THE DINUR CENTER FOR RESEARCH IN JEWISH HISTORY
The Hebrew University Jerusalem

About The Dinur Center

The Dinur Center for Research in Jewish History was established by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Ministry of Education and Culture of the State of Israel in July 1974, on the anniversary of the death of Professor Ben-Zion Dinur. The founders of the Center envisioned its role as a major academic vehicle for fostering research in all areas of Jewish History.

The Dinur Center began its activities in 1975 as part of the Institute of Jewish Studies in the Faculty of the Humanities. The primary initiators in the establishment of the Center and in formulating its mandate were President of the Hebrew University Avraham Harman, Mark Yuveler, and the leading historians of the time, Professor H. H. Ben-Sasson, Head of the Institute of Jewish Studies, and Professors Menahem Stern and Shmuel Ettinger. Professor Ettinger headed the Center and was its driving force until his death in 1988. Subsequently, the Center was led by Professor Michael Graetz (1988-93), Professor Yom-Tov Assis (1994-97), Professor Lee Levine (1997-2001), Professor Emanuel Etkes (2002-) and Dr. Oded Ir-Shai.

The Center aims to promote research in Jewish History throughout the ages, from the biblical to contemporary eras in both Israel and the Diaspora. Among its activities are:

• the sponsorship and publication of a wide range of materials: important Jewish literary sources accompanied by scholarly introductions; monographs on specific topics; compendia of sources and scholarly articles intended to aid in the teaching of Jewish History on the university level; and proceedings of conferences sponsored by the Center. Over 100 publications have appeared to date.

• symposia open to the public at large, held upon the publication of a Dinur Center monograph. On this occasion, colleagues are invited to comment on the significance and implications of a particular publication.

• lecture series at the Hebrew University: guest lecturers from other institutions of higher learning, both in Israel and abroad; a series devoted to important--often controversial--issues addressed from a variety of perspectives; a lecture series featuring presentations by Hebrew University doctoral students on aspects of their dissertations-in-progress; and, finally, lectures by Dinur Fellows on the topics of their research.

• workshops and seminars in fields ranging from historiography to the visual arts and their relationship to literary sources.

• international conferences on central issues in Jewish History.

• the sponsorship of the Dinur Fellowship for Doctoral Students in Jewish History.

• a web-site highlighting the Center's agenda for the promotion of the study and research of Jewish History throughout the ages, as well as the compilation of information relating to the study of Jewish History throughout the world.

The Dinur Center served as the umbrella institution for a series of centers and projects focusing on studies concerning specific Jewish communities, including Dutch, Romanian and Central European Jewry, German (Germania Judaica), and Spanish (Hispania Judaica) Jewry. Also in the past under the Dinur Center's auspices were the Jewish Labor Movement Research Project, the Halpern Project, and the "Levad Association" devoted to the posthumous publication of Professor Ben-Zion Dinur's writings.

The activities of the Dinur Center are overseen by an academic committee, whose chairperson serves as the Head of the Dinur Center. The staff of the Center currently includes a director, a coordinator of publications, an administrative secretary, a webmaster, and student research assistants.

Until recently, the Dinur Center was located on the Hebrew University's Givat Ram campus. In the academic year 1997-98, the Center's activities were relocated to the Mount Scopus campus. In (2002), the Dinur Center and all its affiliates have moved to the Yitzhak Rabin World Center for Jewish Studies building on Mt. Scopus.

   

Contact Dinur Center at: dinurcenter@mscc.huji.ac.il

Copyright ©, 2010, Dinur Center and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. All Rights Reserved.02/09/12