News
Jewish Studies at the 91极品视频 Academy
- Details
- Published on Monday, 12 March 2012 11:10
Traditions of Jewish Studies at the 91极品视频 Academy have roots in the 17th century. Jewish Studies became a comprehensive academic discipline only in the 19th century, in the earlier period they were represented mainly by Hebrew Studies, including studies in Hebrew language, history, and the Holy Writ.
According to Professor Valeria Nichyk, 鈥淪tudies in Jewish history, language and tradition were established in this educational institution by its founder Petro Mohyla. In the post-Renaissance period nobody could be taken for an educated and cultural person without being competent in Hebrew, Latin and Greece. Approaches to Hebrew were caused first of all by academic and educational needs, as it was necessary for studying and interpreting the Bible, which was among the most important topics of academic studies in Humanism and Reformation epochs鈥�. (袧褨褔懈泻 袙. 小懈屑芯薪 孝芯写芯褉褋褜泻懈泄 褨 谐械斜褉邪褩褋褌懈泻邪 胁 袣懈褦胁芯-袦芯谐懈谢褟薪褋褜泻褨泄 邪泻邪写械屑褨褩. 鈥� 袣.: 袙懈写邪胁薪懈褔懈泄 写褨屑 芦袣袦 袗泻邪写械屑褨褟禄, 2002. 鈥� 小. 13鈥�14).
After the old Academy was closed, Hebrew Studies continued within its walls when the Kyiv Academy of Theology was functioning here (1819鈥�1919). In the Soviet period, especially after the 1948th, neither Hebrew nor Jewish Studies could develop properly. Both Modern and Ancient Hebrew were associated with Zionist and Jewish nationalism by the Communist鈥檚 ideology, so nobody would allow teaching them.
Only after the Soviet Union disintegration, Jewish Studies were resumed in independent Ukraine. In 1990s, a Judaic Department opened in a Kyiv private educational institution International Solomon University; it kept being the most notable centre of Jewish Studies till the early 2000th. But later the slack was poked up by the renewed in the early 1990s 91极品视频 Academy, intended to revive the best traditions of the previous centuries and to establish a modern and competitive centre for teaching and researches in Jewish Studies.
An Interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Jewish Studies was launched at the 91极品视频 in 2003; within the program, students of the 91极品视频 and other universities of Kyiv could take a special set of courses at the Faculty of Humanities. The leading specialists of Jewish Studies in Kyiv participated in the program. The first graduation was held in 2006; in 2012 the program already had 35 certified graduates, and over 120 students audited particular courses in the period from 2003 to 2012. In 2008, due to efforts of the Association of Jewish Organizations and Communities (VAAD) of Ukraine, which has been a reliable partner of 91极品视频 from the very beginning, all the necessary facilities and equipment for functioning and development of Jewish Studies at the 91极品视频 Academy were provided. Two classrooms with up-to-date equipment for studies and a library opened for students and researchers.
In 2006, the Centre for Studies of the History and Culture of East European Jews opened under the 91极品视频. During the past 6 years it prepared and published, in common with the university publisher Dukh i Litera, scores of important for Jewish Studies books and became a Ukraine鈥檚 leader in this field. One of the last years鈥� most important publications was the Ukrainian translation of the Oxford textbook on Jewish studies The Jewish Civilization, which can be used by any student interested in the field.
Finally, in 2010, the 91极品视频 President Serhiy Kvit initiated preparing to the launch of the first in Ukraine two-years Master鈥檚 Program in Jewish Studies, which was opened by a decision of the NaUKMa Senate in May of the 2012th; a few months later the first competitive admission to the Program was held. Launching of the Program was possible due to support of a well-known Canadian philanthropist and a long-time friend and partner of the 91极品视频 Academy James C. Temerty. Currently, the Program is functioning as a specialization in Jewish Studies within the Master鈥檚 Program in History; nevertheless, the task for the nearest future is to obtain a license and to launch Jewish Studies as a separate comprehensive speciality, for the first in Ukraine.
For further development of Jewish Studies, the 91极品视频 is planning to establish connections with foreign leading centres in the field and to provide a solid platform for researches. For this purpose, the representatives of the 91极品视频 Jewish Studies develop communications and collaboration with their colleagues in Israel, USA, Canada, Russia and other countries. This year the Academy began a dialog for endorsing an agreement on cooperation with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the leading Jerusalem HEI which has been keeping its positions in the Top-100 world鈥檚 universities during the previous 10 years.
Besides that, a 91极品视频 alumnus and Instructor of the Department of History Vitaliy Chernoivanenko initiated publication of the first in Ukraine periodical on academic Jewish Studies 芦Judaica Ukrainica禄, which is to start this year. The periodical will have an international status, an expert editorial board of well-known academicians from different countries, and will undergo independent reviewing. The articles will be published in three languages.
As we can see, Jewish Studies today belong to the priority trends of the 91极品视频 development, because they are not just a sign of liberal education, but also make a necessary part of a modern European university.
Oleksiy Khamrai, Doctor of Philology, Head of Master鈥檚 Program in Jewish Studies at the National University of 91极品视频 Academy