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Mission

"The American Academy for Jewish Research is the oldest of the Jewish studies organizations in North America. The AAJR was organized in the late 1920's, as a cadre of European-born and tranined scholars began to coalesce in North America. The roster of early leaders of the AAJR constitutes a listing of the first giants of Jewish research in the New World - Salo Baron, Louis Ginzberg, Saul Lieberman, Alexander Marx, Louis Finklestein, Harry Orlinsky, and Harry Wolfson to mention but a few. These scholars and almost all the rest of the AAJR Fellows were very much concentrated in the Northeast Corridor, making New York City the headquarters of the Academy and the locus of its activities. The annual AAJR Sunday meeting, held at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in late December, was - down through the 1960's - the great occasion in North American Judaic scholarship and the setting in which established and neophyte scholars made important presentations. The Proceedings of the American Academy for Jewish Research was one of the preeminent jounals on the international Jewish studies scene. The Academy was also active in supporting publication of valuable works. A grant from the Academy meant both financial assistance and the imprimatur of the leaders in Jewish Studies."

"With the rapid growth of Jewish studies all across North America beginning in the late 1960's, the Academy's New York venue proved increasingly constricted. The establishment of the Association for Jewish Studies and its annual conferences made the formerly important AAJR Sunday meetings far less significant than they had been. To be sure, the Academy retained its importance through its annual election of Fellows, its Proceedings, and its support of publication."

"Over the past decade, the Academy has widened the scope of its activities, with a special focus on support for the next generation of scholars. Because the Fellows of the Academy are no longer confined to the Northeast Corridor, the AAJR has regularly offered a series of sessions at the annual conference of the Association of Jewish Studies. For the same reason, a biennial Fellows retreat has been instituted. These retreats bring leaders in Judaic studies together for a three-day period, during which the Fellows study together, analyze the state of the diverse sub-fields that constitute Jewish studies, and pland the directions which the evolving Academy will take. Rapid expansion of publication in Judaic studies has occasioned a reevaluation of the Academy's support in this area. Instead of the former policy of wide-ranging but limited support, the AAJR has decided to provide fuller funding for a few major works of scholarship that would otherwise languish."

"The Academy has decided of late to focus special attention on the next generation of Jewish studies scholars, through a series of new initiatives. the first of these is the annual conference for doctoral students. Such students from across North America convene on a university campus, under the guidance of three AAJR Fellows. These doctoral candidates study together and have an opportunity to present to faculty and peers their dissertation proposals. The first two of these conferences were held at the University of Michigan and Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati. Faculty and student evaluations were extremely positive. The third conference was held in June 2000 at Brandeis University, under the leadership of Professor Alan Mintz, assisted by Professors Adele Berlin and Marc Saperstein. An entirely new initiative of the AAJR involves recognition of the grave challenges faced by new Ph.D.'s in Judaic Studies. As of this year, the Academy has instituted a program of post-doctoral fellowships, intended to provide recent Ph.D.'s with an opportunity to further their research in a stimulationg academic environment, while at the same time gaining valuable teaching experience. The grants are awarded for one year, but can be extended for a second. The first post-doctoral fellows will be announced shortly. Along these same lines, the Academy - in association with the Baron family - has created the Baron Memorial Prize, awarded for first books in Judaic studies. Three such prizes have already been awarded, and the Baron Memorial Prizes will hopefully become a recognized honor in the field of Jewish Studies."

"The American Academy for Jewish Research boasts a long and distinguished history of intellectual, moral, and financial support of Judaic Studies across North America and worldwide. It has shown remarkable resiliance and the capacity for ongoing growth and development. Hopefully, the early decades of the twentyfirst century will see the Academy maintaining and enhancing its historic role."