Yesterday I had the pleasure of giving a talk at the 17th Friedman Seminar, organized by the Polish Association for Yiddish Studies! This year’s seminar invited us to think about Yiddish not only as a language of the past, but also as a medium of unrealized possibilities.

“A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again.” These are the words of the president of the United States, today. The president speaks genocide. And so we too must speak. Not only about crimes, but about their legal punishment. snyder.substack.com/p/the-presid...

Read my latest #review of G. Bacon's collection of essays, published with Springer Nature in "Contemporary Jewry": rdcu.be/fb3P2

After 4 years in hardback, the paperback of "The World beyond the West: Perspectives from Eastern Europe" which I co-edited with Mariusz Kałczewiak is now out. You can get 25% off on the @berghahnbooks.bsky.social website with code KALC6556 until May 31. Please share with anyone interested!

Yesterday, the film about Fania Lewando premiered on TVP Historia. I had the great pleasure of taking part in this production. Many thanks to the creators for the invitation! www.tvp.pl/program-tv/s...

DEADLINE EXTENDED! Please submit your proposals to [email protected] with the subject heading “Fortunoff Submission 2026.” ingeveb.org/blog/call-fo...

My new open access article is out now! It continues my research into the Polish People's Republics' engagements with Francophone West Africa during the Cold War. Enjoy! resgestae.uken.krakow.pl/issue/view/802

It was a pleasure to host Saul Noam Zaritt at the University of Warsaw!

Today!

A smart friend made the observation wrt these two images —the fash patterns are absolutely hitting every single note these days. Sigh.

Today begins the virtual #ASEEES conference @aseees.bsky.social! While we're not attending, we're highlighting our series New Perspectives on Central and Eastern European Studies. Browse the series here, with free to read introductions: bit.ly/3J2XpoC includes @magdalenakozlowska.bsky.social

I’d like to live in a country where no one, and I mean no one, is shot, arrested, or deported for speaking freely. The person just shot for speaking freely did not want to live in such a country—he loved the idea of repression of speech, he just wanted to be the repressor, not the repressed.

Funny how academia works: nothing for ages, then boom, 2 articles in a week. The 2nd began with @rekakrizmanics.bsky.social email. Not my usual period but those intriguing AAN files kept calling… Of course, Jewish threads are in: I wouldn’t be me otherwise 😉. doi.org/10.1177/0888...

Excited to share that the special issue of Quest on (E)motional Maps, edited by P. Rossetto, A. Moreno, and E. Galilee, is now out! My article is part of my ongoing research project funded by @ncn.gov.pl. The whole issue is here: www.quest-cdecjournal.it

globalhistory.idub.uw.edu.pl/2025/07/indi... Come!

Good things happening in Berlin! 🌞 After lots of online collaboration, I finally got to meet the wonderful @rekakrizmanics.bsky.social in person. So great to connect beyond the screen — thank you for the lovely meeting!

Exciting workshop at @centremarcbloch.bsky.social is about to start! Very much looking forward!

Fellow historians of tourism, does anyone know where the phrase "what to see and how to see it" (as a guidebook tagline) originates? I can find examples going back to 1851, but maybe there's a specific first instance?

Very shy to share this new text of mine. Here’s a very personal essay about being an independent scholar, my method, about immigration, cracks in academia and fragments. I don’t know if people even read this kind of stuff anymore but if you do, enjoy. aseees.org/newsnet-arti...

We were pleased to support Jewish Dis/Connections at the University of Warsaw in April 2025 In "Unpacking Jewish Dis/Connections: A Mediterranean Journey of Memory, Identity, and Mobility" co-organiser Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah (@rug.nl) reflects upon the event pastandpresent.org.uk/unpacking-je...

"No Other Land" is still available on Channel 4 VoD. Watch it if you haven't. The stories it tells, of oppression and injustice, are heavy and painful. But it does so with unique lightness and tenderness. Poetic ray of light in great darkness

Wow, we are now being officially advised against travel to the USA by the Canadian Association of University Teachers. I never thought I'd see the day. ☹️ #AcademicChatter

My NEH grant to translate and annotate the selected works of Rokhl Brokhes has been terminated. I knew this was coming but I am still devastated by the news.

Third day of the workshop is about to start and it’s already been such a rich, rewarding experience. Brilliant conversations, generous minds and more to come! #ModernMediterranean @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social #EAJS @ncn.gov.pl @unigroningen.bsky.social @parkesinstitute.bsky.social #UniversityofWarsaw

Second day of the workshop kicking off: ready for rich discussions, sharp insights, and good coffee. Let’s go! #modermediterranean #EAJS @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social @ncn.gov.pl @parkesinstitute.bsky.social @unigroningen.bsky.social #UniversityofWarsaw

Our workshop Jewish Dis/Connections across and beyond the Modern Mediterranean just kicked off at the University of Warsaw! We opened with a brilliant keynote by Matthias B. Lehmann: deeply thought-provoking. What a way to start! @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social #EAJS

Our workshop Jewish Dis/Connections across and beyond the Modern Mediterranean starts tomorrow at University of Warsaw! Huge thanks to our supporters: EAJS, @pastpresentsoc.bsky.social, @ncn.gov.pl, NWO, @parkesinstitute.bsky.social, @unigroningen.bsky.social, Polin Join us for the public keynote!

💥🇭🇺 Police have given up guarding Budapest’s Liberty Bridge as anti-government protesters shut down traffic on four major bridges, rallying against Viktor Orbán’s new law curbing freedom of assembly and banning the Pride march. They vow to escalate with a 24-hour shutdown next week.

If you happen to be in Warsaw on Sunday you're warmly invited to join us for a public lecture held as part of the academic workshop Jewish Dis/Connections across and beyond the Modern Mediterranean at the Faculty of History, University of Warsaw! ⏰ 16:00: Opening and welcome ⏰ 16:30: Public lecture

Some good news for today: „Thank you for your patience in awaiting review of the above-referenced article manuscript. Both reviewers and the guest editor recommend acceptance, and I concur with them.” 🫶

Yarden Bibas' "60 Minutes" interview shows Israel's released hostages have no faith in Netanyahu / Amir Tibon

The last day of #ESSHC2025 has already started... Four fantastic days full of history, with 393 sessions and 1400 participants from 50 countries. With a special shout out to the organiser Els Kuperus, Manuela Rot and Astrid Verburg (whose daughter, history student, helped out at the conference!).

Bye, bye Leiden! Had a great time at the #ESSHC conference! Stimulating panels, thought-provoking discussions, new connections - and all in a beautiful town. Grateful for the energy, ideas, and conversations these past days! @rmgrossmann.bsky.social @veenomen.bsky.social @corinnepainter.bsky.social

Tired, but inspired & in good spirit after several days in beautiful Leiden at the #esshc25! @iisg-amsterdam.bsky.social took a foto of our panel of women and leftwing politics capturing the atmosphere! (@corinnepainter.bsky.social, Natalie Cornett, @magdalenakozlowska.bsky.social, Judith Szápor)

Thinking about Burma…

Good morning Leiden! Who else is here? Let’s have a coffee! #ESSHC25 #skystorians

Dozens more pregnant and postpartum women have died in Texas hospitals since the state banned abortion, our analysis shows. As the maternal mortality rate dropped nationally, it rose in Texas by 33%.

We are pleased to be supporting the "Jewish Dis/Connections across and beyond the modern Mediterranean" conference At the University of Warsaw on 6 - 8 April 2025 For programme details and how to attend, see the link below: pastandpresent.org.uk/conference-p...

And if you're in Warsaw on April 6, the keynote by Matthias Lehmann is open to the public. @magdalenakozlowska.bsky.social

Our conference programme is hot of the press! "Jewish Dis/Connections across and beyond the Modern Mediterranean," organised by Magdalena Kozłowska, Sasha Goldstein-Sabbah and myself is happening in less than three weeks. @magdalenakozlowska.bsky.social

Update from Jerusalem: the Educational Bookshop was once again raided by Israeli Police about an hour ago. Police confiscated books, arrested an employee and shut down the bookshop.

Just got a notification from Clarivate that someone cited our work—always a nice way to start the day! I took a look and the book seems really interesting: Matan Kaminer’s Capitalist Colonial. A particularly timely read in the wake of the Gaza war, where Thai workers were among those taken hostage.

New in Polin Vol 37: Zuzanna Krzemieñ re-examines Solomon Dubno’s vision for Hebrew literature and his break with Mendelssohn, and Marc Caplan compares maskilic comedy with Sturm und Drang melodrama. Read more: bit.ly/Polin-Vol-37 @ochjs.bsky.social @uclhjs.bsky.social @guesnet.bsky.social

LIVE UPDATES: Israeli hostages Eli Sharabi, Ohad Ben Ami and Or Levy set to be released from Gaza Saturday

Of course it’s a coup. Miss the obvious, lose your republic. open.substack.com/pub/snyder/p...

the spiegelman/sacco collaboration is out

Waiting for democracy watchdogs to downgrade the US’ rating to “semi-authoritarian” state. Hold on—those programs are probably getting defunded anyway 🤦‍♀️

Don’t let anybody tell you that historians, librarians, and archivists aren’t important — not at a time like this.