Paideia - The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden

Dedicated to the revival of European Jewish culture, Paideia was created in 2001 through foundational grants from the Swedish government and the Wallenberg foundation.
Paideia’s main program is a highly intensive One Year Jewish Studies Program taught by world-renowned Israeli faculty.

Structure and Syllabus
The program is ten months long, five days a week, seven hours per day. It includes 14 two-week Jewish textual courses, each 30 hours, running chronologically from Torah, Mishnah, Talmud, Midrash, Medieval Jewish Philosophy, Responsa Literature to Modern Jewish Philosophy.

All Paideia students undergo a four-hour weekly Hebrew Ulpan taught on three levels in conjunction with the Stockholm University. The amount of Hebrew taught is the equivalent of one semester of full-time studies; credits are given by the Stockholm University.

Applied Dimension
To maximize the impact of the Jewish studies taught, Paideia emphasizes the importance of each fellow’s appropriation of the studies into their own professional work. Each fellow must complete a project or professional apprenticeship in one of three areas during the stay at Paideia: Academia, the Arts or Jewish Education. Relevant courses and supervision is given in all fields.

Students graduate from Paideia not only enriched in their Jewish knowledge but also with tangible ways of how to use this knowledge. The combination of the theoretical and the applied dimension are imperative for all of Paideia’s programs.

Additional Paideia Programs
In addition to the One Year Jewish Studies Program, Paideia has also developed and organized the following:
• Project-Incubator for activists of European Jewish culture
• Educational weekends across Europe
• Alumni and Academic conferences

Target Group
Paideia fellows are a highly select group who range from educators to artists, academicians to lay leaders, journalists to social workers. The One Year Jewish Studies Program has had over 150 students from 27 different countries, and the rate of acceptance is one-to-six. Median age is 30; all fellows have relevant university degrees and professional experience.

Students and graduates have thus far come from Belarus, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, USA and Ukraine.

Recruitment Policy
Candidates are chosen based upon
1. Their ability to contribute to the revival of European Jewish culture
2. Applicant's intellectual/academic abilities
3. Social & Interpersonal skills
4. The need of the community or organization

Religious Profile
Paideia’s religious profile is pluralistic and non-denominational.
Students and faculty range from orthodox to secular, including conservative, reform, and cultural Jews.