Gift to support Jewish philosophy

The University of Notre Dame Australia has received a $200,000 philanthropic gift from Robert and Ruth Magid to support the Centre for the History of Philosophy’s Jewish philosophy program.

The Magids’ gift will help the centre advance its academic work in the history of Jewish philosophy, supporting cutting-edge scholarship and new teaching offerings that explore Jewish philosophical thought and its long engagement with other Abrahamic intellectual traditions.

It will also strengthen the centre’s teaching and public education offerings, helping bring Jewish philosophical ideas into the classroom and into community learning settings.

“Jewish philosophy is one of the world’s great wisdom traditions, but Australia has lacked a dedicated university program in the field,” said Centre for the History of Philosophy co-director Associate Professor Nathan Lyons.

“This gift will help to change that. It will support research that deepens understanding of Jewish thought, and it will support teaching and public education that shares that tradition with students and the wider community.”