The Australian Association for Jewish Studies (AAJS) is a scholarly organization in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

that promotes academic Jewish Studies. AAJS was founded in

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

and held its first annual conference that year in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

. AAJS is Australia's national association for tertiary academics, Jewish educators, researchers, curators, students and others devoted to the study of any aspect of Jewish life, thought and culture. Since February 2017, the president of the association has been Professor

Ghil'ad Zuckermann Ghil'ad Zuckermann ( he, גלעד צוקרמן, ; ) is an Israeli-born language revivalist and linguist who works in contact linguistics, lexicology and the study of language, culture and identity. Zuckermann is Professor of Linguistics and Ch ...

. The current vice-presidents are Dr Lynne Swarts (

NSW ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

) and Dr Anna Hirsh (

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

). AAJS annual conferences have been held all over Australia, for example

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

( ACT Jewish Community, 2021),

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...

(

Sydney Jewish Museum The Sydney Jewish Museum is a history museum located in the Sydney suburb of Darlinghurst, New South Wales, Darlinghurst. It showcases exhibits relating to the The Holocaust, Holocaust, the history and achievements of Judaism in Australia, Jewi ...

, 2020, 2017;

UNSW The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensive ...

and Shalom College, 2015),

(

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

, 2019;

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...

, 2022),

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

(St Catherine’s College,

University of Western Australia The University of Western Australia (UWA) is a public research university in the Australian state of Western Australia. The university's main campus is in Perth, the state capital, with a secondary campus in Albany, Western Australia, Albany an ...

, 2018),

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

(

Griffith University Griffith University is a public research university in South East Queensland on the east coast of Australia. Formally founded in 1971, Griffith opened its doors in 1975, introducing Australia's first degrees in environmental science and Asian ...

, 2016) and

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

(

The University of Adelaide The University of Adelaide (informally Adelaide University) is a public research university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third-oldest university in Australia. The university's main campus is located on N ...

, 2014). AAJS is the publisher of the ''Australian Journal of Jewish Studies''.

Australian Journal of Jewish Studies

The Australian Journal of Jewish Studies (AJJS) is the leading journal of Jewish studies in Australia. It is an international, peer-reviewed journal published annually by the Australian Association for Jewish Studies. The Journal is devoted to the study of Jewish culture in all aspects and all periods.AJJS
/ref> The journal was founded in 1987, when it was called ''Menorah: Australian Journal of Jewish Studies''. Dr Evan Zuesse was the founding editor. In 1991 Dr Rachael Kohn became editor, and the journal changed its name to ''Australian Journal of Jewish Studies''. The next editor was Dr Rodney Gouttman. Two editors from 2000 to 2009, Dr

Dvir Abramovich Dvir Abramovich ( he, דביר אברמוביץ, russian: Двир Абрамович, born 1971) is an Israeli-Australian Jewish studies academic, columnist, and editor. Abramovich is the chairman of the Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC), a form ...

and Professor Ziva Shavitsky, were succeeded by Dr Myer Samra.Australian Journal of Jewish Studies 1987-, Library of the University of Sydney
/ref> The current editors are Dr

Jan Láníček Jan Láníček (born 1981) is a Czech historian who studies Czechoslovak Jewish history in the twentieth century and the Czechoslovak government-in-exile. He graduated from Palacký University Olomouc (2006) and received his doctorate from the Univ ...

and Dr Jennifer Creese.

Presidents of the Association

(2017-) *

William Rubinstein William D. Rubinstein (born 12 August 1946) is a historian and author. His best-known work, ''Men of Property: The Very Wealthy in Britain Since the Industrial Revolution'', charts the rise of the ' super rich', a class he sees as expanding ex ...

(1989-1991) *

Paul R. Bartrop Paul R. Bartrop (born November 3, 1955) is an Australian historian of the Holocaust and genocide. From August 2012 until December 2020 he was Professor of History and Director of the Center for Judaic, Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Florida Gu ...

(1991-1993) * Suzanne Rutland *

* Michael Abrahams-Sprod

References

External links

Official Website of AAJS
{{Jews and Judaism in Australia Professional associations based in Australia Jewish studies research institutes Research institutes established in 1987 Jewish Australian history Jews and Judaism in Melbourne Jews and Judaism in Sydney 1987 establishments in Australia Historical societies of Australia Presidents of the Australian Association for Jewish Studies Jews and Judaism in Australia Jewish culture

Australian Journal of Jewish Studies

Presidents of the Association

See also

References

External links