What programs and research does paideia offer on jewish studies and antisemitism?
Executive summary
Paideia is a Stockholm-based European institute offering a One‑Year Intensive Jewish Studies Program (60 ECTS), elective modules across Torah, Midrash, medieval and modern Jewish thought, plus a linked M.A. pathway and public programs; it emphasizes leadership training, cultural renewal and pluralistic, non‑denominational study [1] [2] [3]. Paideia also runs public lecture series, a project incubator and alumni/network follow‑up to turn fellows into community leaders and activists—its work is funded historically by Swedish state and foundations and includes international conferences such as its 25th‑anniversary conference in 2025 [4] [5] [6] [7].
1. What Paideia’s core Jewish‑studies offerings are — an academic intensive
Paideia’s flagship is the One‑Year Jewish Studies Program: a 60‑ECTS intensive composed of mandatory and elective modules that meet five days a week and include courses introducing “key aspects of the Jewish textual tradition” from Torah and Midrash through medieval and modern Jewish philosophy and literature [8] [1]. The catalogue lists specific thematic courses (for example on the Jewish Enlightenment) taught by senior scholars and worth ECTS credits, demonstrating a curriculum oriented to close textual and historical study [9] [1].
2. Leadership, activation and follow‑up — education aimed at communities, not just classrooms
Paideia explicitly trains “community leaders, academics, culture workers and social activists” and pairs intensive study with project development: the European Jewish Fund leadership fellowships and the Paideia Project Incubator turn fellows into implementers of cultural and educational projects across Europe [10] [5]. The institute says it supports graduates with follow‑up programs, networks and alumni activities to sustain their work in local communities [3] [11].
3. Graduate pathways and formal credentials — an academic ladder
Fellows accepted to Paideia’s One‑Year program may proceed to joint Master’s programs: the Stockholm year functions as the first year for partner M.A. degrees (e.g., Jewish Civilizations Heidelberg), and Paideia highlights that fellows can apply for these master’s tracks after the year of study [2]. Scholarships are available and may cover tuition plus a monthly stipend of about €900 for some awarded fellows, though the number of scholarships is limited [8].
4. Public programming and outreach — bridging academia and public audiences
Beyond the cohort program, Paideia runs public programs—lectures, art exhibitions, music focused on Yiddish and Ladino, and recurring series such as “Judaism Afterwork” and the Gabriel Urwitz lecture library—reaching large public audiences and partnering with embassies and local Jewish institutions [4]. In 2019 they reported 35 public programs reaching nearly 1,500 people, showing an institutional emphasis on public education as well as formal study [4].
5. Research, conferences and thematic convenings — scholarly exchange on Jewish life and difference
Paideia convenes international academic conferences; its 25th anniversary included a Stockholm conference (“Living with Difference: Jewish Paradigms”) in May 2025, run in collaboration with Swedish universities and Jewish institutions, indicating an active role in scholarly discourse and public commemoration of Jewish history in Sweden [11] [6]. Paideia’s website hosts a “Research” section, though brief snippets provided here list only the page [12].
6. Where antisemitism study and response appear in Paideia’s work — implicit but limited explicit framing
The materials show Paideia’s mission to “revitalise Jewish cultural and intellectual life” in post‑Holocaust Europe and stress cross‑cultural dialogue and promoting a positive minority paradigm [3] [7]. They document leadership programming and project incubators intended to strengthen communities—activities that can be deployed to counter antisemitism locally—but the searchable pages in these results do not present a dedicated antisemitism research program or a sustained, named antisemitism‑monitoring initiative at Paideia [5] [12]. Available sources do not mention a formal antisemitism research center housed at Paideia.
7. How Paideia fits into the wider antisemitism‑research landscape — partnerships and gaps
External organizations named in provided results (e.g., ISGAP, GWU’s Antisemitism Research Initiative, Combat Antisemitism Movement) run explicit antisemitism research efforts and monitoring; Paideia’s documented strengths are pedagogy, leadership and cultural programming rather than producing the same kind of ongoing global antisemitism tracking reports [13] [14] [15]. This suggests Paideia’s comparative niche is cultivating leaders and scholars of Jewish studies and public programming rather than serving primarily as an antisemitism data‑centre [10] [4].
8. Caveats, transparency and what’s not in the record
The available documents highlight curriculum, conferences, public events, scholarships and incubators but give limited detail on specific faculty lists, published antisemitism research outputs or a sustained research agenda explicitly titled “antisemitism studies” [9] [12]. If you need Paideia’s newest research papers, detailed faculty research profiles, or an explicit antisemitism monitoring program, available sources do not mention those items and direct inquiry to Paideia’s research/contact pages would be required [12] [16].