FRANKFURT. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is providing up to €2 million in funding to continue and further develop the Specialized Information Service (FID) Jewish Studies for another three years. The renewed funding will strengthen the central research infrastructure for Jewish and Israel studies, covering periods from classical antiquity to the present day. The FID has been coordinated by the Johann Christian Senckenberg University Library since 2016. Long-standing partners include Professor Kai Eckert of Mannheim University of Applied Sciences, with the Hamburg State and University Library Carl von Ossietzky joining the consortium more recently.

The FID Jewish Studies provides tailored information services to researchers at universities, research institutes, museums, libraries, and archives working on Jewish history, culture, and the State of Israel. Particular attention is given to the needs of university-based disciplines such as Judaic studies, Jewish studies, Jewish theology, Yiddish studies, and Israel studies.

A central focus of the FID’s work is the acquisition and provision of specialist literature, printed sources, and databases. These services build on the internationally renowned Hebraica and Judaica collections held by the Frankfurt University Library, including one of the most significant digital collections in Jewish studies, which offers public access to key works on Jewish history and culture. Through a new cooperation, the Hamburg State and University Library – together with the FID Romance Studies based there – will assume responsibility for literature and resources relating to Judeo-Spanish as well as the history and culture of Sephardic Judaism.

Beyond collection development, the FID offers a broad range of specialized services, including research support, project guidance, publications, events, and discipline-specific data services. During the fourth funding phase (2026–2028), these offerings will be further expanded in close collaboration with academic experts to ensure their medium- and long-term sustainability. The FID also plays a key role in fostering exchange and networking within a research community that spans a wide range of thematic, methodological, and disciplinary approaches. Its central access point is the FID portal (www.jewishstudies.de), which provides access to services such as the specialized subject catalogue, the Research Navigator Jewish Studies, and JudaicaLink. A particular focus is placed on digital research infrastructures. The Linked Open Data service developed by Professor Kai Eckert processes discipline-specific datasets as Linked Open Data and makes them available via a knowledge graph. This includes the indexing of highly specialized resources and the curation of authority data – both of which are increasingly central to contemporary digital research practices.