Abraham Geiger College

In 1942, the Nazis closed the Hochschule für die Wissenschaft des Judentums (College for the Scientific Study of Judaism) in Berlin. It was the end of an era that began in 1836 with Abraham Geiger's call for the founding of a Jewish theological department at a university. Geiger envisioned a school both dedicated to Jewish tradition and committed to the principle of academic freedom.

Abraham Geiger College is the first liberal rabbinical seminary founded in Continental Europe since the Shoah. It is a private, not-for-profit institution drawing funds from private and public sources. Its mission is the education of Rabbis for Jewish communities in Central and Eastern Europe.

Education at Abraham Geiger College embraces three principles:

• High academic standards with a broad selection of courses in Potsdam and Berlin, leading to an M.A. in Jewish Studies,
• Support of the students during their practical training regarding psychological guidance and pastoral concerns, and
• Guidance of the students in their pastoral practice through rabbinical mentorship

Rabbinic studies are integrated into the extensive curriculum of the College for Jewish Studies at the University of Potsdam, providing the ambience and resources of a large, secular state university. This in turn helps promote understanding of Judaism within a pluralistic context. Abraham Geiger College is a member of the World Union for Progressive Judaism. Its graduates are taken up into the Central Conference of American Rabbis.

Website Abraham Geiger College