About us
We are an interdisciplinary team of scholars, educators and thought leaders who contribute to the ongoing vitality of Jewish Studies through our teaching, research, practice-based activities and community engagement.
Over the past three decades, Monash University has developed the leading Jewish Studies program in the Southern Hemisphere. The Australian Centre for Jewish Civilisation (ACJC) is an interdisciplinary centre that researches and teaches, in its breadth and diversity, the significance and evolution of Jewish civilisations and their contributions to the world. Our researchers are immersed in the academic study of the histories and cultures of Jews, Judaism, Jewish culture and thought and intercultural connections. We pride ourselves on our strong tradition of community engagement and partnership, as well as our wide international networks.
The Centre was founded in 1992 under the leadership of Professor Bernard Rechter, followed by Professor Andrew Markus AO, Associate Professor Mark Baker, and its current Director, Professor David Slucki. We have a proud history of philanthropic support from benefactors in the Australian Jewish community, who have enabled us to become a prominent centre for Jewish Studies in the world.
Today, our six academic staff positions offer academic leadership, research excellence, and community engagement across a variety of disciplines in Jewish Studies: Biblical studies and classical Jewish texts; Philosophy and History; Australian Jewish Life; Israel and the Middle East; Holocaust and Genocide Studies; Intercultural Relations; and Yiddish Studies. Together, we form a dynamic team committed to excellence in education in both the university classroom and wider community, as well as an innovative and multifaceted research agenda.
We offer a far-reaching curriculum of relevance to address current issues of the day, which covers a breadth of disciplines. ACJC brings the experiences and diversity of the Jewish tradition and contemporary issues to over 1000 students annually from a wide range of cultures and backgrounds. Our minors in both Jewish Studies and Holocaust and Genocide Studies include flagship overseas study tours that explore Holocaust memory and Jewish life in Europe and provide an immersive and rich student experience.
In the postgraduate space, we offer Masters and PhD study in the areas of Jewish Studies and Holocaust and Genocide Studies across diverse areas of expertise. We also offer a Masters and PhD Arts stream in Jewish Cultural Practice, which offers an opportunity for artists and practitioners to deepen their practice through the scholarly study of Jewish cultures today and throughout history.
We maintain a strong profile as public intellectuals that bridge the university and wider community. We deliver an annual program of public lectures and events in partnership with major cultural organisations, community events and festivals. Our public programs bring Jewish learning to diverse groups of people through lectureships by both distinguished visiting and local scholars and thought leaders, including international conferences and workshops that stimulate ground-breaking research and reflect on the critical issues of the day. Over its history, ACJC has participated in a range of research with community partners, notably in the areas of community education and social research. Today we are committed to building enduring partnerships with community partners in the Jewish and non-Jewish milieus, as well as internationally, to promote new research in Jewish studies as well as innovation in the cultural space.
We visually represent the pillars that make up our strategic priorities in the form of a seven-branched menorah:
"Wisdom has built her house; she has set up its seven pillars" Proverbs 9:1
From the Director, David Slucki
In an increasingly diverse society, intercultural understanding is increasingly valuable. As Australia’s leading Jewish Studies centre, ACJC is committed to bringing the world of Jewish studies into a global conversation about the most critical issues affecting our future. We aim to teach and inspire a new generation of thought leaders whose worldview is impacted by the legacies and lessons of the Jewish experience.
I invite you to reach out to learn more about ACJC and opportunities around undergraduate and postgraduate study, research projects and community engagement, and philanthropic opportunities.