Welcome to the Department of Comparative Religion
For almost two hundred years the repeated claim of the “decline of religion” was heard and God was pronounced dead. But the enduring power of religion has become unmistakenly clear in the last few decades. The renaissance of religious movements is observable in all parts of the world. Fierce debates and at times violent conflicts over religious practices, clothes or buildings are at the forefront of daily news. The call for the preservation of religious heritage is as loud as the invocation of restricting the influence of religion on public life. How can we understand that religion doesn’t disappear in modern societies, but seems to be increasingly vibrant and politically influential on a global scale? How have religious traditions such as Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam influenced people’s understanding of life and the world, their social interactions, and their ideas about human dignity, sexuality, peace and social justice?
The Department of Comparative Religion at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is one of the best places in the world to delve into such matters. It offers a challenging, multidisciplinary and versatile study program that engages students in scholarly as well as public-political debates. The department is one of the oldest at Hebrew University, and yet has a young and up to-date staff that teaches in Hebrew and English and offers opportunities to study courses in Arabic. It is the only department in Israel to teach a BA and MA in the field.
Contact Us
Depatment Secretary: Sara Parnassa
Email: sarap@savion.huji.ac.il
Room 4507, Humanities Building
Tel.: 02-5883965
Department Chair: Prof. Eviatar Shulman
Email: eviatar.shulman@mail.huji.ac.il | Tel. 02-5882898
Advisor to BA Students: Dr. Yonatan Moss
Email: Yoni.Moss1@mail.huji.ac.il | Tel. 02-5882388
Advisor to MA Students: Prof. Brouria Bitton-Ashkelony
Email: ashkelon@mscc.huji.ac.il