The College for Jewish Studies in Heidelberg [Hochschule für Jüdische Studien Heidelberg]

96 SHOFAR Summer 1997 Vol. 15, No.4 The College for Jewish Studies in Heidelberg [Hochschule fur Judische Studien Heidelberg] compiled· by Dean Phillip Bell With the agreement ofthe Ministry of Culture and Science, the Central Council ofJews in Germany and the Karl Ruprecht University of Heidelberg, a College of Jewish Studies, intimately connected with the University in Heidelberg, was founded in 1979. The initial impetus in establishing the College was to serve as a Jewish Theological Institute to train rabbis, cantors and religious teachers ofthe Jewish communities. Such a goal was, however, early on deemed unrealistic. Instead, the College was to offer a four and a halfyear-long Master ofArts degree that was specifically geared for Jewish students seeking community service careers within the Jewish communities in Germany. Visiting rabbis give lectures and classes, but the College does not attempt to train rabbis. Students interested in pursuing rabbinic careers are directed to colleges or seminaries outside of Germany, particularly Jews' College or Leo Baeck College in London, the Jewish Theological Seminary or the Yeshiva University in New York. Students wanting to pursue Jewish Studies further, but not in the direction of rabbinics, often move on to Oxford University or Columbia University. Since its establishment, the College has been guided by a rotating group of scholars, particularly from Israel and the United States. In its first year, under the leadership of Professor Leon A. Feldman as founding rector, the College attracted 16 students-13 in the major and 3 in the minor.I Feldman, a professor of Hebrew Studies at Rutgers University, returned to the United States and was succeeded by Shemaryahu Talmon, a professor in the department of Bible Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The College developed rapidly and within a year had to relocate to a larger building. In a few short years, in the winter semester of the 1982/1983 academic year, the College could claim 26 students in the major and 12 minors. It additionally attracted·Based on notes and information supplied by the former Rector of the College, Professor Julius Carlebach. IFor general information about the Hochschule one may tum to the materials prepared by the Hochschule. For a contextualized account ofthe development ofthe Hochschule, see Helmut G. Meier and Hermann Josef Schuster, "Die Hochschule filr Jtldische Studien in Heidelberg," Zeitschrift fUr Recht und Verwaltung der wissenschaftlichen Hochschulen und der wissenschafts-pflegenden und fOrdernden Organisationen und Stiftungen 8 (August, 1983): 112-137. The Collegefor Jewish Studies in Heidelberg 97 112 auditors. By 1991, the College could boast 130 students, 21 ofwhom were Jewish. The College has grown dramatically over the years, but has continued to face the challenge ofcombining the general interest in Judaism from non-Jews and its function to train Jewish communal leaders. The College does offer a Monday and Thursday morning minyan and has a kosher cafeteria, but little else beyond that. The curriculum of the College is composed of courses in "core" subjects such as Bible, Biblical Commentaries, Talmud, Codices, Rabbinic Literature, Hebrew Language and Literature, History of the Jewish People, Jewish Philosophy, and the History of Ideas. Some courses are also available in Jewish Arts, Comtemporary Judaism and Jewish Music. Students "majoring" at the College must also enroll for supplementary courses at the University of Heidelberg. Conversely, students registered at the University ofHeidelberg may take supplementary cOUrsework at the College. Students at the College are required to spend one year at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. In addition to the College's academic offerings, the College also sponsors numerous public lectures which attract very large audiences. The research collections held within the College have increased dramatically over the past few years. Nearly 22,000 gravestones, from some fifty-six cemeteries, have been photographed, registered, and studied. A Collection of over 17,000 Dias (photographic slides), comprising the largest collection on the history of Jewish Art in Europe, has been assembled and continues to grow. The Library at the College includes 35,000 volumes and is becoming one of the most important collections in Europe. In 1987, on the occasion ofthe fortieth anniversary ofthe liberation ofthe Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, chancellor Kohl established, in close connection with the College...