Biu Aerial photograph of Bar-Ilan University (21004322376)

Bar-Ilan University (BIU, he, אוניברסיטת בר-אילן, ''Universitat Bar-Ilan'') is a public

research university A research university or a research-intensive university is a university that is committed to research as a central part of its mission. They are the most important sites at which knowledge production occurs, along with "intergenerational kn ...

in the Tel Aviv District city of

Ramat Gan Ramat Gan ( he, רָמַת גַּן or , ) is a city in the Tel Aviv District of Israel, located east of the municipality of Tel Aviv and part of the Tel Aviv metropolitan area. It is home to one of the world's major diamond exchanges, and man ...

, Israel. Established in 1955, Bar Ilan is Israel's second-largest academic institution. It has about 20,000 students and 1,350

faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division) A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject ...

members. Bar-Ilan's mission is to "blend

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

tradition with modern technologies and scholarship and the university endeavors to ... teach the Jewish heritage to all its students while providing nacademic education."

History

First Graduation at Bar Ilan University - Ogden Reid 1959

Bar-Ilan University has Jewish-American roots: It was conceived in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

in a meeting of the American Mizrahi organization in 1950, and was founded by Professor

Pinkhos Churgin Pinkhos Churgin (Hebrew: ; 1894–1957) was an Israeli scholar who was the first President of Bar-Ilan University. Biography Churgin was born in Pohost, Belorussia, a shtetl near Pinsk. In 1907 he and his parents immigrated to Palestine, and se ...

, an American Orthodox

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

and educator, who was president from 1955 to 1957 where he was succeeded by

Joseph H. Lookstein Joseph Hyman Lookstein (Hebrew: ; December 25, 1902 – July 13, 1979) was a Russian-born American rabbi who served as spiritual leader of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and was a leader in Orthodox Judaism, ...

who was president from 1957 to 1967. When it was opened in 1955, it was described by ''The New York Times'' "as Cultural Link Between the sraeliRepublic and America". Presidents who followed were

Max Jammer Max Jammer (מקס ימר; born Moshe Jammer, ; April 13, 1915 – December 18, 2010), was an Israeli physicist and philosopher of physics. He was born in Berlin, Germany. He was Rector and Acting President at Bar-Ilan University from 1967 to ...

(1967–77), Emanuel Rackman (1977–86), Michael Albeck (1986–89), Ernest Krausz (1989), Zvi Arad (1989–92), and Shlomo Eckstein (1992–96). The university was named for Rabbi

Meir Bar-Ilan Meir Bar-Ilan (; – ) was an Orthodox rabbi, author, and Religious Zionist activist, who served as leader of the Mizrachi movement in the United States and Mandatory Palestine. Bar-Ilan University, founded in 1955, was named in his honour. ...

(originally ''Meir Berlin''), a Religious Zionist leader who served as the inspiration for its establishment. Although he was trained in Orthodox seminaries in Berlin, he believed there was a need for an institution providing a dual curriculum of secular

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...

studies and religious

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

studies. BIU's student population is diverse and includes both Jewish and non-Jewish students. At least ten courses in

Jewish studies Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; he, מדעי היהדות, madey ha-yahadut, sciences of Judaism) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (e ...

are required for graduation. These are available as academic

courses, as well as through more traditional

Torah study Torah study is the study of the Torah, Hebrew Bible, Talmud, responsa, rabbinic literature, and similar works, all of which are Judaism's religious texts. According to Rabbinic Judaism, the study is done for the purpose of the '' mitzvah'' ("co ...

, offered primarily by the ''Machon HaGavoah LeTorah'', established in the 1970s. The "Machon" operates a

kollel A kollel ( he, כולל, , , a "gathering" or "collection" f scholars is an institute for full-time, advanced study of the Talmud and rabbinic literature. Like a yeshiva, a kollel features shiurim (lectures) and learning ''sedarim'' (sessions); ...

bet midrash A ''beth midrash'' ( he, בית מדרש, or ''beis medrash'', ''beit midrash'', pl. ''batei midrash'' "House of Learning") is a hall dedicated for Torah study, often translated as a "study hall." It is distinct from a synagogue (''beth kness ...

for men, and a

midrasha A ' (Hebrew language, Hebrew: , pl. ') is an institute of Torah study for women, usually in Israel, and roughly the equivalent of a yeshiva for men. A "seminary" (Hebrew ''seminar'', sometimes ''seminaria'')yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...

studies with an emphasis on

Talmud The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...

and

Halakha ''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...

(Jewish law), while the midrasha offers courses in

Tanakh The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;"Tanach"
'' ''Machshavah'' (Jewish philosophy). The midrasha is the largest in Israel. These programs are open to all students free of charge. Yitzhak Rabin's convicted assassin, Yigal Amir, was a student of law and computer science at Bar-Ilan, prompting charges that the university had become a hotbed of political

extremism Extremism is "the quality or state of being extreme" or "the advocacy of extreme measures or views". The term is primarily used in a political or religious sense to refer to an ideology that is considered (by the speaker or by some implied sha ...

. One of the steps taken by the university following the 1995 assassination was to encourage dialogue between

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

and

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political ideologies, political ideologies that view certain social orders and Social stratification, hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this pos ...

students. Under university president

Moshe Kaveh Moshe Kaveh (משה קוה; born 1943) is an Israeli physicist and former President of Bar-Ilan University. Biography Kaveh was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union where his parents sought safety after fleeing from Poland. All of his f ...

(1996–2013), Bar-Ilan underwent a major expansion, with new buildings added on the northern side of the

campus A campus is traditionally the land on which a college or university and related institutional buildings are situated. Usually a college campus includes libraries, lecture halls, residence halls, student centers or dining halls, and park-li ...

. New science programs have been introduced, including a multidisciplinary brain research center and a center for

nanotechnology Nanotechnology, also shortened to nanotech, is the use of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale for industrial purposes. The earliest, widespread description of nanotechnology referred to the particular technological goal ...

. The university has placed

archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsc ...

as one of its priorities, and this includes excavations such as the Tell es-Safi/Gath archaeological excavations and the recently opened Bar-Ilan University/ Weizmann Institute of Science joint program in Archaeological Sciences. Bar-Ilan's Faculty of Law made headlines in 2008 by achieving the highest average Israeli bar exam grade of 81.9 by its graduates.

Daniel Hershkowitz Daniel Hershkowitz ( he, דניאל הרשקוביץ; born 2 January 1953 in Haifa, Israel) is an Israeli politician, mathematician, and Orthodox rabbi. Since 2018, he has headed the . He is professor emeritus of mathematics at the Technion, an ...

was university president from 2013 to 2017.

Arie Zaban Arie Zaban (Hebrew: ; born in 1961) is an Israeli professor of chemistry. He is President of Bar-Ilan University. Biography Arie Zaban was born in Israel. He served in the Israel Air Force as a Phantom pilot. He earned a B.Sc. in Chemistry and a ...

became the president of the university in 2017.

Academics

Bar-Ilan University has nine faculties:

Exact Sciences The exact sciences, sometimes called the exact mathematical sciences, are those sciences "which admit of absolute precision in their results"; especially the mathematical sciences. Examples of the exact sciences are mathematics, optics, astron ...

Life Sciences This list of life sciences comprises the branches of science that involve the scientific study of life – such as microorganisms, plants, and animals including human beings. This science is one of the two major branches of natural science, th ...

Social Sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

Education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...

Humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at t ...

Jewish Studies Jewish studies (or Judaic studies; he, מדעי היהדות, madey ha-yahadut, sciences of Judaism) is an academic discipline centered on the study of Jews and Judaism. Jewish studies is interdisciplinary and combines aspects of history (e ...

Medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pr ...

Engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, and Law. There is also a special Unit of Interdisciplinary Studies. At the undergraduate level, as mentioned, ten courses in Jewish studies related subjects are required from all students. Bar-Ilan offers several special programs, including its international B.A. program, taught entirely in English, and is the first university in Israel to offer a full undergraduate program taught entirely in English. Currently students can choose between a B.A. degree in interdisciplinary social sciences, where students can choose between a macro track in economics, political sciences, and sociology, or the Micro Track in Criminology, Psychology, and Sociology, or a major in communications, with a minor in either

English literature English literature is literature written in the English language from United Kingdom, its crown dependencies, the Republic of Ireland, the United States, and the countries of the former British Empire. ''The Encyclopaedia Britannica'' defines E ...

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

. The degrees are internationally recognized and are open to students from all over the world. In addition, Bar-Ilan offers a preparatory program that readies new immigrants for Israeli colleges. The university also runs a one-year overseas program called ''Tochnit

Torah Im Derech Eretz ''Torah im Derech Eretz'' ( he, תורה עם דרך ארץ – Torah with "the way of the land"Rabbi Y. Goldson, Aish HaTorah"The Way of the World", Ethics of the Fathers, 3:21/ref>) is a phrase common in Rabbinic literature referring to vario ...

'', which combines traditional

studies in the morning, separate for men and women, as well as co-ed general university studies and

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, and their nation, religion, and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions, and cultures. Although Judaism as a religion first appears in Greek records during the Hellenisti ...

classes in the afternoon. Many American students enrolled in regular programs of study in the university also take these Jewish history classes to fulfill their

requirements. Bar-Ilan also houses several research institutions such as the above-mentioned Gonda Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, focused on

neuroscience Neuroscience is the science, scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a Multidisciplinary approach, multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, an ...

, which may have their own requirements.

Awards and recognition

The

Bar Ilan Responsa Project The Bar Ilan Responsa Project (the ''Global Jewish Database'') is a collection of Jewish texts in Hebrew, sold on CD and more recently on USB flash-drive by Bar-Ilan University (in Ramat Gan, Israel). Background The database consists of one of ...

was awarded the

Israel Prize The Israel Prize ( he, פרס ישראל; ''pras israél'') is an award bestowed by the State of Israel, and regarded as the state's highest cultural honor. History The Israel Prize is awarded annually, on Israeli Independence Day, in a state cer ...

in 2007. The university's Bible project, in danger of being eliminated by continued budget cuts, was saved at the last minute by an anonymous donor. In its capacity as a

business school A business school is a university-level institution that confers degrees in business administration or management. A business school may also be referred to as school of management, management school, school of business administration, or ...

, Bar-Ilan was placed as the fourth best business school in Africa and the Middle East in the 2010 QS Global 200 Business Schools Report.

Notable alumni

* Zvi Arad (1942–2018) – mathematician, acting president of Bar-Ilan University, president of

Netanya Academic College Netanya Academic College ( he, האקדמית נתניה, ''HaAkademit Netanya'') is a private college based in Netanya, Israel. Established in 1994 by a team from Bar-Ilan University, it has an enrolment of around 4,000 undergraduate students. It ...

* Ami Ayalon – former head of the Shin Bet and member of the

Knesset The Knesset ( he, הַכְּנֶסֶת ; "gathering" or "assembly") is the unicameral legislature of Israel. As the supreme state body, the Knesset is sovereign and thus has complete control of the entirety of the Israeli government (wit ...

for the Labor Party. * Michael Ben-Ari – Israeli politician and formerly a member of the Knesset for the National Union Party. *

Kotel Da-Don Kotel Dadon ( he, כותל דדון; born December 12, 1967) is Croatian rabbi of the Bet Israel community in Zagreb. Da-Don, who was born and educated in Israel, settled in Zagreb in 1998. He was the chief rabbi of Croatia from 1998 to 2006. ...

– Croatian Orthodox rabbi of the Bet Israel community in Zagreb. * Avi Dichter – former minister of home front defence. Former Shin Bet director. *

Yuval Diskin Yuval Diskin ( he, יובל דיסקין; born June 11, 1956) was the 12th Director of the Israeli Internal Security Service Shabak (frequently referred to in English as the "Shin Bet") from 2005 to 2011. He was appointed by Prime Minister Ariel ...

– 12th director of the Israeli Internal Security Service Shin Bet. * Esther Farbstein – Holocaust scholar * Baruch Fischer - Professor Emeritus in the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the Technion * Tzipi Hotovely – Israeli diplomat and former politician who serves as the current

ambassador of Israel to the United Kingdom The Ambassador from Israel to the United Kingdom is Israel's foremost diplomatic representative in the United Kingdom. The Ambassador is based in the Embassy of Israel, London. Ambassadors *1949–1950: Mordechai Ali'ash *1950–1959: Eliahu E ...

. Formerly deputy minister of foreign affairs, minister of diaspora affairs, minister of settlement affairs, and as a member of the Knesset for the Likud Party *

Gila Gamliel Gila Gamliel (; born 24 February 1974) is an Israeli politician who currently serves as the Ministry of Intelligence (Israel), Minister of Intelligence and as a member of the Knesset for Likud. She also previously served as Pensioner Affairs Mi ...

– Israeli politician for the Likud Party. Formerly minister for social equality, and minister of environmental protection *

Anat Guetta Anat Guetta (Hebrew: ענת גואטה; born 1967) is an Israeli economist and public official. Since 2018, she has served as chair of the Israel Securities Authority (ISA). Education In 1993, Guetta received a bachelor's degree in political s ...

– chair of the

Israel Securities Authority The Israel Securities Authority (ISA) is the national securities regulator of Israel. Established by law in 1968, the Israel Securities Authority sees its mandate as a way to ensure an efficient capital market based on transparency and fairness. ...

(ISA) since 2018 * Michael Harris – named the best Israeli in the field of academics, as one of "The 10 Most Successful Israelis in 10 Different Fields in the World" by '' Maariv'' in April 2012. *

Joseph Klafter use both this parameter and , birth_date to display the person's date of birth, date of death, and age at death) --> , death_place = , death_cause = , body_discovered = , resting_place = , resting_place_coordinates = ...

–

chemical physics Chemical physics is a subdiscipline of chemistry and physics that investigates physicochemical phenomena using techniques from atomic and molecular physics and condensed matter physics; it is the branch of physics that studies chemical process ...

professor, the eighth president of Tel Aviv University * Joshua Kulp – Talmudic scholar * Norman Lebrecht (born 1948) – British commentator on music and cultural affairs, and novelist *

Tzipi Livni Tziporah Malka "Tzipi" Livni ( he, ציפי (ציפורה) מלכה לבני, ; born 8 July 1958) is an Israeli politician, diplomat, and lawyer. A former member of the Knesset and leader in the center-left political camp, Livni is a former fore ...

– Israeli lawyer and politician, head of the Opposition from 2009 to 2012. Formerly minister of justice, and in charge of negotiations with the Palestinians * Gadeer Mreeh (born 1984) – first woman of

Druze The Druze (; ar, دَرْزِيٌّ, ' or ', , ') are an Arabic-speaking esoteric ethnoreligious group from Western Asia who adhere to the Druze faith, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, syncretic, and ethnic religion based on the teachings of ...

descent to become a member of the

Orit Peleg Orit Peleg (born 1983) is an Israeli computer scientist, biophysicist and Associate Professor in thComputer Science Departmentand thBioFrontiers Instituteat the University of Colorado Boulder in Boulder, CO. She is also an External Professor ...

– professor of biophysics at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University o ...

* Avi Weinroth – lawyer represents corporations in Israel and governmental companies.

Notable faculty

* Doron Aurbach *

Nathan Aviezer 250px, Nathan Aviezer, November 2014 Nathan Aviezer is an American-Israeli physicist who writes on Torah and science, especially on evolution and cosmology from an Orthodox Jewish perspective. He is a Professor of Physics and former Chairman of ...

* Moshe Bar * Avi Bell *

* Cyril Domb * Shlomo Eckstein * Adam Ferziger * Jonathan Fox * Hillel Furstenberg *

Ruth Halperin-Kaddari Ruth Halperin-Kaddari (born 15 May 1966; he, רות הלפרין-קדרי) is an Israeli legal scholar and international women's rights advocate who is known for her work on family law, feminist legal theory, women's rights in international law, ...

Oren Harman Oren Harman is a writer and historian of science. Biography Oren Harman was born in Jerusalem on January 25, 1973. He grew up and was educated in Jerusalem and in New York City, where he attended the Collegiate School for Boys and excelled at ...

* Shlomo Havlin *

Arye L. Hillman Arye L. (Laib or Leo) Hillman is an Israeli economist whose career has been at Bar Ilan University in Israel where he has been William Gittes Chair and Professor of Economics. His main research focus is on political economy, or the study of publ ...

* Efraim Karsh * Mordechai Kedar *

Sarit Kraus Sarit Kraus ( he, שרית קראוס; born 1960) is a professor of computer science at the Bar-Ilan University in Israel. She was named the 2020-2021 ACM Athena Lecturer recognising her contributions to artificial intelligence, notably to mult ...

* Ernest Krausz * Baruch Kurzweil * Aren Maeir *

Arie Reich Arie Reich ( he, אריה רייך; born September 23, 1959) is an Israeli legal scholar specializing in international trade law and European Union Law. He is a full professor at the Bar-Ilan University Faculty of Law, and serves as the Vice Rect ...

* Tamar Ross *

Mary Schaps Mary Elizabeth Schaps (; born August 6, 1948), also known as Malka Elisheva Schaps, is an Israeli-American mathematician. She is Professor of Mathematics and Dean of the Faculty of Exact Sciences at Bar Ilan University. She received her Ph.D. from ...

* Daniel Sperber *

Avraham Trahtman Avraham Naumovich Trahtman (Trakhtman) (russian: Абрам Наумович Трахтман; b. 1944, USSR) is a mathematician at Bar-Ilan University (Israel). In 2007, Trahtman solved a problem in combinatorics that had been open for 37 years, ...

Eli Vakil Eli Vakil () (born March 4, 1953) is an Israeli clinical neuropsychologist. Vakil is a professor emeritus and former departmental chairman of the Department of Psychology, and the head of the Memory and Amnesia Lab at the Gonda (Goldschmied) M ...

* Zeev Zalevsky

Gallery

File:Bar-Ilan University. Engineering (11908490355).jpg, Faculty of engineering File:(המרכז לחקר המוח ע"ש לסלי וסוזאן גונדה (גולדשמיד (11795483624).jpg, Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center File:בית הרב יעקובוביץ - מרכז סמי שמעון ללימודי פילוסופיה אתיקה ומחשבת ישראל (11908099463).jpg, Centre for the study of philosophy, ethics and Jewish thought File:בנין פסיכולוגיה ע'ש אנה ומקס ווב ומשפחתם (11795059335) - fixed.jpg, Anna & Max Webb and Family Psychology Building at the Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel File:המרכז למבקרים ומצפה לב הקמפוס ע"ש ונגרובסקי (11562183273).jpg, Wengerovsky Center at Bar-Ilan University File:הטריפלקס לננוטכנולוגיה ע"ש לסלי וסוזן גונדה גולדשמיד (11513855913).jpg, Nanotechnology building File:הפקולטה_לרפואה_(15472290024).jpg, Bar-Ilan Faculty of Medicine File:מרכז המחשבים והמתמטיקה ע"ש עוזיאל שפיגל יד עוזיאל (11530019123).jpg, Bar-Ilan Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science File:Bar-Ilan University. Machon (17287812905).jpg, ''Machon HaGevoah LaTorah''

References

External links

*
BIU History

Bar-Ilan University – Study Programs for Olim/Foreign Students

Bar Ilan details in WHED (World Higher Education Database) Website (IAU-001455)Bar-Ilan responsa website

Bar-Ilan Faculty of Medicine

Bar-Ilan Institute of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (BINA)

Bar-Ilan Faculty of Law
*
Bar-Ilan Students Union
*
Amigos Latinoamericanos de la Universidad de Bar Ilan
{{authority control Educational institutions established in 1955 Orthodox Jewish universities and colleges Buildings and structures in Ramat Gan Religious Zionism Research institutes in Israel Universities in Israel Education in Tel Aviv District 1955 establishments in Israel Law schools in Israel