Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk

The Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk, commonly abbreviated as ELES and known in English as the Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Fund, is a German scholarship foundation based in Berlin. It is one of the federally funded scholarship foundations recognized and supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research. The organization focuses primarily on gifted Jewish students and doctoral candidates, while also supporting selected research by non-Jewish scholars when the work addresses Jewish history, religion, culture, or related subjects. ELES was established in 2008 and formally opened on 11 November 2009 by Federal Education Minister Annette Schavan and Charlotte Knobloch, then president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. Its creation expanded the German network of publicly supported scholarship organizations and provided a dedicated institution for the advancement of Jewish students and researchers. The foundation is named after Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich (1921–2007), a Berlin-born religious scholar and historian whose life was shaped by the persecution of European Jewry and by the postwar reconstruction of Jewish intellectual and communal life. The foundation's core service is educational funding. Eligible students may study at universities, universities of applied sciences, and art or music colleges in Germany, another European Union member state, or Switzerland, subject to the relevant citizenship and program requirements. Doctoral candidates can receive support for research projects and academic development. ELES also assists with international study and research plans. Funding is supplemented by a program of seminars, mentoring, networking, and intellectual exchange rather than being limited to direct financial assistance. A defining feature of ELES is its emphasis on community and leadership development. Scholarship holders participate in seminars addressing Jewish life, history, religion, society, politics, culture, and contemporary debates. The foundation maintains links with educational institutions and partner organizations in Israel and the United States, and it collaborates with other German scholarship foundations. Its international fellowships have also supported foreign Jewish scholars, including prospective rabbis and cantors, seeking academic or religious education in Germany. A joint program with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung has focused on young Jewish journalists. Since 2014, ELES has broadened its work through several initiatives. Hillel Deutschland was established with Hillel International to build Jewish student life and programming at German universities. Dialogue/Perspectives was introduced in 2015 as an interreligious and worldview dialogue program involving scholarship holders from all thirteen federally funded scholarship organizations. DAGESH. KunstLAB ELES, launched in 2016, has supported artists connected with the foundation through retreats, seminars, exhibitions, networking, and public presentations. ELES also has a cultural and publishing dimension. Its activities have included edited volumes on migration, Jewish community life, remembrance, and contemporary Judaism. Through these programs, the organization presents itself not merely as a funding body but as an intellectual and cultural institution that connects academic achievement with Jewish identity, pluralism, civic engagement, and public responsibility. Its alumni and participants have included people active in scholarship, the arts, journalism, religious life, and public affairs. The foundation remains an active part of Germany's publicly supported academic scholarship landscape.

The Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk was founded in 2008 as a German scholarship foundation dedicated primarily to gifted Jewish students and doctoral candidates. It became the twelfth organization in the country's federally supported scholarship-foundation system and was formally opened in Berlin on 11 November 2009 by Federal Education Minister Annette Schavan and Charlotte Knobloch, who was then president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. The foundation takes its name from Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich, a Berlin-born religious scholar and historian who lived from 1921 to 2007. Ehrlich's biography connected academic study with the history of European Jewry, including persecution during the twentieth century and the rebuilding of Jewish institutions and intellectual life after the Holocaust. Naming the foundation after him established a commemorative and educational link between Jewish scholarship, historical responsibility, and the future development of Jewish life in Germany. ELES provides scholarships to Jewish students and doctoral candidates who meet the relevant eligibility criteria and pursue study at German universities, universities of applied sciences, or art and music colleges. Support can also extend to study in another European Union country or Switzerland. Non-Jewish researchers may be supported when their projects concern Jewish subjects. In addition to educational funding, ELES offers seminars and other forms of intellectual support, encourages international exchange, and helps scholarship holders pursue study or research abroad. The foundation's support model combines academic achievement with personal development and community participation. Its annual seminar program addresses intellectual and social questions rather than functioning solely as a financial supplement. ELES also maintains international connections, including links with institutions in Israel and New York. The Benno Jacob and Bertha Pappenheim fellowships, operated with the involvement of the German Foreign Office, have enabled foreign Jewish scholars, including future rabbis and cantors, to study in Germany. A separate cooperation with the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung has addressed the development of young Jewish journalists. ELES works with other German scholarship organizations, including the Cusanuswerk, Evangelisches Studienwerk Villigst, Avicenna Studienwerk, Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Rosa Luxemburg Foundation, and Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes. These relationships reflect the foundation's role within a broader publicly supported educational ecosystem and support its work on dialogue across religious and ideological boundaries. From 2014 onward, ELES developed initiatives extending beyond conventional scholarship administration. Hillel Deutschland was established with Hillel International to create Jewish student programming in Germany. Dialogue/Perspectives, launched in 2015 as a special program supported by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research, brought together scholarship holders from all thirteen federally funded foundations for training and discussion on interreligious and worldview dialogue. In 2016, the program received the Abraham Geiger Prize donated by Chancellor Angela Merkel. DAGESH. KunstLAB ELES was created in 2016 to support artists within the ELES network. Its activities have included creative and writing retreats, art and theater seminars, exhibitions, public appearances, networking, and catalog publication. The program has helped connect artistic practice with questions of Jewish identity, memory, migration, and contemporary society. A 2017 short film by Daniel Laufer, presented at a DAGESH event, documented eight visual artists based in Berlin. ELES has also contributed to publishing. Its publication series has included edited volumes on migration and the Jewish community as well as remembrance and contemporary Judaism. The organization has supported or connected people working in the arts, scholarship, journalism, religious life, and public affairs. As of May 2017, the foundation reported having supported 581 scholarship holders, 87 percent of whom had migration backgrounds. Current operational details, leadership, program scale, and funding levels should be checked against the organization's official website because the available reference material contains historical information.

• 2017

  DAGESH film premiere

  [1]Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Funden.wikipedia.org

  A short film by Daniel Laufer about eight Berlin-based visual artists premiered at a DAGESH event in November.

• 2016

  DAGESH. KunstLAB ELES created

  [1]Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Funden.wikipedia.org

  The foundation established an arts initiative providing retreats, seminars, networking, exhibitions, and public visibility for artists in its network.

• 2015

  Dialogue/Perspectives introduced

  [1]Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Funden.wikipedia.org

  ELES launched a program focused on dialogue among religious and nonreligious worldviews, involving scholarship holders from Germany's federally funded scholarship foundations.

• 2014

  Hillel Deutschland launched

  [1]Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Funden.wikipedia.org

  ELES and Hillel International created Hillel Deutschland to support Jewish student life and events at German higher-education institutions.

• 2009

  Formal opening

  [1]Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Funden.wikipedia.org

  ELES was formally opened in Berlin on 11 November by Federal Education Minister Annette Schavan and Charlotte Knobloch.

• 2008

  Foundation established

  [1]Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Funden.wikipedia.org

  The Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk was founded as a federally supported German scholarship foundation for talented Jewish students and doctoral candidates.

A specialized German scholarship and cultural foundation combining merit-based academic support with Jewish educational development, interreligious dialogue, international exchange, and artistic visibility.

• Scholarship · 2008

  Student scholarships

  ELES provides merit-based support for talented Jewish students enrolled at universities, universities of applied sciences, and art or music colleges. Eligible study may take place in Germany, another European Union country, or Switzerland. The scholarship is accompanied by seminars, networking, and intellectual programming intended to support academic and personal development.

• Research funding · 2008

  Doctoral scholarships

  The doctoral program supports gifted Jewish researchers during doctoral study. ELES may also support non-Jewish research projects when they address Jewish topics. In addition to funding, doctoral scholars participate in the foundation's academic, cultural, and professional network.

• International fellowship

  Benno Jacob Fellowship

  The Benno Jacob Fellowship forms part of ELES's international support structure for Jewish scholars coming to Germany. Together with the Bertha Pappenheim Fellowship, it has been associated with support for future rabbis, cantors, and other international Jewish scholars undertaking study or research.

• International fellowship

  Bertha Pappenheim Fellowship

  This fellowship supports international Jewish scholars seeking educational or research opportunities in Germany and is connected with ELES's international academic and religious-education activities.

• Student-life program · 2014

  Hillel Deutschland

  Created with Hillel International, Hillel Deutschland extends ELES's work into Jewish campus life. The initiative organizes events and builds a network for Jewish students and others interested in Jewish culture, community, and identity at German universities.

• Interreligious dialogue · 2015

  Dialogue/Perspectives

  Dialogue/Perspectives is a program for exchange among religious and nonreligious worldviews. It brings together scholarship holders from Germany's federally funded scholarship foundations with academics and public experts, and trains participants for future leadership in interreligious dialogue.

• Arts and culture · 2016

  DAGESH. KunstLAB ELES

  DAGESH supports artists connected to ELES through creative and writing retreats, art and theater seminars, networking, exhibitions, public appearances, and recurring publications. Its purpose is to increase the visibility of artistic work and create professional and intellectual connections in Germany and abroad.

• 2016DAGESH. KunstLAB ELES

  Germany · International

  DAGESH was launched to provide artists in the ELES network with professional support, public exposure, retreats, and opportunities for collaboration.

  Outcome. The program developed art and theater seminars, residencies, exhibitions, public events, and a recurring catalog and documentation practice.

  Source
• 2015Dialogue/Perspectives

  Germany

  ELES created a structured program for dialogue among different religions, nonreligious worldviews, scholars, and future leaders.

  Outcome. The program received public recognition, including the Abraham Geiger Prize donated to it in 2016, and was cited as an example of interreligious dialogue.

  Source
• 2014Hillel Deutschland

  Germany

  ELES worked with Hillel International to establish a German Jewish student organization and expand campus-based Jewish programming.

  Outcome. The initiative became a platform for events and student engagement at German universities; the available historical source reported more than 610 events and over 2,700 participating students by 2017.

  Source

• 2016

  Create a dedicated arts platformStrategy

  Background

  Artists within the ELES scholarship network needed greater visibility, networking, and project support.

  Action taken

  ELES launched DAGESH. KunstLAB ELES with retreats, seminars, exhibitions, public appearances, and publications.

  Aftermath

  DAGESH broadened the foundation's cultural profile and created a recurring platform for artistic work connected to Jewish and contemporary social questions.

  Source

• 2014

  Expand from scholarships into Jewish campus lifeStrategy

  Background

  ELES sought to complement individual scholarship support with a broader community platform for Jewish students in Germany.

  Action taken

  It partnered with Hillel International to create Hillel Deutschland.

  Aftermath

  Hillel Deutschland developed a program of university events and student engagement across Germany.

  Source

• 2008

  Establish a dedicated Jewish scholarship foundationStrategy

  Background

  Germany's federally supported scholarship system created a specialized institution for talented Jewish students and doctoral candidates.

  Action taken

  ELES was founded with a remit combining academic scholarships, intellectual development, Jewish educational work, and international exchange.

  Aftermath

  The foundation became part of Germany's network of federally funded scholarship organizations and later expanded into student life, interreligious dialogue, and the arts.

  Source

1. 1Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Scholarship Funden.wikipedia.org
2. 2Ernst Ludwig Ehrlich Studienwerk official websiteeles-studienwerk.de