Along the winding paths of Kabbalah
On December 12, 2023, the Jewish Salon in Gothenburg arranged a conversation about Kabbalah at Gothenburg's Literature House. The conversation was led by CCHS researcher Elisabeth Punzi, who discussed Kabbalah with David Benelbaz, clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst, and Erik Alvstad, lecturer in religious studies at Malmö University.
The talk followed the winding and rich history of Kabbalah and how it developed within Sephardic Judaism and spread and developed as the Jews left Spain. The role of Kabbalah within Eastern European Judaism, and how it influenced both literature, not least the works of Kafka, and psychoanalysis, was also in focus.
"The conversation was about how this Jewish cultural heritage has found a place in the present, where there is great interest in its tradition of thought and its more mystical parts", says Elisabeth Punzi.
"The Jewish salon was completely full this evening, which testifies to the great contemporary interest", says Elisabeth Punzi after the evening's conversation.
Jewish mysticism - Kabbalah
Through a development of older Jewish mysticism, Kabbalah emerged in Spain and Provence in the 12th century. The basic notion was that there is a different reality than the one we see. The conversation at the Jewish Salon covered the development of Kabbalah from Sephardic Judaism, over Hasidism and into contemporary culture. Among other things, examples of how Franz Kafka was inspired by mysticism and about Kabbalah's similarities to and possible influence on psychoanalysis were discussed.
Participants were Erik Alvstad, lecturer in religious studies at Malmö University and David Benelbaz, clinical psychologist and psychoanalyst (IPA). The conversation leader was Elisabeth Punzi, clinical psychologist, and senior lecturer in psychology at the Department of Social Work and Centre for Critical Heritage Studies, University of Gothenburg.
Judiska Salongen arranges open events with a Jewish theme in literature, art, theater, music, film, dance and other cultural areas. It is a non-profit organizing association, religiously and party-politically independent, and addresses us to everyone who is interested in Jewish culture. The Jewish salon wants to counteract anti-Semitism and other forms of racism and discrimination.
