Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities - Department of East Asian Studies

Tel-Hai College Upper Galilee 1220800, Israel Tel: 972-4-8181970

Tel-Hai College Faculty of Social Science and Humanities

Department of East Asian Studies

Call for Papers

International Conference Commemorating 110 Years since the Release of

Joseph Trumpeldor from Captivity in Japan

From Port Arthur to Tel-Hai: Joseph Trumpeldor and Japan

May 26-27, 2015

Languages: Hebrew and English

Joseph Trumpeldor served as a soldier in the Russio-Japanese war (1904-1905), was

captured at Port-Arthur and imprisoned in Japan. Upon the conclusion of the war he

returned to Russia, and later immigrated to Palestine where he became an important

Zionist figure. Till this day his image and heritage are widely known in Israel. Yet, the

influence of the Russo-Japanese war and the period of Trumpeldor's imprisonment in

Japan on his personality, life, and world-view have not yet been thoroughly and widely

studied. Taking place some 110 years after the end of the war and his release from

prisoner camp, this conference aims to examine the life, images, and heritage of Joseph

Trumpledor, within the context of his detention in Japan. The conference will explore

Trumpeldor's military record and Zionist activity during the war and the impact of this

period on his later years, his character and ideology, as well as his legacy and myth.

We invite researchers to submit proposals for papers in the following topics:

The War Period and the Beginning of the 20th Century:

The Russo-Japanese war in historical perspective ■ Japan and the Jews at the beginning

of the 20th century ■ Russian Jewry on the eve of and during the war ■ World Jewry

and the war ■ Support of Japan by the Jewish world during the war ■ Japan and the

Middle East at the beginning of the 20th century

Trumpeldor's Image and Ideology:

Background: community, family, education ■ Trumpeldor's world-view: Russian

patriotism compared with Zionism ■ His image as pacifist and as soldier and warrior ■

Trumpeldor the journalist ■ Trumpeldor's private life ■ His image stemming from his

letters and writings ■ Trumpeldor the Zionist, idealist, ideologist ■ His socialist-

communal thought ■ Development of Trumpeldor's socialist ideas during captivity

Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities - Department of East Asian Studies

Tel-Hai College Upper Galilee 1220800, Israel Tel: 972-4-8181970

Trumpeldor during the Japanese Captivity:

Japan's attitude to the Russian prisoners ■ Jewish-Zionist activities in the prisoners'

camp in Hamadera ■ Jewish prisoners of war ■ Influence of the captivity on

Trumpeldor's thought after the war ■ Trumpeldor's sources of strength

Trumpeldor after Captivity: Palestine and Tel-Hai: Back in Russia after the Japanese captivity ■ The following years and activity till the

battle of Tel-Hai ■ The Arab attack on Tel-Hai ■ Battle of Tel-Hai in historical perspective

Trumpeldor's Heritage and Myth:

Trumpeldor's myth in Palestine and in the State of Israel ■ Beitar and the myth of

Trumpeldor ■ Trumpeldor as a Jewish Samurai?

Proposals should be submitted by e-mail to Dr. Roni Sarig (trumpeldor.th@gmail.com)

before October 18, 2014. The decisions of the selection committee will be announced

by November 30, 2014. Proposals should include a title in English or Hebrew and a short

abstract of 200-250 words in English or Hebrew, as well as the author's name, academic

qualification, institutional affiliation, address, telephone number, and e-mail address.

Language of presentation (Hebrew or English) should also be mentioned.

The organizers intend to publish selected papers in edited volume.

Advisory Committee:

Prof. Ben-Ami Shillony, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. Rotem Kowner, University of Haifa Dr. Nissim Otmazgin, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem Organizing Committee:

Prof. Haim Goren, Tel-Hai College Dr. Gad C. Isay, Tel-Hai College Dr. Sophia Katz, Tel-Hai College Dr. Roni Sarig (convener), Tel-Hai College

The conference is conducted in cooperation

with the Israeli Association for Japanese Studies.