Both revered and feared, Lilith is only mentioned once in the Hebrew Bible, but throughout history she has stirred up much controversy.
In this fascinating and lavishly illustrated talk, Dr Alinda Damsma will discuss the many faces of Lilith: from her roots in ancient Mesopotamia up to her becoming an icon of the Jewish feminist movement. What do we actually know about Lilith? What does she look like? Why is her name written on ancient skulls? Why is Lilith so important in the Kabbalah? Does she have a role to play during the time of the witch-hunts? These and many other topics will be discussed in this compelling lecture.
Dr Alinda Damsma lectures ancient Semitic languages in the Department of Hebrew & Jewish Studies at University College London (UCL). Besides her teaching in Biblical Hebrew, Aramaic and Akkadian at UCL, she lectures Aramaic at L’École Rabbinique de Paris. She received her Bachelor and Master of Divinity from the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam (2003) and her PhD from the Department of Hebrew and Jewish Studies, UCL (2008).
Her current research focuses on the use of Aramaic in kabbalistic writings. In addition, she is working on a monograph which examines the role and the impact of the Bible on the early modern witch-hunts. Her research interests are the Hebrew Bible, Bible translations, the ancient Near East and its languages, Jewish mysticism, and magic, divination, and witchcraft in biblical & post-biblical times.
