Verses and Interpretations: Quranic Attitudes towards Jews and Their Relevance to Our Times

Hear what Israel's top experts in the fields of intelligence, security, international relations and diplomacy have to say about Israel and the complexities of the Middle East in the 21st century.

The lecture focuses on the relationship between Muhammad and the emerging Muslim community and the major Jewish tribes in Arabia. We shall see how the animosity between the two parties is reflected in the Quran, in its various interpretations, and in the Muslim traditions in general. We shall try to understand the historical reality hidden behind the verses and the traditions. Nevertheless, some classical and mainly modern interpretations try to read the relevant verses in a more cordial manner towards the "People of the Book." Israel Shrenzel is a former chief analyst in the Arabic section in the research division of the Israel Security Agency. He currently teaches at Tel Aviv University in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies. His research covers modern Islamic thought (especially Islamic modernism and the Muslim Brotherhood), ancient Islam, and Jewish-Muslim relations in the Middle Ages. Shrenzel also researched the concept of global jihad and its manifestations in recent decades.