In contrast to the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG), which failed to develop the field of Israel Studies, the German Democratic Republic (GDR) established a Department for Hebrew and Israel Studies at Humboldt University in Berlin, as part of the Faculty of Asian and African Languages. The number of students who were trained in Hebrew and Israel Studies was limited (about 20 students were enrolled between 1968 and 1990), but the teaching staff was involved in critical reflection processes regarding the one-sidedness of East German foreign policy vis-à-vis the State of Israel in the final years of the GDR and the early years after reunification. Though the Israel Studies program attracted a significant number of students after 1990, it was closed down in 1996 despite international objections. Nonetheless, the legacy of Israel Studies at Humboldt University could be relevant for the field’s contemporary development in a reunited Germany.