Picture: Tami Shaham
Yair Lipshitz, First Professor of Jewish Thought in Sweden, is Paideia’s New Academic Director
Cultural researcher and long-term Paideia scholar Yair Lipshitz will be the first holder of the Torsten Söderberg Chair in Jewish Thought at Uppsala University. He will also assume the position as Paideia’s Academic Director, strengthening research in the field of Jewish Thought both in Sweden and Europe.
“Professor Yair Lipshitz from Tel Aviv University has been a highly appreciated scholar at Paideia for many years. The Chair, generously funded by the Torsten Söderberg Foundation, is an important and significant step not only for Jewish life in Sweden, but for Swedish society as a whole. Sweden’s universities now hold chairs in all three Abrahamic world religions and continue to promote Jewish culture as part of Swedish life. The collaboration between Uppsala University and Paideia highlights Paideia’s position in the academic field in Sweden,” says Gabriel Urwitz, Chairman of Paideia’s Board.
As Paideia’s new Academic Director, Professor Yair Lipshitz will lead the work of the academic development of all Paideia programs, in particular of the One-Year Jewish Studies Program. His work will also include the establishment of the Paideia Research Centre with a guest research program, academic research conferences as well as initiatives for research projects with partner institutions.
“We are very happy to continue and deepen our collaboration with Professor Yair Lipshitz, who has been an important part of Paideia’s work and impact for many years. The position of Academic Director will lead Paideia towards a broader academic development in the field of Jewish Thought in Sweden and in Europe. For Paideia, The European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden, this means a further meaningful step to strengthen Jewish thought, life and culture in Europe, our core mission,” Noa Hermele, Paideia’s Director, highlights.
Professor Lipshitz is currently head of department at the Department of Theatre Arts at Tel Aviv University, and Paideia’s Senior Academic Advisor. In his research, he studies the various connections between theatre, Jewish culture and traditions within Judaism, and more broadly between artistic representation and religion. He is the author of “The Holy Tongue, Comedy’s Version: Intertextual Dramas on the Stage of ‘A Comedy of Betrothal’“ (Hebrew, 2010), “Embodied Tradition: Theatrical Performances of Jewish Texts” (Hebrew, 2016), “Theatre & Judaism” (English, 2019), and “The Messianic Stage: Time and Redemption in Modern Hebrew Theatre” (English, 2025).
Professor Lipshitz will assume the position as Paideia’s Academic Director at the same time as the Torsten Söderberg Chair in Jewish Thought, in spring 2027.
Press release Uppsala University: Cultural researcher Yair Lipshitz named new Professor of Jewish Thought – Uppsala University
Press release Torsten Söderberg Stiftelse (in Swedish): Torsten Söderbergs Stiftelse