Closing ranks between academic research and theologically oriented rabbinical training

On Wednesday, February 18, 2026, a significant event for the Jewish educational landscape in Germany took place in the Senate Hall of the University of Potsdam. The Heidelberg University of Jewish Studies (HfJS) and the Potsdam-based Nathan Peter Levinson Foundation, which is responsible for liberal (Reform) and conservative (Masorti) rabbinical and cantorial education in Germany, signed a declaration of intent for closer cooperation in the future.

During the signing ceremony, Dr. Andreas Brämer, Rector of the HfJS, Dr. Dmitrij Belkin, Chairman of the Nathan Peter Levinson Foundation, and Dr. Josef Schuster, President of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, signed the agreement. The Central Council of Jews is both the sponsor of the HfJS and the founder of the Nathan Peter Levinson Foundation.

This cooperation marks an important step towards the establishment of a nationwide Jewish academic and rabbinical network. It is intended to expand the study and training opportunities for students in the areas of rabbinate, cantorate and theological and educational training and at the same time intensify the academic exchange between the two institutions.

Dr. Josef Schuster emphasized on the occasion of the signing:
"An anchor of Jewish education must be the ability and the will to network. The cooperation agreed today between the Hochschule für Jüdische Studien and the Levinson Foundation is a very significant step. By joining forces instead of parallel structures and through exchange on an equal footing, a model of cooperation to strengthen the Jewish community is being created."

Rector Dr. Andreas Brämer emphasized:
"This declaration of intent is a promise to the future: we are closing ranks between academic research and theologically oriented rabbinical education - united by the mission to strengthen Jewish life in Germany from within."

Dr. Dmitrij Belkin, Chairman of the Nathan Peter Levinson Foundation, also underlined the importance of the agreement:
"This cooperation builds an academic and religious bridge between Potsdam and Heidelberg - not a bridge that is taken for granted. It strengthens both locations and the Jewish community. And that counts."

Prof. Oliver Günther, President of the University of Potsdam, welcomed the new partnership in his welcoming address as an enrichment for Jewish education in Germany. The event concluded with a lecture by Rabbi Netanel Olhoeft (Abraham J. Heschel Seminar for Conservative Rabbinical Education) on the rabbinate of the future and a discussion with the signatories moderated by Dr. Anastassia Pletoukhina.