JWST/GERM Foreign Study Program

Winter 2022 - Berlin, Germany

The new winterim study abroad program co-sponsored by German Studies and Jewish Studies has engendered a lot of interest.  37 undergraduates have applied to go to Berlin with Profs. Veronika Fuechtner and Susannah Heschel and learn about the rich history of German-Jewish life.

As the cultural and intellectual center of the universe, Berlin has been the crown jewel of Europe since the 18th century. Writers, poets, scholars, musicians, artists continue to flock to Berlin to engage its creative spirit. As a center of migration as well as the seat of Germany's federal government, Berlin is a city addressing the key political issue facing all countries today: how to create a vibrant multicultural environment.

Jews have long been at the forefront of Berlin's creative spirit and Berlin has been the site of many of the most important Jewish political and intellectual developments of the modern era. Prior to the Nazis, synagogues of all orientations have flourished, and two rabbinical seminaries produced most of the world's important Reform and Orthodox rabbis. Jews played leading roles in the newly emerging disciplines of science, humanities and social sciences as well as medicine, art, literature, and psychoanalysis. Even as it was the capital of the Third Reich, Berlin was also the most important hiding place for Jews in Germany.

Today Berlin is once again the site of a flourishing Jewish community, a lively center for Jewish Studies, multiple synagogues of various denominations, and two rabbinical schools. With a large contingent of young Israeli artists and writers, Berlin is sometimes called the new Tel Aviv. History is no stranger to Berlin; the city is filled with historical monuments, memorials, and museums. 

Click here for a complete description of the program.