The German government will provide €16 million over four years to expand contemporary research into Jewish life, Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär said. The funding aims to strengthen studies of culture, language and religious customs and to raise the visibility of Jewish life in society. A new competence network for contemporary Jewish research will be developed and coordinated with an existing anti‑Semitism research network to ensure cooperation and reduce overlap.
Germany Pledges €16 Million to Expand Research Into Jewish Life and Culture
FILE PHOTO - German Minister for Research, Technology, and Space Dorothee Bär speaks during a debate on current affairs in the plenary session of the German Parliament (Bundestag). (is associated with: «Government pledges €16m to boost research on Jewish life in Germany») Markus Lenhardt/dpa
The German government will allocate €16 million (about $18.2 million) over the next four years to strengthen research into Jewish life in Germany, Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär announced on Thursday.
Bär, a member of the conservative party, disclosed the funding figure in an interview with the Jüdische Allgemeine (Jewish General Newspaper). She said contemporary Jewish studies remain underdeveloped in Germany's research landscape and that the new funding is intended to raise the visibility of Jewish presence across society.
FILE PHOTO - Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal presents the award to Elke Büdenbender, wife of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, at the award ceremony for the Prize for the Promotion of Jewish Life and Social Cohesion. (is associated with: «Government pledges €16m to boost research on Jewish life in Germany») Christophe Gateau/dpa
According to the minister, the grant will support research into all aspects of Jewish life "as they currently manifest in culture, language and religious customs." The programme is intended both to broaden academic study and to demonstrate the positive, enriching contributions of Jewish life to German society.
"This would be a contribution to showing how positive and enriching Jewish life is for all of us," Bär said.
The coalition agreement between the governing parties includes a pledge to develop a competence network for contemporary Jewish research and to bolster studies of anti-Semitism. Bär noted that a research network on anti-Semitism already exists and that the two initiatives will inevitably overlap. She said the new network and the anti‑Semitism research network should cooperate, exchange ideas and learn from one another to produce more comprehensive, coordinated findings.
Photo caption: Rabbi Yehuda Teichtal presents an award to Elke Büdenbender, wife of German President Frank‑Walter Steinmeier, at the Prize for the Promotion of Jewish Life and Social Cohesion ceremony. (Christophe Gateau/dpa)
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