's via negativa -Joseph Albo (15th c.) on Christian conversionist arguments -early 20th c. popular women cantors -Semitic linguistics historiography -modern Turkish Jewish lit It's open access, so what is there to lose? katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

This week on the blog, we're reflecting on the origins of Jewish art history scholarship through the eyes of pathbreaking 20th century art historian Rachel Wischnitzer—as told in her own words, in JQR essays from 1922–1949. katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

We know you're hungry for spring reading, so we dug deep into the JQR archives and harvested several essays on food and drink, all open access. We hope you enjoy this gastronomic tour from the Roman triclinium to the streets of New York, and everywhere in between! katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

Looking for Earth Day reading? Try Sarah Abrevaya Stein's 2022 essay "The Queen of Herbs: A Plant’s-Eye View of the Sephardic Diaspora," which she describes as an "ethnobotanical, historical study" of the plant known as ruta graveolens, rue, or ruda. muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

Check out Elly Moseson's essay in our current issue, which "sheds new light on the complex role played by literature in the transformation of Hasidism from a small local phenomenon into a mass movement." 👇 muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

In JQR 116.1, Vered Noam investigates why primordial priestly figures in Second Temple Jewish culture who had all but disappeared from early rabbinic literature are celebrated in the High Holiday prayers. Check out her essay! muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

We combed through the winners and finalists of the latest AJS Schnitzer Awards and National Jewish Book Awards for JQR alumni, and we have gathered their essays on our blog. Some open-access research by the honorees for your reading pleasure! katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

If you read Benjamin Pollock's essay in our current issue, "Redactor Is Rabbenu: The Editorial Theology of the Buber-Rosenzweig Bible," check out his 2012 JQR essay "On the Road to Marcionism: Franz Rosenzweig’s Early Theology." muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic... muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

Don't miss Elnatan Chen's scholarly note in our winter issue, which assembles evidence for the existence and nature of a previously unknown exegetical text on the Prophets by 11th-cent. Hebrew grammarian Jonah Ibn Janāḥ. muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

On our blog, Joseph Davis traces afterlives of the tale of Ashmedai, the demon who impersonated King Solomon and ruled for a while in his stead. Learn about the history of this fascinating story and read JQR essays on the topic, now in open access! katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

JQR has long published scholarly "notes" on interesting intellectual nuggets. In 2016 we even devoted a forum--a collection of short essays--to such shortform scholarship! Read our thoughts on the note in this 2016 blog post (and consider submitting one!): katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

In JQR 116.1, Katalin Rac unravels the intertwined stories of a paprika merchant and a food journalist in 18th-19th c. Hungary to reveal how Jews contributed to Hungarian cuisine and identity, and how paprika became part of Jewish integration into Hungarian culture. muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

In our latest issue you’ll find: -Primordial priestly figures in the High Holiday prayers -The role of literature in the origins of Hasidism -Food and Jewish identity in 18-19th c. Hungary -The theology of the Buber-Rosenzweig Bible -Evidence for a previously unknown medieval exegetical text

JQR's move to open access represents a new era in the life of the journal. In a letter to readers in our winter issue and on our blog, the editors reflect on the transition. katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

In our fall issue, Edan Dekel and David Gantt Gurley published their 3rd essay tracing the literary roots of the Golem legend. Now on the JQR blog, they reflect on the path their research took. Peruse their conversation and read all 3 essays for free! katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

Open access has arrived at JQR! You can now read our recent content on Project Muse and our archives on JSTOR for free. Our inaugural OA issue, JQR 116.1, has something for everyone. Check it out! katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

In our fall issue Isabelle Levy & David Torollo offer the first English translation of a fascinating 13th-cent mixed-form composition by Jacob ben El‘azar: the Sefer ha-meshalim (Book of stories), which stages a debate between a poet and a prosaist. Don't miss it! muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

In his latest JQR essay, Yehuda Halper investigates Frederick II Hohenstaufen's support for the translation of commentaries on Aristotle & Porphyry into Hebrew, arguing that it evidences a broader goal of making the medical curriculum accessible to Jews. muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

In JQR 115.4, Ossnat Sharon-Pinto untangles the translation method of late 18th- and early 19th-cent Jüdisch-Deutsch novellas of the Frankfurt (Oder) press. Find out how she contextualizes them in maskilic lit and culture: muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

Are you a scholar with an open access publishing mandate as a condition of your grant or fellowship? Consider submitting to JQR! The journal will become OA in winter 2026, including all past and future issues.

After unraveling the legend of the Prague golem in two JQR essays (2013, 2017), Edan Dekel & David Gantt Gurley are back with new findings about the tale's origins! muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic... But first, get up to speed with a blog post from the archives: katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

With @jewishstudies.bsky.social's annual conference in full swing, one of @thejqr.bsky.social's most-read pieces is now freely available: muse.jhu.edu/article/959927 As the JQR transitions to Open Access in 2026, its full archive becomes even more valuable to scholars! #AJS25 #JewishStudies

In our current issue, Matan Orian reconciles ostensibly contradictory Second Temple sources attesting to the possibility of conversion to Judaism, arguing that they reflect different stages in a generations-long process of a family becoming Jewish. Check it out! muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

We are thrilled that three 2025 Schnitzer winners and finalists prefigured their award-winning books in JQR publications: Iris Idelson-Shein, Hannah Pollin-Galay, and Rachel Gordan. Check out their JQR essays in this thread. A warm congratulations to all the honorees!

Our fall issue is out with a range of essays spanning antiquity to the modern period, and including literature, philosophy, and more! Don't have access? It will become open access in winter 2026 along with our whole back catalog! katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

JQR 115.4 is out, feat. essays on conversion to Judaism in antiquity, 13th c. philosophical commentaries, Jüdisch-Deutsch novellas, and the winding modern reception of a 17th c. rabbi, PLUS a text and translation of a medieval prose-poetry story! Peruse the TOC: katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

We had a great time kicking off #OAWeek with a panel of Penn Press journal editors (including from Change Over Time, @easmisc.bsky.social, @thejqr.bsky.social, and @sims-mss.bsky.social's Manuscript Studies) discussing their experiences with and thoughts on Open Access publishing!

This #OAweek event is starting soon! See you there.

Interested in our decision to make JQR open access? Join us for the OA Week event "Before and After the Open Access Transition: Penn Editors Share Their Experiences," featuring JQR's own Natalie Dohrmann. Oct. 20, 11:30AM EST. Free, hybrid, open to the public. library.upenn.edu/events/open-...

ICYMI!

Today!

Did you catch Sunny S. Yudkoff's 2024 JQR essay "Yankev Glatshteyn and the Threat of Yiddish Joy"? muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic... If you're in the Philly area, check out her talk at Penn next week! figs.sas.upenn.edu/events/2025/....

We are thrilled to announce that beginning with our winter issue in January 2026, the Jewish Quarterly Review will become fully open access, including future issues and our whole 136-year back catalog! Learn more about this exciting change on the blog: katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

(1/5) It's peer review week! #PRW2025 Thank you to those who have reviewed for JQR over the years. We would not be here without you. Check out this thread for insights and reflections from the JQR editors on the peer review process, including advice for authors and reviewers. 🧵

In our current issue, Leslie Ribovich and Cara Rock-Singer stage a conversation with 20th century cultural critics James Baldwin and Rabbi Louis Finkelstein. Learn more on the blog! katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

These essays are free to access without a subscription thru 9/5. Get them now! Simcha Gross, "From Togas to Turbans: Jewish Male Head Coverings between the Roman and Sasanian Worlds" Edwin Seroussi, "Gossip, Rumors, Rehabilitation: Israel Najara's Shaming Revisited" muse.jhu.edu/issue/55233

In a short note in JQR 115.3, Jonathan Howard examines the 12th c. MS that seems to evidence the origin of the Palestinian vocalization signs. He argues that it actually refers to cantillation signs, leaving the origin of the vocalization signs uncertain. Take a look: muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

This summer Shai Secunda returned to JQR with his essay "The Babylonian Talmud, the Aramaic Incantation Bowls, and Babylonian Jewish Textuality." muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic... You can revisit his earlier JQR essays on the Bavli here: muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic... muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

In our current issue, Tsiona Lida explores the concept of hope in the work of Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi and Walter Benjamin, and shows how their differing approaches illustrate the affective qualities of historical writing. Don't miss her essay: muse.jhu.edu/pub/56/artic...

Why do Jews cover their heads? In JQR 115.3, @simchagross.bsky.social looks at norms of Jewish male head covering as a proxy for cultural assimilation and difference in rabbinic Rome and Sasania. Learn more on the blog and read his essay FREE thru September 5! katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

Our summer issue is out and two essays are free for a limited time. Don't forget to peruse the TOC! 🌻 muse.jhu.edu/issue/55233

Pssst... have you heard? Edwin Seroussi's essay in our current issue, "Gossip, Rumors, Rehabilitation: Israel Najara's Shaming Revisited," is free to read and download through September 5! Learn more on the blog. katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...

JQR 115.3 is here! We've got: -Early Jewish head coverings -The Talmud & the Aramaic incantation bowls -Israel Naraja -The Palestinian vocalization signs -Yosef Yerushalmi & Walter Benjamin -James Baldwin & Louis Finkelstein Read the TOC +2 free essays!👇 katz.sas.upenn.edu/resources/bl...