Jewish studies center opens in Berlin

Center for Jewish Studies Berlin-Brandenburg funded by the German Education Ministry

BERLIN (AP) — A new Jewish studies center is opening in the German capital to facilitate research into Jewish-Christian and Jewish-Islamic relations, Holocaust remembrance, and other aspects of Jewish history and life.

The German Education Ministry is funding the new Center for Jewish Studies Berlin-Brandenburg with €6.9 million ($8.6 million) in support for teachers and research over five years.

Berlin’s Free University said the center opened Wednesday as part of a joint project with the city’s Humboldt University, the Berlin Technical University and the University of Potsdam. The Abraham-Geiger Kolleg rabbinical seminary and the Moses Mendelssohn Center for European-Jewish Studies are also involved. Both are affiliated with the University of Potsdam.

In addition to promoting research, the center will also be used for the academic training of rabbis and cantors.