• Jewish Thought

    With the generous support of the Tikvah Fund, and with a unparalled concentration of expertise, the Centre for Jewish Studies is the premiere location in North America for innovative, world class research and teaching in the area of Jewish Thought, featuring

    1. World-renowned faculty from the Department of Philosophy, Political Science, and Religion, combining forces to form a unique, interdisciplinary program
    2. Intensive study of texts and ideas that have emerged from the Jewish experience of revitalizing one's civilization while living in and with diverse cultures and religion
    3. Critical thinking and vigorous debate, drawing on rigorous methods from three disciplines.
    4. Illuminating encounters between Jewish traditions and contemporary problems
    5. Focus on texts and ideas from the entire chronological range of Jewish experience: antiquity, the rabbinic period, the middle ages, and modernity.
  • Classes

    In addition to the many regular course offerings in Jewish Though, the Tikvah fund supports:

    1. Additional Jewish Though classes taught by experts in the Departments of Philosophy, Political Science, and Religion, rendering our course offerings truly comprehensive.
    2. CJS200: Introduction to Crtical Concepts and Methods of Analysis in Jewish Studies An introduction to ancient, rabbinic, medieval and modern Jewish though and culture, led by a team of professors with specializations in different periods of Jewish civilization.
    3. CJS400: Research and Writing Seminar in Jewish Studies A capstone seminar in which undergraduates will construct, cultivate, and communicate individualized thesis projects while being exposed to techniques and concepts essential to advanced research.
    4. CJS1000/2000 A year long graduate class, led by one of our own faculty, offering M.A and Ph.D students the opportunity to engage with some of the most distinguished Jewish Studies scholars in the world.
  • Student Fellowships

    The Tikvah Fund provides generous financial awards for Undergraduate and Graduate Student Tikvah Fellows, selected for their excellence and promise, who are working in Jewish Thought. Undergraduate Tikvah Fellows are able to work closely with faculty on various Jewish Thought projects, acquiring invaluable experience of the production and presentation of research, while Graduate Student Tikvah Fellows are funded as they refine and develop their own research projects under faculty supervision.

  • Distinguished Visitors

    As a world centre for Jewish Thought, the University of Toronto both attracts and benefits from distinguished visitors working in many areas. The Tikvah Fund provides essential support for these visits, which enable world renowned scholars to present groundbreaking research to undergraduates, to graduate students, to colleagues, and to the community beyond the university.