Next in LBI’s Meet the Fellows series, we are pleased to highlight Tekle Ekvtimishvili, whose research examines Networks of Protestant mission to the Jews in the 18th century and the roles of Jews and converts in these networks.
About Your Research
Could you briefly describe your doctoral research project in terms that anyone can understand? What attracted you to this subject?
My dissertation examines the Protestant mission to the Jews in the Holy Roman Empire and England during the 18th century. At this time, several missionary and proselyte institutions were founded to convert Jews to Christianity. Rather than viewing these efforts as isolated initiatives, I approach them as part of a wider European missionary network. In doing so, the project highlights the active role of Jews, catechumens and converts, and explores their perspectives, responses, and agency within and around these institutions.
What new insights or changes in understanding do you hope your research will bring to German-Jewish history or culture?
When we speak about missions in general—and the Protestant mission to the Jews in particular—we often imagine a one‑sided history from the Christian perspective, with the recipients of missionary efforts portrayed merely as passive objects. Viewing the story from a Jewish perspective, however, reveals a more complex picture: while missions were sometimes met with resistance within Jewish communities, they also sparked interest in dialogue with Christians. In some cases, Jews and converts even became active participants in missionary work. This shifts their role in early modern history from being seen solely as recipients of dominant Christian culture to being recognized as active agents in shaping that history.
How does your project engage with wider themes or ongoing debates in your academic field?
Recent scholarship in early modern Jewish studies increasingly approaches German and Jewish history not as two separate narratives, but as interconnected and mutually influential. My project on missionary networks likewise explores how relationships between missionaries, Jews, and converts functioned during this period, presenting them not as parallel histories but as closely connected developments.
Academic Journey and Motivation
In what ways did your earlier studies or experiences prepare you for this research?
During my master’s studies in Jewish Studies, I became increasingly interested in Christian–Jewish relations in the early modern period. I wrote papers on topics such as Jews as active agents in the Thirty Years’ War, Jewish strategies of self‑empowerment under dominant Christian culture and politics, and other themes that highlighted Jewish participation in broader European history.
I first became acquainted with the topic of the mission to the Jews through my work as a research assistant in the Frankfurt‑based project Jewish‑Christian Translation Cultures in the Context of the Pietist Mission to the Jews in the 18th Century. For my master’s thesis, I focused on a previously unknown missionary dialogue with Moses Mendelssohn, which I discovered during an archival trip to Halle. Experiencing such a discovery inspired me to research other previously unknown missionary institutions and encounters and also get a new perspective on the history of Jewish conversion.
Looking back, what have been the most satisfying and most difficult experiences in your academic journey?
I really enjoy archival visits. I find it very rewarding to discover documents or information that may be crucial for my research. Sometimes it is predictable what I will find, but the most exciting moments are when I come across documents that were previously unknown to scholarship and have the opportunity to write about them for the first time. For example, during my visit to the Francke Archives in Halle, I found a diary entry describing a dialogue between the Halle missionary Martin Litzke and Moses Mendelssohn, which had hardly been researched before. My article on this encounter will be published in the near future.
One of the main challenges is establishing clear boundaries when dealing with the vast number of documents and individuals that appear in my research. Maintaining a strict focus on the central research question is essential in order to identify and discuss only those sources and figures that are of crucial relevance.
Fellowship Experience and Community
How do you expect the fellowship’s workshops and the international scholarly community to influence your research and academic development?
I received this fellowship when my research project was still in its early stages, and many of my ideas and methods were still in development. The questions and feedback from my fellow doctoral students have been invaluable in helping me sharpen the focus of my project. Although they work on different topics, their approaches—for example, in studying networks, managing time while writing a dissertation, or balancing thesis work with participation in conferences—have provided me with important guidance for shaping my own research path.
