The Centre for German-Jewish Studies, located in the School of History at the University of Sussex, is an institution devoted to the study of the history, culture and thought of Jews in Central Europe. The primary aim of the Centre’s teaching and research activities is the re-evaluation of how the history of Jews in German-speaking lands is studied. Another key objective is to research the history of Jewish refugees and their families to the United Kingdom during and after the Second World War. The Centre also focuses on projects related to the history of anti-Semitism, the Holocaust and its effects on post-war history until today.
The Centre’s archival collection, located in the University of Sussex Keep, is being developed in accordance with these main themes. There is a particular interest in materials documenting the histories of German-Jewish families since the Enlightenment, including diaries, letters, oral testimony, survival narratives and other biographical sources recording the history of refugees.
This institution practises a multidisciplinary approach, with colleagues from history and the social sciences offering a range of modules aiming to deepen understanding of the German Jewish experience from the early modern period through the Shoah and its subsequent reconstruction. The teaching facilitates the study of modern political, social, literary and intellectual German-Jewish history, exploring the experience of Jewish communities and individuals in various contexts, with a particular focus on the Holocaust and surrounding events.
You can find out more about the Centre for German-Jewish Studies at the University of Sussex here.