CALL FOR PAPERS

35th Annual Conference

“Identities and Experiences: Navigating the Crypto-Jewish Journey”

SOCIETY FOR CRYPTO-JUDAIC STUDIES | Los Angeles California | August 10-12, 2025

About The 2025 Conference

The Society for Crypto-Judaic Studies invites proposals for presentations at its 35th Annual Conference, Sunday, August 10 through Tuesday, August 12, 2025, in Los Angeles, California. This event is open to regional, national, and international submissions. The conference will be “in-person” only. Sessions will be held at the historic Sephardic Temple on Wilshire Boulevard.

We invite proposals for papers on crypto-Judaism from any discipline (e.g., anthropology, history, sociology, philosophy, literature, music, etc.) and from any geographic location or time-period.  We also welcome proposals for presentations on all aspects of the Sephardic experience and that of other communities exhibiting crypto-Jewish phenomena.

The 2025 Conference Theme is “Identities and Experiences: Navigating the Crypto-Jewish Journey.” Proposals breaking new ground in research related to this theme, personal narratives, pedagogy or pragmatics are particularly welcome.

Dr. Seth D. Kunin, Professor Emeritus, Curtin University, will deliver the Stanley M.  Hordes Distinguished Scholar Lecture: “The Song of the Sparrow: Loggie Carrasco’s Poetic Exploration of her Crypto-Jewish Identity.” The Conference also features the Judy Frankel Memorial Concert and the Martin Sosin-Petit Address to Advance Scholarship in the Crypto-Judaic Arts and a pre-conference Genealogy Workshop.

Submission Guidelines

Interested scholars and professionals, including advanced graduate students, are encouraged to submit proposals for individual research presentations, or organized panels of three or four presenters. Proposals are also welcomed from individuals with personal narratives or other proposals related to crypto-Jews. Proposals responding to this Call should be new research, narratives, or lectures not previously presented elsewhere; please indicate if the proposal represents completed research or work in progress. Accepted proposals will have 20-30 minutes per presenter, with additional discussion as time allows. Presentations must be in English.

Proposals should follow this format:
(1) proposal title,
(2) presenter name,
(3) presenter email,
(4) an abstract of up to 200 words, and
(5) a brief bio of up to three lines, including relevant affiliation and academic title if any.

For organized panels, the Panel Organizer is responsible for providing a single document with title, presenter name, email, abstract and brief bio for each presenter, plus the session title, a brief abstract of the session as a whole, and organizer brief bio.

Presenters must register to present their papers at the conference; those whose proposals are accepted enjoy a special discounted registration fee.

Submit proposals: https://cryptojews.com/cfp2025-form/
Questions: sward@aya.yale.edu with SCJS2025 in the subject line.
Proposal Deadline: March 28, 2025.