This year, for the first time, the symposium organised by the Society for Free Church Theology and Journalism (GFTP) will take place online from 6 to 7 November 2026 , focusing on the theme @ Digital Religion: The Church and the Congregation in the Culture of Digitality. We have succeeded in securing a line-up of expert speakers who will introduce participants to various facets of this fascinating and topical subject.

To register, please visit:

Lecture: “Jewish DP Camps as Semi-Autonomous Communities in Post-War Germany” on 26 October 2026 at 7.00 pm as part of the Leo Trepp Lehrhaus programme

You are cordially invited to the lecture “Jewish DP camps as semi-autonomous communities in post-war Germany” by Dr Angelika Königseder (TU Berlin) at the community centre of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg (Leo-Trepp-Str. 15) as part of the Leo Trepp Teaching Centre of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg, in co-operation with the Department of Intercultural Jewish Studies at the University of Oldenburg!

Please register by 25 October at , providing your name and address, and please also bring a form of identification with you.

Further information on the lecture programme of the Leo Trepp Lehrhaus, with this year’s theme ‘Perspectives on Anti-Semitism’, can be

availablehere.

Link:https://cloud.uol.de/s/jMyKeb3D73Ce3To

Dear first-year students,

the slides from the course presentation are now available online. You can access them via this link. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact:

We wish you all the best as you begin your studies.

Rudolf Bultmann – His Era, His Legacy: A symposium to mark the 50th anniversary of the death of Rudolf Bultmann (1884–1976)
University of Oldenburg,

16–18 September 2026 in the BIS Hall at the University of Oldenburg

Further information is available here: www.uol.de/bultmann2026

‘Jiddish Soulfood’ concert with Sharon Brauner on 27 August at 7 pm as part of the Leo Trepp Lehrhaus programme

You are warmly invited to the “Jiddish Soulfood” concert with Sharon Brauner in the small lecture theatre on the upper floor of the PFL Cultural Centre (Peterstraße 3), as part of the Leo Trepp Educational Centre run by the Jewish Community of Oldenburg in co-operation with the Intercultural Jewish Studies programme at the University of Oldenburg!

Please register by 26 August at , stating your name and address, as places are limited; please also bring your identity card with you.

Doors open at 6.00 pm and the café at Café Ludwig will be open.

Further information on the lecture programme at the Leo Trepp Lehrhaus, with this year’s theme ‘Judaism: A Civilisation Without Borders’, can be found here.

A guided tour of the ‘Bible Garden’ and a talk entitled ‘Plants in Jewish religion and culture – their traditional roles and characteristics’ on 29 June 2026 from 6 pm as part of the Leo Trepp Educational Centre

You are cordially invited to a guided tour of the “Bible Garden” (at 6 pm) and to the lecture “Plants in Jewish Religion and Culture – Their Traditional Role and Characteristics” (at 7 pm) by Rabbi Levi Israel Ufferfilge (Jewish Community of Oldenburg) and Dr Klaus Bernhard von Hagen (Curator of the Botanical Garden, University of Oldenburg) at the Botanical Garden in Oldenburg as part of the Leo Trepp Educational Centre of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg in co-operation with the Intercultural Jewish Studies programme at the University of Oldenburg!

Please register by 28 June at , providing your name and address. Participants are asked to bring their ID with them.

Further information on the lecture programme of the Leo Trepp Educational Centre, with this year’s theme ‘Judaism: Civilisation without Borders’, can be found here.

Reformed Theology and the Colonial Past: Field Trip to Amsterdam from 19 to 21 June 2026 (Dominik Gautier)

Together with the ‘Colonial Continuities’ working group, we explored the interconnections between Reformed theology and colonial history in Amsterdam – from the concept of ‘the world as a theatre of God’s glory’ to its role in slavery, plantation agriculture and apartheid. Highlights included visits to the Botanical Garden, the Wereldmuseum and the Black Archive, as well as a discussion with the church historian Gert van Klinken. A service on hope for the future (Romans 8) at the English Reformed Church rounded off the excursion. It became clear that the Reformed tradition must critically examine its colonial history, but that it also has its own resources for self-correction – such as the Accra Confession (2004).

The Accra Confession: https://wcrc.eu/uber-uns/bekenntnis-von-accra/?lang=de

The excursion was made possible largely by the Evangelical Reformed Church. We would like to thank the Institute, as well as the Coordination Office for Church and Society and the Centre for Religious Education of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Oldenburg, for their financial support.

Lecture "Zionism and the founding of the Israeli state" on 28 May 2026 at 7 pm as part of the Leo Trepp Teaching House

We cordially invite you to the lecture "Zionism and the founding of the Israeli state" by Prof. Dr Johannes Becke (Heidelberg University of Jewish Studies) in the community centre of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg (Leo-Trepp-Str. 15, 26121 Oldenburg) aspart of the Leo-Trepp-Lehrhaus of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg in co-operation with the Intercultural Jewish Studies of the University of Oldenburg!

Please register by 27 May at with your name and address. Participants should bring their ID with them.

Further information on the lecture programme of the Leo-Trepp-Lehrhaus with the annual theme "Judaism: Civilisation without Borders" can be found here.

You are cordially invited to the lecture "Between Torah and Derech Erez: Religious Normativity and Cultural Productivity in the Jewish Tradition" by Rabbi Netanel Olhoeft (Jewish Community of Oldenburg) in the community centre of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg (Leo-Trepp-Str. 15, 26121 Oldenburg) aspart of the Leo-Trepp-Lehrhaus of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg in co-operation with the Intercultural Jewish Studies of the University of Oldenburg!

Please register by 16 April 2026 at with your name and address. Participants should bring their ID with them.

Further information on the lecture programme of the Leo-Trepp-Lehrhaus with the annual theme "Judaism: Civilisation without Borders" can be found here can be found here.

25-27/02/2016 in Münster: Conference on anti-Semitism-critical perspectives on educational media

Prof. Dr. Dr. Joachim Willems and Ariane Dihle from the Department of Religious Education are organising a conference on "Images of Jesus and Christ in educational media - a critical view of anti-Semitism" together with various cooperation partners.

Further information and registration options can be found at: https://www.eaberlin.de/seminars/data/2026/02/es-begab-sich-aber-zu-der-zeit

A-level lecture to help with exam preparation on 9 March 2026 in Oldenburg

The Institute of Theology and Religious Education at the University of Oldenburg, in collaboration with the centres for religious education in Oldenburg and East Frisia, invites pupils to a lecture followed by workshops on various topics covered in the 2026 central Abitur. Professor Dr Dr Joachim Willems will give a lecture on the topic ‘What is theological ethics? Systematisation using the example of artificial intelligence’. Entire sixth-form classes, as well as individual interested pupils, are warmly invited to get a taste of university life and gain an insight into the diversity of theology studies at the University of Oldenburg.

Further information on registration and the workshop topics can be found in the flyer.

Digging in Israel - summer school

Prof. Dr Benedikt Hensel is once again offering a three-week excavation excursion to Hazor in summer 2026 and an accompanying study trip to Israel (2-23 August 2026). The teaching excavation will be led by him together with Dr Igor Kreimerman (Hebrew University of Jerusalem). Previous archaeological knowledge is not required. Participation is open to interested students from all disciplines. After consultation, participation is also possible for others interested in Hazor beyond the University of Oldenburg.

Information event:

• Thu, 29.01.2026

• 19:00 hrs

• Villa Geistreich (Damm 41A) - Research Centre for Digital Classical Studies

• With online access.

"What everyone should know about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict"

The Karl Wilhelm Heyse Society cordially invites you to an extraordinary lecture with an outstanding expert on the Holy Land:

Prof Dr Dr Dr h. c. Dieter Vieweger (Jerusalem)

"Dispute over the Holy Land - What everyone should know about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict"

In the tangle of loudly expressed opinions, the speaker, who has lived and worked in the Middle East for three decades, looks with concern at both sides of the conflict.

• Old Grammar School Oldenburg (theatre wall 11)

• Tuesday, 27 January 2026

• 7:00 pm

• Admission free (donation requested)

Chair of the Karl Wilhelm Heyse Society

Prof. Dr Benedikt Hensel - Professorship for Old Testament and Biblical Archaeology

Lecture: "No place on the rainbow - anti-Semitism in queer contexts yesterday and today" on 12 January 2026 at 7.30 pm as part of the Leo Trepp Teaching House

You are cordially invited to the lecture "Kein Platz auf dem Regenbogen - Antisemitismus in queeren Kontexten gestern und heute" by Rabbi Levi Israel Ufferfilge (Jewish Community of Oldenburg) in the community centre of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg (Leo-Trepp-Str. 15, 26121 Oldenburg) aspart of the Leo-Trepp-Lehrhaus of the Jewish Community of Oldenburg in co-operation with the Intercultural Jewish Studies of the University of Oldenburg!

Please register by 11 January at with your name and address. Participants should bring their ID with them.

Further information on the lecture programme of the Leo-Trepp-Lehrhaus with the annual theme "Antisemitism-critical orientations" can be found

can be foundhere.

Prof Dr Dr Joachim Willems was once again nominated by the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) as a deputy member of the Foundation Council of the "Foundation Flight, Expulsion, Reconciliation" and was re-elected by the Bundestag with votes from all parties except the AfD. See https://www.bundestag.de /dokumente/textarchiv/2025/kw38-de-wahlen-1109848 and https://dserver.bundestag.de/btd/21/016/2101654.pdf

"For centuries, people of different religions and denominations have lived close together in the Ems-Dollart region.

The building of the Luther Church in Leer 350 years ago is an example of confessional pluralisation in East Frisia. This conference takes the anniversary of the Luther Church as an opportunity to make the signature of this plurality, the openness to cross-border denominational identities, accessible to the academic and wider public. On 7 and 8 November 2025, the conference "Church Regiment and Christian Freedom - 350 Years of Religious Plurality in the Ems- Dollart Region" will therefore take place in the Lutherhaus (Leer). The lectures will trace the denominational cross-border developments."

Further information can be found here:

Oldenburg Professor of Old Testament takes up office in Jerusalem on 1 January 2027!

Benedikt Hensel has been appointed as the new Director of the German Protestant Institute for Ancient Studies of the Holy Land (DEI) in Jerusalem. Hensel has been University Professor of Old Testament Studies at the University of Oldenburg since 2022. He will take up his new post at the beginning of 2027, taking over the management and administration of the Institute in Jerusalem. The Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) confirmed a corresponding decision by the DEI Administrative Board at its most recent meeting. EKD press release