Catherine Hezser studied Jewish Studies, Theology and Philosophy at the universities of Muenster and Heidelberg in Germany and at the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York. She completed her studies with a Dr. theol. (Heidelberg, 1986) and a Ph.D. in Jewish Studies (New York, 1992). After spending two years as a senior research fellow at Kings College Cambridge, (1992-94) she went to the Free University Berlin to teach and complete her Habilitation in Jewish Studies (Berlin, 1997).