Welcome to the Department of German Language and Literature at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem!

Established in 1977 by Stéphane Mosès (1931–2007), the Department for German Language and Literature is the sole institution in Israel offering a comprehensive German Studies curriculum. We provide a dynamic and contemporary approach to the German literary landscape from the eighteenth century until today.

By placing significant emphasis on the intertwined nature of the German language and literature within the global social,  cultural, and political processes, we provide our students with the necessary tools to critically engage with key questions and diverse perspectives. The Department is actively involved in student exchange programs in Austria and Germany, and we have teaching cooperations with the Free University of Berlin.

Together with the University's languge center, we offer German language training at the highest level possible and in full accordance with European standards for language acquisition. We also offer a broad range of courses from the Enlightenment, through romanticism, realism, the thriving Weimar Republic and its subsequent destruction, Holocaust literature, to post-1945 and post-1989 literary expressions. We discuss works by central figures of German literary and intellectual history, including, for example, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, and the Brothers Grimm, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Thomas Mann. The signature feature of the Department is its expertise in German-Jewish literature and culture.

We are an active intellectual community of experts of various aspects of German and German-Jewish literature and culture. In our research, we have a strong focus on cultural theory. Our renowned academic staff includes international faculty, such as the DAAD Walter Benjamin Chair for German-Jewish Literature and Culture, as well as a DAAD German language instructor.

Moreover, we facilitate a rich and diverse array of events, encompassing a spectrum of formats, including conferences, workshops, invited lectures, film screenings, as well as informal social gatherings, and language tables, also known as “Stammtische.”

Should you have any inquiries or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact us.