Welcome to the University of Melbourne Centre for Jewish History and Culture

Hebrew and Jewish studies have been part of the fabric of teaching at the University of Melbourne since 1946. It began with the endowment of the Lazarus and Abraham Sicree Chair of Semitic Studies and the appointment of the foundation professor, Maurice Goldman. Since then, Hebrew and Jewish studies have earned both national visibility and international recognition, and have acquired a place of honour for scholarly excellence, educational initiatives and cultural outreach.

Over the last 60 years, the level and range of courses in Hebrew and Jewish studies at the University of Melbourne has grown and continues to expand to this day. We strive to make available to scholars, students and the public the riches and beauty of the Hebrew language and the Jewish tradition, in all its phases. To that end, we offer Hebrew language courses at four levels, from beginners to advanced.

Our teaching program is varied and broad. At an undergraduate level, we offer students an opportunity to explore aspects of the Hebrew language and literature, Jewish history, film, culture, religion, literature, thought, society and politics. At the postgraduate level, the Centre enables students to undertake Honours, Masters and PhD studies.

In building on our proud tradition of excellence, the Centre for Jewish History and Culture has become an exciting and rewarding hub of Hebrew and Jewish studies as well as an ambitious, vibrant home of learning. We are committed to continuing the long standing cross-cultural study and intellectual exchange with other departments that has created new insights and has brought fresh perspectives from other fields. Hence, students can undertake subjects through the History and Politics departments that are counted towards a major in Jewish Studies.

A major goal of the centre is to continue to act as a gateway, a natural bridge for scholarly and educational initiatives that enable the public to gain a deeper understanding of the diversity of Judaism's intellectual, cultural and religious history. Our ambition is to provide an open and stimulating learning environment and to meet the intellectual, educational and cultural needs of students and instructors in Jewish studies.

I hope you enjoy accessing and exploring this portal of knowledge.

Dr Dvir Abramovich
Director.