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Bar-Ilan is the only university in Israel that makes an investment in every student to ensure that they graduate with a deeper knowledge of Jewish values, culture and history. At Bar-Ilan University, Jewish Studies are a core component of every student's curriculum because the university believes that our precious heritage should be accessible and relevant to all Jews. There are 7,000 courses offered by the largest Jewish faculty in the world. These courses are offered in many fields of study, including the law and humanities.

Thousands of young adults who have never before been exposed to their heritage are given the opportunity to study with top-notch scholars and discover the beauty and meaning in their Jewish identity in a non-coercive, intellectually stimulating setting. The open-minded environment allows for a sincere exchange of viewpoints between Jews of widely divergent backgrounds and orientations, and has spawned authentic religious-secular dialogue that is helping to heal the rifts in Israeli society.

Additionally, Bar-Ilan is the only Israeli university that provides observant students with an environment in which they can truly feel at home. Extensive Torah study opportunities and a supportive social framework enable students to continue to grow in Jewish learning and spirituality throughout their university years.

The Ludwig and Erica Jesselson Institute for Advanced Torah Studies is the flagship of Bar-Ilan University "Torah im Derekh Eretz" ideal. Since its founding some 30 years ago, the Institute has uniquely enabled Bar-Ilan students to combine intense, high-level Torah scholarship with their academic training in a wide range of fields. Students undertaking the rigorous Jewish studies curriculum at the Institute's Beit Midrash for Men and the Midrasha for Women take courses to earn a full Bachelor's or graduate degree.

By actively encouraging the integration of Torah with worldly occupations, the Institute has helped graduates gain the knowledge, training and commitment they need to become prominent leaders in the Israeli government, hi-tech industry, the Rabbinate, and fields such as business, academia, education, law, and Mishpat Ivri (Jewish law).

The Institute's Reishit program gives students lacking a religious background the opportunity to engage in intensive Jewish studies within a framework designed to meet their needs.

Bar-Ilan has assumed a leadership role in bringing Jewish studies into the 21^st century. The University is the publisher of the best-selling "Responsa Project," a CD-ROM that puts thousands of Jewish volumes from the Mishna to modern response literature at the user's fingertips and has sold tens of thousands of copies worldwide.