Jewish Intellectual Traditions in Eastern Europe and the Baltic Region: Between Tradition, Enlightenment, and Modernity

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue invites scholars to explore the intellectual development of Jewish thought in Eastern Europe and the Baltic region from the 18th century to the early 20th century, and area and epoch rich in cultural and ideological ferment that witnessed the emergence and interaction of movements such as the Haskalah (Jewish Enlightenment), Hasidism (and Mitnagdic resistance), Mussar, Zionism, and the Bund. Cities like Vilnius, Riga, Warsaw, and Lviv served not only as religious centres but also as vibrant hubs of Jewish intellectual life. A key component of this Special Issue is the exploration of the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (Yidisher Visnshaftlekher Institut), founded in 1925 in Vilna (now Vilnius, Lithuania). YIVO was the first academic institution dedicated to research in the Yiddish language, marking a pivotal moment in the institutionalization of secular Jewish culture in Eastern Europe.

Founded by Max Weinreich and Zalman Reisen, YIVO aimed to collect, preserve, and analyze the cultural and ethnographic heritage of Eastern European Jewry. It quickly became a hub for scholars, educators, and linguists, producing over 100 volumes of social and humanistic research and contributing significantly to the standardization of Yiddish as a scholarly language. The institute attracted global intellectuals, including Albert Einstein and Sigmund Freud, and established postgraduate programmes for young researchers from around the world.

This Special Issue aims to highlight how Jewish thinkers, writers, educators, and political activists shaped intellectual traditions in response to imperial regimes, antisemitism, urbanization, and modernization. It encourages contributions that examine how these ideas were expressed through print culture (in Hebrew, Yiddish, and Russian), literature, philosophy, and religious texts. Special attention will be given to the Baltic states—Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia—as unique cultural zones where Jewish communities developed distinct intellectual trajectories, often navigating between Western and Eastern European influences.

By focusing on this region, the Special Issue seeks to enrich the broader understanding of Jewish intellectual history and underscore Eastern Europe's and the Baltics' contributions to global Jewish thought.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200-300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send this to the Guest Editor, or to the Assistant Editor of Religions Esme Zheng (esme.zheng@mdpi.com). Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editor for the purposes of ensuring proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Aušrelė Kristina Pažėraitė
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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