Special volume treating exemplars of the vast number of texts arising from historic and imaginary encounters between Jews and non-Jewish Germans, from the early modern period to the present. Nexus is the official publication of the biennial German Jewish Studies Workshop, which was inaugurated at Duke University in 2009 and is now held at the University of Notre Dame. Together, Nexus and the Workshop constitute the first ongoing forum in North America for German Jewish studies. Nexus publishes innovative research in German Jewish Studies, introducing new directions, analyzing the development and definition of the field, and considering its place vis-a-vis both German Studies and Jewish Studies. Additionally, it examines issues of pedagogy and programming at the undergraduate, graduate, and community levels. Nexus 5 features essays written in honor of the memory of Jonathan M. Hess, a leading scholar in German Jewish Studies who, through both his person and publications, opened up the field for many others to explore new areas of research and inquiry. It offers exemplary instances of historic and imaginary encounters based on interactions of Jews and "other Germans" from the early modern period to the present day. It also discusses adaptations and translations of Yiddish and German texts, presenting insights into connections between literary texts and their Jewish and non-Jewish readers alike. By exploring multimodal cultural works ranging from performance to poems and illustrated fairy tales, and literature in German, Yiddish, and other languages, Nexus 5 works to expand the field of German Jewish studies in the spirit of Jonathan Hess himself.

This volume's Forum section focuses on new directions in eighteenth-century German studies, alongside articles on a diverse range of topics concerning Goethe and the literature and arts of his age. The Goethe Yearbook is a publication of the Goethe Society of North America, showcasing North American and international scholarship on Goethe and other authors and aspects of the Goethezeit. Volume 28 features articles on several of Goethe's signature works (Xenien, Wahlverwandtschaften, Faust), unified by their innovative approaches. It also includes a Forum section seeking to prompt discussion of new directions in eighteenth-century German studies. An essay documenting Goethe's engagement with China and another on Goethe's legacy in post-WWII Argentina emphasize these new directions. Other essays highlight Goethe's inter-arts approaches (music,theater, collecting); interdisciplinary intersections of eighteenth-century literary studies with gender and social history; media theory; and renewed emphasis on materialism. The latter is the focus of a recently convened collaboration on early nineteenth-century inventories presented in this volume. The customary book review section rounds out the volume.