We are pleased to announce that on May 1-8, 2011 the third Sefer Central Asian School of Jewish Studies will be held. The school will concentrate on the two major Jewish centers in Uzbekistan: Bukhara and Samarkand. The school is dedicated to the unique Jewish history of Central Asia that still preserves an authentic Jewish community.

The school will mainly focus on the story of the Bukhara community, various aspects of Jewish-Muslim relations, history and the culture of Jews in the East.

The program includes mini-courses by Israeli and Russian lecturers (Mikhail Chlenov’s "Introduction to Jewish Ethnography, V. Mesamed’s "The Jewish community in the context of the history of the Middle East, I. Dworkin’s, "History and Culture of Bukhara Jews"), lectures and classes by local experts on history, culture and religious life of the Bukhara Jews, fieldwork, review of historical and cultural monuments of Bukhara and Samarkand, visiting museums and meeting with representatives of the Jewish community.

The school is organized by the Sefer Center and the Chais Center for Jewish Studies in Russian (Hebrew University of Jerusalem), with the support of the Avi Chai Foundation and the Genesis Philanthropy Group (under the “The Jewish communities" Charities Aid Foundation program).

To be considered for the Bukhara school participants should be graduate students and young teachers (up to 35 years inclusive), within a scope of research interests that include topics related to the study of history and culture of the Bukhara Jews or Jewish communities in the East as a whole.
The organizers provide lodging and meals; travel expenses will be partially reimbursed.

Applications for the School in Bukhara (questionnaire attached) will be accepted until March 8, 2011 at students@sefer.ru
Please ask for a confirmation receipt of your application. Successful applicants will be advised on March 10, 2011