The New Academic Year Has Begun at the Karaite Jewish University
The Karaite Jewish University is pleased to announce that the new academic year has officially begun.
With the start of the new course cycle, we have also opened our new learning platform, which will be introduced step by step throughout the programme. This marks an important development for the KJU and creates a clearer, more structured, and more interactive learning environment for our students.
The new platform consists of three dedicated areas:
Members – the personal student area
Campus – the digital library containing course materials and study resources
Study Group – the internal forum for discussion, questions, and academic exchange
These three areas are reserved exclusively for enrolled students. For reasons of academic quality, privacy, and internal course structure, there are no guest logins.
A Structured Certificate Programme
The Certificate in Karaite Jewish Studies is built around a modular academic structure. The programme consists of six modules, each including a live class and a transfer assignment. In addition, students are required to submit a final paper at the end of the course.
The aim of the programme is not only to transmit knowledge, but also to encourage active learning, reflection, discussion, and responsible engagement with the Miḳrā՚, Karaite Jewish thought, and Karaite practice.
Learning is an active process. For this reason, participation in the live classes, preparation of the study material, and completion of the transfer assignments are essential parts of the course.
The Six Modules of the Certificate Course
1. Fundamentals and Biblical Exegesis
The first module introduces the foundations of Karaite Judaism and the principles of biblical interpretation. Students engage with core theological, textual, and methodological questions, including the pillars of Karaite Judaism, the nature of YHWH, the validity of the Tora revelation, the relevance of the Miḳrā՚ for modern mankind, translations of the Miḳrā՚, internal biblical chronology, the meaning of the word Saṭan, and the question of knowing YHWH.
This module lays the intellectual foundation for the entire course.
2. Kashruth – Purity Part 1
The second module focuses on biblical dietary laws and their practical meaning in Karaite Jewish life. Topics include mammals, fish, swarming creatures, ṭerefa and nevela, blood, ḥelev, the sciatic nerve, mixed species, poultry, the commandment not to cook a kid in its mother’s milk, slaughtering, and practical advice.
Students are encouraged to understand kashruth not simply as a set of rules, but as part of a broader biblical way of life.
3. Shabbath
The third module is dedicated to the Shabbath, one of the central institutions of biblical faith and practice. Students study on which day of the week the Shabbath falls, the concepts behind the Shabbath, forbidden undertakings, the prohibition of fire, baking and cooking, the command that no man shall leave his place, and the honouring and sanctifying of the Shabbath.
This module combines textual study with reflection on practical observance.
4. Calendar
The fourth module introduces the biblical calendar and the cycle of sacred times. Students study Ro՚sh Ḥoḏesh, the ՚Aviv and leap years, the search for the ՚Aviv, the Pesaḥ sacrifice, traditions of Ḥaḡ Hammaṣṣoth, the making of maṣṣa, Ḥaḡ Hammaṣṣoth, the ՙOmer and Ḥaḡ Hashshavuՙoth, Yom Teruՙa, Yom Hakkippurim, Ḥaḡ Hassukkoth, Purim, and the Four Fasts.
Additional learning materials include video and audio resources, such as The World at War – Genocide and recordings connected with the Haggaḏa.
5. Purity Part 2
The fifth module continues the study of biblical purity laws. It covers flow and nidda, seminal emission, childbirth, human death and the red heifer, and impurity caused by creatures.
This module helps students engage with one of the more complex and often less familiar areas of biblical law.
6. Righteousness
The final module focuses on righteousness as a lived expression of biblical faith. Topics include rekhiluth, righteous attributes, repentance, women and modesty, shaՙaṭnez, ṣiṣith, tefillin, and divorce.
This module brings together ethical, personal, communal, and practical dimensions of Karaite Jewish life.
Live Classes, Transfer Assignments, and Final Paper
Each module includes one live class and one transfer assignment. The live classes are an important part of the learning process and provide space for clarification, discussion, and deeper engagement with the course material.
The transfer assignments help students reflect on what they have studied and apply it in a structured academic format. At the end of the programme, students submit a final paper on an approved topic.
Through this combination of reading, discussion, written reflection, and final research, the course supports both knowledge and understanding.
A New Step for KJU
The opening of the new learning platform is an important step in the continuing development of the Karaite Jewish University. It strengthens the academic structure of the programme, improves access to learning materials, and provides students with a dedicated space for exchange and community.
We are grateful to all students, teachers, and supporters who are part of this new academic year.
May it be a year of serious study, meaningful discussion, and growing understanding of Karaite Judaism, the Miḳrā՚, and the way of life rooted in the written Tora.
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