Grants

Ephraim Urbach Grants

The International Ephraim E. Urbach Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Jewish Studies is funded and administered by the MFJC in cooperation with the World Union of Jewish Studies. Its purpose is to assist a limited number of outstanding recent recipients of the PhD, within the last three years, in a field of Jewish studies in publishing their first book, launching their scholarly career, and/or furthering research in their area of special interest.

In order to be eligible for the Ephraim E. Urbach Post-Doctoral Fellowship, applicants must be nominated by their university/department or dissertation supervisor in a letter to the MFJC indicating that the PhD was granted with distinction.

Please send any nomination letter to [email protected] with the applicant’s name and contact information.

The applications for the Ephraim E. Urbach Grants are now closed.

Current applicants will be made aware of their status in July of 2020.

Ulpan Scholarships

Ulpan Scholarships are available for European graduate students and early career scholars of Jewish Studies to undertake Hebrew language programmes in Israel during the Summer of 2020. These scholarships have been funded through the generous support of the Rothschild Foundation Hanadiv Europe.

PLEASE NOTE: THE APPLICATION DEADLINE WAS APRIL 16, 2020. APPLICATIONS FOR 2020 ULPAN SCHOLARSHIP GRANTS ARE NOW CLOSED.

Applicants can apply for study at any of the Summer Ulpan programmes offered by the following universities:

Applicants may apply for up to 1500 GBP toward their tuition and housing costs and, in cases where housing is not required, the remainder of the grant may be used towards flight tickets at the discretion and under the conditions of the World Union of Jewish Studies.

In order to be eligible to receive an Ulpan Scholarship from WUJS, applicants must be:

  • EU citizens or citizens of another European non-EU member country (Albania, Armenia, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Gibraltar, Iceland, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Norway, Russia, Serbia, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom)
  • Based at a European University;
  • Either a graduate student or early career scholar (who received their doctoral degree no more than five years ago);
  • Researching a topic within the field of Jewish Studies;
  • Able to demonstrate the relevance of Hebrew language skills to their research interests.

Applicants for Ulpan Scholarships will have to apply BOTH to the educational institution for the study programme as well as to the World Union of Jewish Studies for the grant. Successful candidates will receive the grant on condition that they are accepted to the Ulpan programme. They will be required to participate in the programme and submit a final report and certificate of completion of the course to the World Union of Jewish Studies.

For the grant application form click here.

Application deadline for 2020 summer language programme grants: April 16, 2020

Applicants are responsible to make sure their grant applications reach the World Union of Jewish Studies.

The World Union of Jewish Studies will confirm receipt of your application forms via email no later than 5 working days after they arrive. If you do not receive a confirmation email, please contact us; your application might not have reached us and you may not be considered for the grant.

The Matanel Prize for Jewish Thought

Once every two years, a prize of $25,000 is awarded to the writer of the book judged the best in the field of Jewish Thought. The Matanel prize for Jewish thought is open to scholars who hold a Ph.d. degree. The  2019 Matanel Prize for Jewish Thought was awarded to two scholars: Prof. Ronit Meroz for her book “The Spiritual Biography of Rabbi Simeon bar Yochay: An Analysis of the Zohar’s Textual Components”, and Dr. Avishai Bar-Asher for his book “Journeys of the Soul”.

The upcoming Matanel Prize for Jewish Thought is expected to be awarded during the 18th World Congress of Jewish Studies in August 2021.

Book Publishing Support Grant

The World Union of Jewish Studies announces its call for 2020 book publication grants. WUJS members who do not have research funds and have never held a tenured position at a university may apply for the book publication grant. The grants of up to 5,000 NIS each will be paid directly to the publishing houses of the successful applicants.

Please note you have to be WUJS member to be eligible to apply for the book publication grant. Membership applies for a calendar year. For 2020 membership dues payment click here.

All applicants must submit their CVs, one letter of recommendation for the book, a short book description (up to 2 pages) and the contract with the publishing house. Additional documents will not be considered. All documents must be sent to the Union’s offices by Thursday June 26, 2020, by email to [email protected]