Judaism Study and teaching

Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; Hebrew: מדעי היהדות, romanized: madey ha-yahadut, lit. 'sciences of Judaism') is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (especially Jewish history), Middle Eastern studies, Asian studies, Oriental studies, religious studies, archeology, sociology, languages (Jewish languages), political science, area studies, women's studies, and ethnic studies. Jewish studies as a distinct field is mainly present at colleges and universities in North America. Related fields include Holocaust research and Israel studies, and in Israel, Jewish thought. Bar-Ilan University has the world's largest school of Jewish studies; while Harvard was the first American university, and perhaps the first in the world, to appoint a full-time scholar of Judaica to its faculty.