The portal Jewish History online, hosted by the Moses Mendelssohn Center for European-Jewish Studies in Potsdam and developed in cooperation with the Institute for the History of the German Jews in Hamburg, offers a bilingual (German/English) platform for meta-searching various digital projects in the field of Jewish history. The portal thus makes thematically relevant content from different partners searchable within a single interface for the first time. The search result list provides a digital synopsis of sources and research data stored virtually and physically in different locations. This enables easier access to small databases or editions. In addition, it can also offer new perspectives on one's own research question and provide impulses for (quantitative) methods within the field of the Digital Humanities.
In addition to comprehensive search and filter options, common linking and subject indexing, the presentation of the participating projects is an important pillar that should contribute to the greater visibility of these digital resources on Jewish history and culture. The participating projects come from different working contexts and institutions; they differ in terms of their objectives, format, and scope. The connection to the portal also varies according to their need: In general, the content and responsibility remain with the project providers and only the research data is made searchable through a common interface. In addition, hosting services or the option of archiving can be provided for smaller projects or those that have already been completed and are not (or can no longer be) maintained.
Learn how your project can participate in the portal and contribute content to the meta-search.
Thus, the modular research platform not only contributes to DH-based analyses of the virtually combined research data, but also to their sustainable preservation. One of the central concerns of the portal Jewish History online is to maintain the diversity and autonomy of the projects and to reflect their variety, as we see this as a major advantage.
Furthermore, a digital offering must be continuously developed and supplemented with new functionalities, features, and additional projects in order to be able to respond to changing needs in the field. In the future, and as part of NFDI4Memory, a common subject index will be developed. Above all, we hope for broad participation, because the potential of such a platform grows with the number of affiliated projects!
Prof. Dr. Miriam Rürup (Project Lead); Daniel Burckhardt (Technical Lead); Dr. Anna Menny (Coordination at the IGdJ); Nina Zellerhoff (Coordination at the MMZ)
Prof. Dr. Rüdiger Hohls; Dr. Kerstin von der Krone; Harald Lordick; PD Dr. Sabine Moller; Aubrey Pomerance, Daniel Stökl Ben Ezra, Ph.D.; Dr. Gerben Zaagsma