About CJS

50 years ago, Rabbi Dr. Stanley Wagner (z”l) galvanized the Denver community to establish the Center for Judaic Studies at the University of Denver. Thanks to his vision, today the Center is the number one destination for Jewish Studies within 1000 miles and stands at the heart of the DU’s College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

From the beginning, CJS has been a center of excellence for the DU campus and the Denver community, offering students interdisciplinary courses in Judaic Studies, and bringing campus and community together for thoughtful public programs and education initiatives.

Faculty throughout the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences collaborate with the academic program in Judaic Studies, enabling students to explore Jewish history, culture, and thought and Hebrew language through multiple disciplines. The Center regularly hosts leading Jewish artists, writers, and thinkers to enrich students’ experience of contemporary Jewish culture.

The Center is also home to two public education and programming arms: Founded in 1977, the Rocky Mountain Jewish Historical Society (RMJHS) documents, conserves, and promotes the rich legacy of Jewish life across the Mountain West together with DU Libraries’ Ira M. and Peryle Hayutin Beck Memorial Archives. The Holocaust Awareness Institute (HAI) is committed to remembering the past, challenging the present, and transforming the future through education and awareness. Founded in 1983, HAI is the second-oldest university-affiliated Holocaust institute in the United States and the only higher education institution to house a Holocaust Survivor Speakers Bureau.

Our Mission

Advancing human understanding through the study of Jewish history, culture, and thought

Established in 1976, the Center for Judaic Studies has been advancing human understanding through the study of Jewish history, culture and thought for 50 years. From Hebrew language to Israeli culture, from the American Jewish experience to the study of the Holocaust and antisemitism, the Center’s thoughtful teaching, rigorous academics, and public programs shift perceptions, challenge prejudice, and cultivate leaders prepared to apply their knowledge in service of the public good. We connect campus to the world, convening an intergenerational, multifaith, and welcoming community of learners and doers. From Denver, across the Mountain West, and around the globe, the Center elevates scholarship, upholds civic life, and heightens the enduring relevance of the liberal arts.

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Research & Initiatives

Composed of a dedicated and multidisciplinary team of teacher-scholars, the Center for Judaic Studies is deeply invested in promoting research and community initiatives that build a better intercultural understanding of the Jewish faith and its role in today's world.

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People

Our faculty and affiliated faculty engage interdisciplinary perspectives across many fields including religious studies, history, English and literary arts, philosophy, theology, language and culture, law, and international studies.

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