Welcome to EAJS 2027

The Thirteenth Congress of the European Association for Jewish Studies will convene in Alcalá de Henares (Madrid) from 12 to 15 July 2027. At a moment of profound uncertainty and change in Europe and beyond, the EAJS quadrennial congress continues to serve as a central forum for scholarly exchange and a vital point of reference for the advancement of Jewish Studies. The events of 7 October 2023 and the ensuing war have deeply affected our field, disrupting academic collaboration and reshaping intellectual and institutional landscapes. Against this backdrop, the 2027 Congress has adopted as its motto the prophetic words of Isaiah (יַחֲלִיפוּ כֹחַ; Isa. 40:31), rendered here as “Renewing Strength in Jewish Studies.” The theme affirms both the intellectual vitality and the enduring resilience of the discipline.

The choice of Alcalá de Henares, a UNESCO World Heritage Site near Madrid, reflects its exceptional academic and Jewish heritage. Home to the University of Alcalá, founded in 1499, the city was a major centre of learning and played a key role in the production of the Complutensian Polyglot Bible through the work of renowned Hebraists such as Alfonso de Zamora, Pablo Coronel, and Alonso de Alcalá. Alcalá’s connection to figures such as Isaac Orobio de Castro, together with its proximity to Guadalajara, home to the first Jewish printing press in the Iberian Peninsula, situates the congress within a region of outstanding significance for Jewish intellectual, cultural, and textual history.