Michael Berkowitz
Michael Berkowitz is Professor of Modern Jewish History at University College London and editor of Jewish Historical Studies: Transactions of the Jewish Historical Society of England. His earlier books include Western Jewry and the Zionist Project 1914-1933 and Zionist Culture and West European Jewry before the First World War

In his book, The Crime of My Very Existence, Michael Berkowitz investigates the myths and realities of “Jewish criminality”. Philip Kerr has given vivid depictions of German society in his dazzling Berlin Noir Trilogy. Together they discussed how these myths were used to feed antisemitism.
Sponsored by the Shoresh Charitable Trust, in association with Jewish Renaissance


Until now, little attention has been paid to the pioneering role of Jews in all facets of British photography, from the mid-19th century to the Queen’s controversial 2007 photo-shoot with Annie Leibovitz. Professor Michael Berkowitzhas conducted the first-ever historical investigation of the vital contribution Jews have made to photography’s history. He discusses his findings with photography critic Francis Hodgson.