Faculty of Divinity

Jewish Studies in the Faculty of Divinity

Resources for Jewish Studies in Cambridge University as a whole

The History of Jewish Studies in Cambridge

In 1290 King Edward I issued an edict to expel all Jews from England. From then until the Renaissance there was a hiatus in Jewish studies in Britain, but the revival of Hebrew Studies during the sixteenth century led to the foundation of the Regius Professorship of Hebrew by King Henry VIII. One of its early holders was Immanuel Tremellius, a converted Jew from Italy, who became famous for his Latin translation of the Bible.

In the nineteenth century, during the upsurge of Jewish Studies known as the Wissenschaft des Judentums movement, Cambridge led the way in Europe by setting up a post in Talmudic and Rabbinic Literature in 1866. The first holder of this post, Solomon Schiller-Szinessy, is best remembered for his catalogue of part of the outstanding collection of Hebrew manuscripts in the University Library. His successor, Solomon Schechter, made the Library into one of the foremost centres of Jewish research by bringing to Cambridge the astonishing mass of manuscript fragments found in the Genizah (depository) of the Ben Ezra Synagogue in Old Cairo.

Today, the Taylor-Schechter (Genizah) Collection is a magnet for scholars of different faiths from all over the world. The collection, magnificent though it is, is just one of the reasons that Cambridge is a vibrant centre for Jewish Studies.

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Jewish Studies at Cambridge Today

In the past, it could have been argued that the study of Judaism and other religions was secondary to the main study of Christian theology. These days, the study of contemporary Judaism at Cambridge is immensely enriched by the opportunity for students to work closely with the UK's leading scholars in both Christianity and the other major world faiths, but has its own central place in the curriculum, where it is taught as a British and world religion in its own right.

Judaism is firmly integrated amongst the options available to students at all levels, both undergraduate and postgraduate, and is taught in a completely non-denominational way. It is highly responsive both to the need for teaching of the tradition and to issues of popular and topical debate. Undergraduate courses include options on traditional, modern and secular Judaism, for example a course on 'The Life, Thought and Worship of Modern Judaism' in the second year, and one on 'Halakah' and 'The Holy Land' in the third year. The course which attracts the largest number of students of any in the Faculty is a totally original, innovative weekly third-year seminar comparing Christian and Jewish responses to the Holocaust.
At the M.Phil. level it is possible to study either Biblical or Rabbinic Hebrew, and to choose Judaism as a special subject. Students who wish to go on to study Judaism at Ph.D. level are warmly encouraged.

Judaism also figures in courses offered by other faculties, notably that of The Faculty of Oriental Studies.

Another exciting new development within the Faculty of Divinity is The Centre for Advanced Religious and Theological Studies, which opened at Cambridge in 1995. CARTS is making its mark internationally as a new base for research projects, conferences and publications. A major focus of the Centre is the contemporary significance of living religious traditions - an area where, once again, Jewish Studies has much to offer.

Through the network of contacts developed over the years by those teaching Judaism within the University at large, CARTS and the Faculty have excellent links with Israel and the USA, and are close to developments in Europe, including Eastern Europe and the former USSR.

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Lectures on Jewish Studies

Part I - First Year

• Elementary Hebrew (Dr Andrew Macintosh)
• World Religions in Comparative Perspective (Rabbi Professor Nicholas de Lange)

Part IIA - Second Year

• Intermediate Hebrew (Dr Andrew Macintosh)
• The Literature, History and Theology of the Exilic Age (Dr Katharine Dell, Professor Graham Davies)
• The Life, Thought and Worship of Modern Judaism (Professor de Lange, Dr Miri Freud-Kandel)
• Judaism in the Greek and Roman World (Professor William Horbury)

Part IIB - Third Year

• Advanced Hebrew (Dr Andrew Macintosh)
• Jewish and Christian Responses to the Holocaust (Professor de Lange and Dr Margie Tolstoy)
• The Impact of the Holocaust on Contemporary Israeli Literature (Dr Risa Domb, Faculty of Oriental Studies)
• The Holy Land (Professor de Lange)
• Halakah (Professor de Lange)

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The Yerushah Lectureship and Public Events

The Visiting Lectureship enables the Faculty to bring distinguished specialists in Judaism from elsewhere in Britain and from abroad to give a special lecture or lectures in Cambridge in modern Jewish history or thought. The following are the lectures which have been given or planned so far:

• 19 February 1997: the first ever Yerushah Lecture was given by the Chief Rabbi, Dr Jonathan Sacks, on the theme of 'Judaism: From Survival to Heritage'.
• 14 January 1998: Dr Stanislaw Krajewski of Warsaw University spoke about 'Jewish Life in Poland today'.
• 8 March 1999: Professor Peter Ochs (University of Virginia), in collaboration with the Tanner Series on Human Values, lectured on 'Tradition, Modernity and the Future of Jewish Thought'
• 16 October 2001: The controversial architect of the Berlin Jewish Museum and the Manchester Shoah Museum, Daniel Libeskind, gave the 2001 Yerushah Lecture in conversation with Dr de Lange.
• 15 October 2002: The inspiring Egyptian Jewish cookery writer, Claudia Roden, was in conversation with Nicholas Lander, the Food Correspondent of the Financial Times, on the subject of 'We are what we eat - Jewish food and the Jewish heritage'.
• 14 May 2003: Mr Daniel Snowman gave a talk on the subject of his book, 'The Hitler Emigres: the cultural impact on Britain of refugees from Nazism'. This was a special lecture in memory of the refugee scholars who fled Nazi Germany, as well as those who helped them to settle in this country. Starting with this lecture, we are hoping to raise enough money to establish a permanent research post in the Faculty, integrating a study of this developing area of interest with a wider remit for Jewish Studies in general.
• 26 April 2004 at 5 p.m. in the Faculty, the scientist and television presenter Lord Winston (Professor Robert Winston) gave a lecture entitled 'Judaism and Science'.
• 10 May 2006 at 5.00pm in the Faculty, the Rt. Hon Dr. Oliver Letwin Conservative MP for West Dorset in conversation with the Revd. Robert Reiss, Canon of Westminster Abbey, on aspects of Jewish identity. All welcome.

Other Public Events

• 4 February 1999: Professor William Horbury (University of Cambridge) gave his inaugural lecture on the theme of 'Christianity in Ancient Jewish Tradition'
• 25 February 1999: Professor George Steiner spoke to the 'Jewish and Christian Responses to the Holocaust' Group on 'Fifty Years After'
• 1 June 2004 at 5 p.m.: the Maimonides Lecture commemorating the celebrated Jewish philosopher was given by Professor David Burrell, CSC (Notre Dame and Tantur). He spoke on 'Maimonides' Legacy of World-Bridging', i.e. Maimonides' relationship to Muslim philosophy and his philosophical contribution to Jewish and Christian thought.

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Funding Opportunities

However, at present Judaism has to be taught with the help of specialists 'borrowed' from other faculties and institutions, since the Faculty has no permanently established post in the subject.

This is such an anomaly that we are urgently seeking finance for three exciting new posts:

• A Lectureship in Modern Judaism to teach this subject at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
• A post as Director of a research project in memory of the Jewish refugee scholars who escaped from Hitler's Germany and came to work in Cambridge, thus enriching the local and international academic community. In this connection, the 2003 Yerushah Lecture was given on 14 May at 5 p.m. by Mr Daniel Snowman on 'The Hitler Emigres: the cultural impact on Britain of refugees from Nazism'.
• A post as Research Assistant to contribute to a project exploring the relationship between Judaism and other religions.

If you can help, either by contributing financially or by putting us in touch with someone who could, or even if you would just like further details, please contact:

In the U.K.

In the U.S.

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Judaeo-Greek Studies

The Committee is also committed to setting up a research project on relations between the Orthodox Churches (including Russian Orthodoxy) and the Jewish people. This important facet of Christian-Jewish relations has been unjustly neglected, despite the fact that a large part of world Jewry lives or originated in countries where Orthodoxy is the dominant form of Christianity.

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Scholarships

Funding for Study in Cambridge

• Small grants for students from the Anglo-Jewish Association for Jewish students from outside the UK.
• The Israeli Embassy web page: click on 'Education'.
• Part of the benefaction from the Righteous Persons Foundation mentioned above is dedicated, in conjunction with money from the Cambridge Commonwealth and Overseas Trusts, to help to pay for an overseas student to do a Ph.D. in the field of Modern Judaism in the Faculty of Divinity in Cambridge.
• Similarly, the Isaac Newton Trust and the Modern Jewish Studies Fund will, between them, contribute 1,500 towards the fees of a U.K. research student coming to study in this field.

How to apply

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Other Contacts

• Columbia University web page (http://www.columbia.edu/cu/libraries/indiv/area/Jewish/)

• (http://jewish-studies.virtualave.net/)

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