CEU has been the first English-language institution in Central Europe to develop academic teaching, scholarly research and public outreach in Jewish Studies. For more than two decades, CEU Jewish Studies has run an internationally recognized MA specialization as well as a hub for doctoral and post-doctoral research. Its Public Lecture Series has presented distinguished scholars to an academic as well as general audience. Most recently, we have launched a Certificate in Jewish Heritage addressing practicians who manage heritage sites all over Europe.
CEU founded its Jewish Studies Project in 1996 in Budapest, during the euphoric years after the fall of Communism. Its teaching, research, and public events have played an important role in revitalizing Jewish Studies in a region where this field of study had long been neglected or considered taboo. After moving its teaching activities to Austria in 2020, CEU Jewish Studies has maintained its Central and Eastern European expertise while integrating into the academic landscape of its new home, exploring the rich heritage of Jewish Vienna, and opening global perspectives in Jewish research. The program continues attracting students, faculty and visiting lecturers from across the globe, who enjoy the open, international atmosphere of the university and benefit from the unique research opportunities in the region.
CEU publishes a bi-annual Jewish Studies Yearbook, in which texts from the public lecture series are published along with other original research by students and faculty.