Cultural researcher Yair Lipshitz named new Professor of Jewish Thought

The professorship, which is the first in Sweden specifically for Jewish thought, has been made possible by a recent donation from the Torsten Söderberg Foundation. After a comprehensive recruitment process, the University has now made its decision and Professor Lipshitz has accepted the chair.

“Jewish thought is an important area of knowledge, especially at a time when anti-Semitism is increasing in society. Strengthening education and research in this interdisciplinary field at Uppsala University can help to increase knowledge in the community at large while also promoting a deeper understanding and greater tolerance between different religions. We are therefore very pleased to have recruited Yair Lipshitz, who has extensive and relevant expertise and experience. It will mean a lot to our students and our research,” says Professor Cecilia Wejryd, Dean of the University’s Faculty of Theology.

Professor Lipshitz is head of department at the Department of Theatre Arts at Tel Aviv University, and a senior academic advisor to Paideia, the European Institute for Jewish Studies in Sweden. He was also formerly Head of the Cymbalista Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Center at Tel Aviv University. While there, he initiated many public activities related to Jewish culture, including lecture series, exhibitions and debates. Professor Lipshitz has also received numerous prizes and awards for his teaching.

Artistic representation and religion

In his research, Professor Lipshitz studies the various connections between theatre, Jewish culture and traditions within Judaism, or – more broadly – between artistic representation and religion. He is particularly interested in how different forms of cultural expression, such as theatre, dance, games and ceremonies, can lead to new interpretations of classical Jewish texts, and how culture becomes a type of lens through which one can address questions about religion, secularity and the transformation of Jewish traditions. He is also interested in playfulness in forms of cultural expression such as improvisation and irony. These are multi-layered and challenge people’s definitions of identity, community and faith, according to Lipshitz.

“It is an honor to join the esteemed Faculty of Theology at Uppsala University, and a particular privilege to become the first holder of the Torsten Söderberg Professorship in Jewish Thought. I am profoundly grateful to the Torsten Söderberg Foundation for enabling this historic chair and moved by being given the opportunity to develop the study of Jewish Thought in Sweden through it. In our rapidly changing world, these are challenging times indeed for conducting Jewish Thought. Such times call for finding new directions for Jewish Thought to grow and participate in contemporary broader conversations. I deeply hope to be able to contribute to this endeavor at Uppsala University and through its collaboration with Paideia,” says Yair Lipshitz.

“The Foundation is pleased that this now gives Uppsala University and the Faculty of Theology professorships in all three of the great monotheistic world religions and that Uppsala University’s and Sweden’s position in this research field is being strengthened,” says Maria Söderberg, Chair of the Torsten Söderberg Foundation.

Yair Lipshitz will take up the Torsten Söderberg Chair in Jewish Thought on 1 March 2027.

Anneli Waara