Religion and Crisis: Catastrophe, Exile and Diaspora in Jewish History
The Science in Dialogue seminar series explores the relationship between the sciences, highlighting connections, mutual influences and common challenges. The aim is to stimulate critical and open discussion, fostering an integrated view of knowledge and offering food for thought on the very nature of scientific research in its cultural, historical and social context. Through interdisciplinary meetings, scholars from different fields and backgrounds will discuss the role of science in the construction of knowledge and in contemporary society. Central issues such as the relationship between science and history, the impact of scientific innovations on humanistic thought, the role of scientific communication and the tensions between specialisation and interdisciplinarity will be explored. Each seminar will be an opportunity to question how science contributes not only to technical progress, but also to the understanding of the world and man. The historical-philosophical perspective, in particular, will make it possible to highlight how science is not an isolated activity, but the result of a continuous dialogue with the social, cultural and intellectual context in which it develops, offering essential tools for interpreting the challenges of the present and the future.
Abstract
Historians today view Diaspora as the norm and territorially bounded national life—especially nation-states—as problematic. Jews are the classic diasporic people, yet throughout most of history they saw Diaspora as Galut: an abnormal, temporary exile meant to end with return to the Land of Israel. The destruction of Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple launched Jewish history as life in exile oriented toward restoration, creating a fundamental paradox that cannot be resolved. Modern Jewish political power and citizenship in nation-states are post-Holocaust exceptions, a brief departure from long-term patterns. These conditions appear to be fading, and traditional realities are likely to return: Jewish minority communities with limited power, partial autonomy, and precarious protection, again longing for return. This would mark the end of Zionism and modern attempts to overcome the enduring paradox of Jewish existence.