Hebrew and Jewish Studies Studies, University of Sydney

🎶 Gertrud Kolmar was a poet who perished in Auschwitz in 1943. Composer and Professor Julian Marshall (ICMP UK - The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance) set out on what has become a deeply involving, transformative creative journey. Join him as he shares the story and process of his project, and plays a specially curated playlist from works written so far.

🗓️ Thursday 28 May, 6–7pm
📍 Chau Chak Wing Museum, University of Sydney
🎟️ Register now: https://bit.ly/4tQEIWY

📣📣We are proud to share that 𝗗𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗺𝘀-𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱, Chair of the Discipline of 𝗛𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗲𝘄 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗦𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗲𝘀 (HJS), has been appointed to lead a new education initiative aimed at combating antisemitism across the University of Sydney and the broader sector.

The University is rolling out an education program for frontline staff to deepen awareness and understanding of the challenges faced by the Jewish community. In his new role as 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗱𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗩𝗶𝗰𝗲-𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁, Dr Abrahams-Sprod will dedicate half of his time to this initiative, while continuing in his current role as the 𝗥𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗶𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗲𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗿 in Jewish Civilisation, Education and Israel Studies.
Dr Abrahams-Sprod will focus on educating colleagues about the historical roots of antisemitism and its contemporary manifestations, while also advising across the University and the wider sector. This appointment builds on his longstanding leadership in education, training, and community engagement, and highlights the important contribution of Hebrew and Jewish Studies to knowledge and education.

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗦𝗰𝗼𝘁𝘁, Vice-Chancellor and President, said the work of Dr Abrahams-Sprod would complement other University initiatives aimed at maintaining a civic environment that supported the imperatives of academic freedom and freedom of speech, while at the same time ensuring a safe and inclusive campus for all students and staff.

🎧 As part of The Minefield's Ramadan series on 𝗔𝗕𝗖 𝗥𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹, Head of School and Professor of Holocaust Studies and Jewish Civilisation 𝗔𝘃𝗿𝗶𝗹 𝗔𝗹𝗯𝗮, spoke with Waleed Aly and Scott Stephens to explore understandings of the heart as expounded in classical Jewish poetry, and biblical and rabbinic traditions.

https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/theminefield/ramadan-do-not-harden-your-heart-with-avril-alba/106353366?fbclid=IwY2xjawQdcARleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETF2VkhZcDc1TDJRd2ZkeDJRc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHu0hJpiSRfiSrdvQQIqwltRkiiTjRuwTTszzudgh_iQw6p7Bo6azbkwxdLry_aem_3s2xcdNXBDBJceLQyl_m7A

Ramadan: ‘Do Not Harden Your Heart’ — with Avril Alba - ABC listen Over the course of this Ramadan series, we are exploring the contours of a cardiocentric conception of the moral life. The notion of the primacy of the heart goes back three millennia: it finds expression in the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, Egypt and China, and in the philosophy of Aristotle; it...

🙋🏼‍♀️This International Women's Day, join New York Times' best-selling author 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗮 𝗠𝗲𝗹𝘁𝘇𝗲𝗿 (USA), celebrated filmmaker 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱, acclaimed journalist 𝗭𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗦𝗲𝗶𝗱𝗹𝗲𝗿, tireless humanitarian 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝗹𝗱 and internet sensation 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗮 𝗚𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗯-𝗕𝗲𝗸𝗲𝗿 for a very special event.

🗒️ Sunday 8 March 2026
⏰ 10.00 am - 12.30 pm
🔗 https://bit.ly/3ZKfmgq

👩‍🎓👨‍🎓Welcome to 2026 and to an exciting semester for 𝙃𝙚𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙬 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙅𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙎𝙩𝙪𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙨 as we offer an array of fascinating units of study, guest lectures and public functions!
Take a look at what we are offering in our first semester for undergraduates:

𝗠𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗛𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗲𝘄
HBRW1011: Foundations of Modern Hebrew
HBRW2603: Using Modern Hebrew in the Here-and-Now
HBRW3610: Modern Hebrew: A Living Language
HBRW3612: Text and Subtexts in Modern Hebrew

𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗖𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲
JCTC1004: Judaism: A History – Explore the history, texts, traditions, personalities and evolution of the world’s oldest monotheistic faith.
JCTC2100: Expulsion and Renewal: Medieval Jews – Discover the rich history, personalities and texts of the Jews under both Christianity and Islam in this pivotal moment in time.
JCTC3003: The Modern Jewish Experience – Chart and delve into the radical changes which swept across the Jewish world in Europe in the wake of the French Revolution.
JCTC3602: Contemporary Jewish Identities – Experience the diversity and pluralism that makes up the complexity of the Jewish world today as we traverse communities across the globe.

Wishing everyone a successful academic year!
The HJS Team 👨‍🏫👨‍🏫

𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 𝗔𝗔𝗝𝗦 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 - 𝗕𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀: 𝗝𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝗵-𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗼𝘀𝘀 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲
This conference will explore the complex topic of Jewish-Christian relations across time and place. While often a relationship of persecution and conflict, there have also been times of considerable cross pollination and creativity between Christian and Jewish communities.

The conference is a joint initiative of 𝗔𝗔𝗝𝗦 and 𝗛𝗕𝗝𝗦 with the support of the 𝗔𝗻𝗻 𝗣𝗹𝗼𝘁𝗸𝗲 𝗞𝗶𝗿𝗯𝘆 Endowment in Jewish-Non-Jewish relations and Mandelbaum House, University of Sydney.

Date: Sunday 8 February - Monday 9 February
Location: Sydney - exact location to be announced

Register: https://events.humanitix.com/2026-aajs-conference

🧑‍🎓𝗝𝗖𝗧𝗖𝟮𝟯𝟬𝟬: 𝗜𝘀𝗿𝗮𝗲𝗹-𝗣𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲: 𝗔 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲’𝘀 𝗛𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 – 𝗔 𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗹𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 🧑‍🎓

In this past semester, HBJS offered a unique unit in a revised form. It is one of only three such programs taught internationally in an interdisciplinary manner (the other two are at Dartmouth College, USA, and York University, Canada). It was co-designed and co-taught by 𝗗𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗲𝗹 𝗔𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗵𝗮𝗺𝘀-𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱, Chair, Hebrew, Biblical and Jewish Studies and 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗰 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝗼𝗿𝗯𝗲𝗿𝗮, Chair ,Arabic Language and Cultures, School of Languages and Cultures, University of Sydney. To teach such a unit under normal circumstances is challenging, but in the climate of the past two years, neither Michael nor Lucia knew how the unit would play out this semester. Essentially, their approach is one of learning, respect, listening and engaging in the scholarship. Michael and Lucia tried to move beyond the ‘conflict’ and bring their students closer to both peoples, their histories and their cultures, as well as being able to have robust discussions, where disagreement takes place, but is safe, respectful and scholarly.

To date, much positive anecdotal feedback, both verbal and in e-mail forms have been received and what is clear is that what was created was a real learning community of students from diverse backgrounds: Jews, non-Jews, Israelis, Palestinians, Arabs, Muslims, Christians and a plethora of ethnic, national and political backgrounds. All were united by wanting to engage with each other and learn together.

✏️An excerpt from one of the student’s e-mails below (with permission) encapsulates how students felt:

…𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘦𝘺𝘦-𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘥𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺.

…𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦.
…𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘢𝘭, 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘓𝘦𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘥𝘢𝘺. 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦. 𝘐𝘧 𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮, 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵, 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘺 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘰𝘳 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢.

𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘶𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘴𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘮 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘶𝘦, 𝘦𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘐’𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘳𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦, 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘓𝘶𝘤𝘪𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵, 𝘢 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘸.

By Dr Michael Abrahams-Sprod

Join us for an Expert talk with visiting scholar 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗭𝗼𝗵𝗮𝗿 𝗦𝗲𝗴𝗲𝘃 on the topic: 𝙍𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙞𝙡𝙚𝙢𝙢𝙖 𝙤𝙛 𝘽𝙤𝙢𝙗𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘼𝙪𝙨𝙘𝙝𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙯: 𝙎𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩, 𝙊𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙍𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨

The question of whether the Allies should have bombed Auschwitz-Birkenau has long stood as a moral and strategic dilemma in Holocaust historiography. In this lecture, Prof Segev re-examines the episode through a critical analysis of newly reviewed archival documents.
🗓 Thursday 18 September, 4pm
📍 University of Sydney, Camperdown/Darlington Campus
✍️ Learn more and register: https://whatson.sydney.edu.au/event/e077f646-abd4-4735-86d8-d5d652d2d06b/Rethinking%20the%20Dilemma%20of%20Bombing%20Auschwitz:%20Support,%20Opposition,%20and%20Reservations
This talk will be held in partnership with Sydney Jewish Museum and Mandelbaum House, University of Sydney

Join us for an Expert talk with 𝗘𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗮 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗸 on the topic: 𝙅𝙚𝙬𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙧𝙮 𝙀𝙪𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚.
October 7, 2023, has been a major turning point for the Jews of Europe and for Europe as a whole. The war in Gaza has deeply affected Europe’s large and small Jewish communities, adding to their already complicated relations with the Left and the Right. For Jewish people, the war has brought up difficult questions about religious and cultural identities, political affiliations, as well as the survival of Jewish life in the lands where the Holocaust occurred 80 ago.
🗓 Tuesday 7 August, 6.30pm
📍 Eastern Suburbs Location
✍️ Learn more and register: https://sydneyjewishmuseum.com.au/events/
This talk will be held in partnership with Sydney Jewish Museum and Mandelbaum House, University of Sydney

Join us for this Expert talk by 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗼𝗹𝗶𝗻 𝗦𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲𝗿 on the topic: 𝘿𝙖𝙧𝙠 𝘿𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙊𝙪𝙧 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚: 𝙋𝙤𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣 𝙄𝙨𝙧𝙖𝙚𝙡 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙅𝙚𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙖. Prof Schindler will dive into the ongoing division in Israel since 2022, first with the ‘Judicial Reform’ mass protests and then with the war in Gaza. Is this a weakness in Israeli society which can be exploited by its enemies? Or is it a manifestation of its deep-rooted democracy? Should Diaspora Jews openly voice their opinions? If so, is there a difference between supporting the government and supporting the state?

🗓 Wednesday 28 May, 6.30pm
📍 Eastern Suburbs Location
✍️ Learn more and register: https://sydneyjewishmuseum.com.au/events/
This talk will be held in partnership with Sydney Jewish Museum and Mandelbaum House, University of Sydney