Centre for Jewish Studies, Manchester

Description

The Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Manchester serves as a focal point for Jewish Studies and acts as the hub for the Northern UK Jewish Studies Partnership. Administered in the Department of Religions and Theology, it comprises distinguished academics specializing in various fields, including Bible studies, Dead Sea Scrolls, rabbinic Judaism, Jewish Thought, Holocaust Studies, Jewish History spanning ancient, medieval, and modern eras, Film Studies, Jewish/Non-Jewish Relations, and Israel Studies. The Centre attracts research students from around the world pursuing diverse PhD topics and welcomes postgraduate researchers. Its activities encompass research seminars, the Sherman Lectures in Jewish Studies, and the Bogdanow Lectures in Holocaust Studies.

The Centre for Jewish Studies at the University of Manchester is a prominent institution in Europe. It offers undergraduate degree programs with components in Jewish Studies and a wide range of related courses at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. The Centre provides guidance on funding opportunities, expert supervision, and specialized resources for Jewish Studies PhDs. Additionally, it organises research seminars, the Sherman Lectures in Jewish Studies, and the Bogdanow Lectures in Holocaust Studies. Some ongoing externally-funded research projects include the Regional Hub in Jewish Studies (anonymous European Jewish Foundation) and the Rylands Hebraica Catalogue (anonymous European Jewish Foundation). Previous major projects encompassed topics such as Post-Holocaust and Deportation Exhumations (British Academy), Atheism and Jewish Thought (AHRC), and Jewish Engagement with Darwinism (Leverhulme).

The Centre is affiliated with three peer-reviewed journals: Melilah: The Manchester Journal of Jewish Studies (available online and through Gorgias Press), the Journal of Semitic Studies (published by Oxford University Press), and the Leo Baeck Year Book (published by Oxford University Press). The John Rylands University Library possesses internationally significant holdings of primary sources in Jewish religion, culture, society, and history. Notably, its collection of Hebrew manuscripts, including those once owned by Moses Gaster, ranks among the largest in the UK, surpassed only by Oxford, the British Library, and Cambridge. The Centre also houses the Bill Williams Library for Modern Jewish Studies. The Manchester Jewish Museum contains extensive archival material, including oral testimony and photographic collections, awaiting researchers' attention.

Manchester has a rich tradition in Jewish Studies research and teaching, boasting esteemed scholars such as Alexander Altmann, James Barr, Edward Ullendorff, Meir Wallenstein, and Leon Yudkin. The teaching of Biblical Hebrew by Tobias Theodores dates back to 1866. Manchester was among the earliest institutions to offer courses in modern Hebrew, publishing the journal Melilah in modern Hebrew from 1944 to 1955. It also became the first UK university to grant a BA degree in modern Hebrew, with David Patterson being one of the first graduates in 1949.

The University has longstanding connections with the local Jewish community, which dates back to the 1780s and represents the largest Jewish community in the UK outside London. Over the years, notable Jewish scholars and scientists have taught at the University. Notably, Chaim Weizmann lectured on chemistry and, through the eminent philosopher Samuel Alexander, Weizmann was introduced to Balfour. Sir Lewis Namier, a distinguished English historian, actively assisted Weizmann in the Zionist movement. The Centre for Jewish Studies was established in 1996, consolidating and strengthening the existing provisions through the creation of the Alliance Chair in Modern Jewish Studies.

Offers funding

No, this infrastructure does not provide funding.

Founding year

1996

Contact details

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University affiliation(s)

University of Manchester
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL