The University of Notre Dame Australia has received a philanthropic gift of $200,000 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.
Co-director of the Notre Dame Centre for the History of Philosophy, Nathan Lyons, said the Magids’ gift would strengthen a field that has long been underrepresented in Australian universities.
“Jewish philosophy is one of the world’s great wisdom traditions, but Australia has lacked a dedicated university program in the field,” Associate Professor Lyons said.
“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.”
Mr and Mrs Magid said they were pleased to support the growth of Jewish philosophy in Australia and the work done by the centre.
“Jewish philosophy has shaped Jewish life and broader intellectual culture for centuries,” they said.
‘We are proud to support the centre’s work to strengthen understanding of this tradition through scholarship and education, and to help bring its insights to new audiences.”
Senior Research Fellow in the History of Jewish Philosophy and convenor of the Centre’s Jewish Philosophy program, Raphael Dascalu, said the gift would make an immediate and lasting difference to the centre’s Jewish Philosophy program.
“Support like this enables the long work of building a program – producing research, training students and creating learning opportunities that invite people into a rich tradition,” Dr Dascalu said.
The Centre’s Jewish Philosophy program will offer new learning opportunities for students and the wider public in 2026, including an online undergraduate and postgraduate course, The Jewish Search for Wisdom: A History of Jewish Philosophy, and a three-session public short course hosted at The Great Synagogue Sydney, Faith Meets Reason: A Journey in Jewish Philosophy from Maimonides to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks.
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Notre Dame receives major gift to support Jewish philosophy program (UNDA)
