The title of this year’s summer school is INSIDE/OUT, a theme meant to bring together rich areas of new research and timely lines of inquiry in Jewish studies—ranging from the psychological, somatic, and geographic, to the sociopolitical, ethical, and theological. How is the inner life (in its emotional, cognitive, experiential, and unconscious aspects) understood in relation to the body and the self’s presentation to the outer world (intention/act; eating; sexuality)? How has space been constructed and conceptualized so as to create insides and outsides, private and public spheres? What is it to be “at home”—for an individual, a community, or a people—and what is gained and lost in being so? What are the ethical issues raised by the creation or erasure of a boundary between inside and outside? How might God or the world be thought of as inside or outside with relation to the other?
These and other questions related to the theme will be explored through the lens of Jewish history, texts, traditions, practices, and more. We will also devote time to thinking through the theme’s relation to professional academic life—and to the life of a graduate student in particular. The week will be led by an international cohort of Jewish Studies scholars from different disciplines, and a major goal is to encourage conversations across the boundaries of specializations.
The summer school will take place the week before the World Congress of Jewish Studies that will be held in Jerusalem, and participants are encouraged to stay for that. The week will also include professionalization sessions to help students think about next steps in their development as scholars, and to reflect together on some of the challenges of academic life.
Graduate students at any institution worldwide, in any subfield of Jewish studies, past or present, are eligible to apply. Fellowships are available for students accepted into the program who do not have applicable funding from their home institutions.
Submission will open on December 15th, 2025
Deadline for Applications: April 1st, 2025
To apply, please enter http://scholarships.huji.ac.il:
- Fill out the Online Application Form.
- Upload a short essay, in a PDF format, according to the specified instructions.
- Ask a scholar to send a letter of recommendation, according to the described guidelines.
Directors:
Aaron Segal (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Vivian Liska (University of Antwerp)
Steven Weitzman (University of Pennsylvania)
Summer School Faculty Members:
Yael Fisch (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Tamar Hess (Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Ayelet Hoffman-Libson (Bar-Ilan University)
Omer Michaelis (Tel Aviv University)
Haviva Pedaya (Ben-Gurion University)
Marcin Wodzinski (University of Wroclaw)