Duke Center for Jewish Studies

The Jewish Studies Program at Duke University originated in the 1940s and was formally established in 1972. Today, the Center for Jewish Studies is an inter-departmental program that sponsors a wide variety of cultural events, offers educational programs, and fosters academic research and scholarly exchange of ideas.

• We offer a wide range of interdisciplinary courses – literature, language, history, culture, and more – that cover the ancient period to the modern era
• We provide a Certificate Program for undergraduates, enabling them to work closely with our internationally-renown faculty
• We partner with other departments and programs across Duke – including Religious Studies, History, German, Asian & Middle Eastern Studies, Graduate Program in Religion – to give students degree opportunities with Judaica concentrations
• We work closely with other organizations and groups across the area – such as the Freeman Center for Jewish Life, the Jewish Heritage Foundation of North Carolina, and Carolina Center for Jewish Studies – to share resources, provide learning opportunities, and promote Jewish culture

Commitment to a Global Academic Community

The Center for Jewish Studies is committed to interdisciplinary engagement in a global academic community. In addition to our internationally respected faculty, Duke is home to one of the finest collections of Jewish haggadot, theological and liturgical printed works, manuscripts, papers, diaries and art. Duke University and The Center for Jewish Studies are proud to be an international resource and destination for research and study in Judaica.

Rich Research Resources

Over the past several decades, the Center for Jewish Studies has confirmed its commitment to fostering global academic engagement through the acquisition of resource materials in conjunction with Duke Library, as well as the continued presence of a wide variety of specialists in the field of Jewish studies through a series of endowed lectures, conferences, reading groups, seminars, and talks. We advocate a cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approach to Jewish Studies, a dynamic field of research that explores more than 3,000 years of history.