The workshop funded by the German-Israeli Foundation brought together experts from various disciplines to discuss key questions and challenges in Jewish-Muslim relations. Recent research in this field is gradually moving beyond the grand narratives of “eternal conflict” and “golden ages of coexistence” toward more nuanced theoretical frameworks. These include concepts such as cultural entanglement, mutual influences, transculturation, and dialectical enmity.

This workshop aimed to contribute to this emerging research agenda by focusing on ambivalence as a central dynamic in Jewish-Muslim relations. The intimate historical connections between Jews and Muslims have often produced a complex interplay of attraction and resentment—ranging from mutual admiration and shared cultural practices to enduring dynamics of tension and violent conflict.

Organized by Prof. Dr. Johannes Becke (Heidelberg University of Jewish Studies) and Prof. Dr. Oren Barak (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), the workshop was held in cooperation with the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute, the Department for Islamic and Middle East Studies (Heidelberg University), the Freigeist research group “Invisible Architects”, the Max Weber Institute of Sociology (Heidelberg University), and the DFG Research Training Group “Ambivalent Enmity”.

The workshop especially welcomed contributions that explore the ambivalence of Jewish-Muslim relations across time and space. Key questions included: In what contexts did Jews view Muslims as cultural or religious models? When and how did Muslims engage with or adopt Jewish cultural practices? How did political conflicts influence the ways in which each group perceived and represented the other? And how can we better understand the frequent transitions between coexistence and confrontation?

The workshop featured a wide regional range, encompassing the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia, and various diasporic settings, especially in Europe and North America. With its transdisciplinary approach, the event brought together emerging scholars from Jewish Studies, Middle East Studies, History, Anthropology, Religious Studies, and Transcultural Studies.

To explore the complexities of Jewish-Muslim ambivalence, original research papers focused on the following key themes:

• Knowing and learning about “the other”: Representations of Muslims and Jews in religious education, media, and popular culture
• Complicating narratives of conflict and coexistence: Jewish-Muslim ambivalence in comparative perspective
• Majority-minority relations: Interactions between Jews and Muslims in Israel, Muslim-majority societies, colonial contexts, and in diasporic settings such as Europe and North America
• Theology and interreligious dialogue: Religious polemics and the formation of knowledge in Jewish-Muslim history
• Living together: Shared spaces as arenas of both cooperation and conflict