You are Jewish and interested in the Tanach and Talmud? You are not Jewish and interested in Judaism? You are interested in studying Jewish theology? You are interested in studying Biblical Archaeology? You are interested in ancient languages like Hebrew or Aramaic? You would like to become a cantor or rabbi? Then get in touch with us! With us you have the opportunity to discover all this and much more! Our Beit Midrash/School is beautifully located at the New Palace, at the entrance to Sanssouci Park. We work closely together with the departments of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at the University of Potsdam and everyone benefits from the proximity! Outside the university we have cooperations in Poland, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands or the UK.

Then get in touch with us!
With us you have the opportunity to discover all this and much more! Our Beit Midrash is beautifully located at the New Palace, directly at the entrance to Sanssouci Park. We work closely together with the departments of Jewish Studies and Religious Studies at the University of Potsdam and everyone benefits from the proximity! Outside the university we have cooperations in Poland, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands or the UK.

»The BA/MA degree program in Jewish Theology – the only one of its kind in Europe – is open to all interested applicants regardless of their religious affiliation!«

With the founding of the Potsdam School of Jewish Theology in the fall of 2013, the academic discipline of Jewish Theology was established for the first time at a European institution of higher education. Thus, almost two hundred years after the German-Jewish scholar Abraham Geiger made his public plea for equal recognition, Jewish theology is finally academically on par with Christian theology – as well as with the new Islamic Theology institutes being established in Germany.

At the School of Jewish Theology seven chairs have been established teaching and researching the rich and multi-faceted history of Judaism in order to understand and shape the contemporary Jewish experience.

The curriculum comprises the following core subjects: Hebrew Bible and its Exegesis; Talmud and Rabbinical Literature; History and Philosophy of the Jewish Religion; Jewish Law; Jewish Liturgy; Practical Theology (consisting of four sub-disciplines: religious education, homiletics, pastoral care and community organizing); History of Jewish Music; Hebrew and Aramaic Philology.

»For more information about our degree progams, please see for BA the BA page and for MA the MA page.«

Examination board: Prof. Schorsch (Vorsitz), Prof. Kosman, Prof. Liwak, N. Olhoeft, K. Olthoff

Study board: Prof. Idan Dershowitz (Vorsitz), Dr. Daniel Vorpahl (stellv. Vorsitz), students representatives: Klaus Olthoff, Karen Engel

The following lists of books are representative of current academic scholarship in the various fields taught at the School of Jewish Theology. The two lists offered here are meant to be suggestive of the kind of scholarship that a graduate at the B.A and M.A level should be familiar with.