About the World Union of Jewish Studies

The World Union of Jewish Studies (WUJS) was established in 1957, at the Second World Congress of Jewish Studies. WUJS was given the dual mandate of developing the Congress into a permanent institution for the progress of Jewish Studies, and promoting cooperation and academic exchange.

The World Union of Jewish Studies is a non-profit organization, sustained by annual membership fees and by the support of public bodies and foundations, including the Israeli Ministry of Science, Culture, & Sport, and various academic institutions.

The World Congress of Jewish Studies

The first World Congress of Jewish Studies was held in 1947 at the Hebrew University on Mount Scopus. Since 1957, it has been held every four years. Today, the Congress is the largest event in the field of Jewish Studies worldwide, and the largest conference in the humanities in Israel; it brings together thousands of participants, including scholars, teachers, students, intellectuals, and anyone interested in learning about the latest research in the field of Jewish Studies. The next World Congress of Jewish Studies will take place August 1-5, 2021 in Jerusalem.

Books and Journals

WUJS publishes the academic, peer-reviewed journal, Jewish Studies, along with monographs in the various disciplines of Jewish Studies, such as the Sources of Jewish Culture series and the Eshkolot series.

Grants and Prizes

WUJS awards scholarships and prizes to scholars in the field of Jewish Studies.

Events

WUJS organizes conferences, lectures, and other public events throughout the year, and aims to serve as a platform to promote events of other organizations in the field of Jewish Studies.

Goals of the World Union of Jewish Studies

  • To unite Jewish Studies scholars from all over the world and to serve as a unifying framework for regional research organizations.
  • To organize or to sponsor international conferences and congresses, whose subject is Jewish Studies in their broadest context.
  • To promote research in the various fields of Jewish Studies and to distribute knowledge and education of these fields.
  • To publish journals, books and other scholarly materials dealing with subjects of Jewish Studies.
  • To encourage students and scholars of Jewish Studies by establishing foundations, grants and prizes.
  • To co-operate with other international scientific and research institutions and to help them gather information and literature on subjects related to Jewish Studies.
  • To co-ordinate and nurture connections and co-operation between institutions and research bodies of Jewish Studies from all over the world.

Executive Board Members

  • President: Prof. Aharon Maman (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
  • Prof. Israel Bartal (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
  • Prof. Tzahi Weiss (The Open University)
  • Prof. Cana Warman (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)
  • Prof.  J.H. (Yossi) Chajes (University of Haifa)
  • Prof. Noah Hacham (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
  • Prof. Haviva Ishay (Ben-Gurion University of the Negev)
  • Prof. Shmuel Feiner (Bar-Ilan University)
  • Prof. Maoz Kahana (Tel Aviv University)
  • Prof. Daniel R. Schwartz (The Hebrew University of Jerusalem)

Staff

  • Executive Director: Dr. Anat Kutner
  • Head of Publications: Dr. Yaacov Deutsch
  • Secretary: Shiran Shevah

Past Presidents of the World Union of Jewish Studies and the World Congress of Jewish Studies

  • Prof. Moshe Idel (2013-2022; 16th, 17th, 18th Congress)
  • Prof. Yosef Kaplan (2009-2013; 16th Congress)
  • Prof. Sarah Yefet (2005-2009; 15th Congress)
  • Prof. Menahem Ben-Sasson (2005-2006)
  • Prof. Menachem Elon (1993-2005; 12th, 13th, and 14th Congress)
  • Prof. Ezra Fleischer (1989-1993; 11th Congress)
  • Prof. Ephraim Elimelech Urbach (1969-1989; President of the Union 6th-10th Congress, Chairman of the Organizing Committee – 3rd Congress)
  • Prof. Ben-Zion Dinur (Chairman of the World Union of Jewish Studies – 5th Congress, Congress Chairman – 4th Congress, Chairman of the Organizing Committee – 2nd Congress)
  • Prof. Naftali Herz Tur-Sinai (Congress Chairman – 3rd Congress)
  • Yitzhak Ben-Zvi (Honorary Congress President – 2nd and 3rd Congress)