Annual Workshops for University Teaching of Jewish Civilization

Annual workshops meet in Jerusalem to identify and analyze teaching needs and examine existing curricula in the various sub-fields of Jewish studies, whether as individual courses in departments or programs of Jewish studies, or as modules in general courses.

The fifteen to twenty participants in each workshop are chosen from universities all over the world, or from a specific lingual-cultural region, based upon their scholarly achievements and valuable experience in teaching.  Over 500 university teachers from 45 countries abroad, joined by Israeli colleagues, have so far participated in the Center's workshop program.

The workshops promote the integration of Jewish topics into courses in general disciplines. This integration is of twofold importance:

• To examine the role of the Jews in Western civilization and their place in history and culture;

• To bring awareness of the Jewish dimension to the attention of lecturers and students who might otherwise have little exposure to the study of Jewish civilization.

Workshops through the years have been devoted to a variety of subjects including Hebrew Language and Literature; Jewish Philosophy; Jewish Art; Modern Hebrew Literature in Translation; Contemporary Jewish Civilization; Jewish History; Jewish Law; and Teaching Jewish Civilization in a Christian Academic Setting.

A new workshop aims to help the new generation of scholars in Jewish studies become more proficient in Hebrew and gain access to a larger body of resources and bibliography.

The Center has published volumes and collections of occasional papers based on the discussions held in its annual summer workshops, for the benefit of a broader academic audience.

Upcoming Workshops

Workshop programs

Participants comment on the workshops