In a powerful demonstration of national solidarity and academic leadership, Bar-Ilan has been awarded the prestigious Minister of Defence Award of Recognition, acknowledging its exceptional commitment to student reservists and members of Israel’s security forces following the devastating terrorist attacks of October 7th.
The honour, granted by a distinguished committee of representatives from the IDF, Ministry of Defence, business community and local authorities, singles out Bar-Ilan for its ground-breaking “Academic Armour” initiative. This ambitious program, launched at the start of the 2023–24 academic year, represents an unprecedented mobilization of academic, financial, and emotional resources in support of students called to active reserve duty.
Facing the remarkable mobilization of over 30% of its student body for reserve service – an extraordinary statistic that highlights the university’s deep integration with the nation’s security fabric – Bar-Ilan responded decisively. The Academic Armor program was developed to ensure that student reservists could continue their academic pursuits without sacrificing their future prospects for their present service.
Under this programme, each reservist student benefits from a customised support package that included tuition assistance and scholarships, made possible by an extraordinary NIS 50 million (approximately $14 million) financial commitment. It also includes academic accommodations, such as administrative flexibility, academic credit for reserve duty, recorded lectures, and private tutoring as well as personal academic advisors to assist in navigating disrupted coursework.
The package also includes mental health support, including access to professional psychologists and social workers and technological support, with the distribution of laptops and development of AI-driven learning tools to facilitate remote learning.
In addition to supporting reservists, Bar-Ilan also extended aid to students displaced from their homes due to the conflict, offering emergency housing solutions and enhanced academic scholarships.
Prof. Arie Zaban, President of Bar-Ilan University, hailed the award as a profound validation of the university’s ethos:
“This recognition by the Ministry of Defense affirms the vital connection between national service and academic excellence,” he stated. “A remarkable testament to this commitment is that today, one out of every two students on the deans’ list is a reservist—twice their proportional representation among the student body.”
Echoing this sentiment, Zohar Yinon, Bar-Ilan’s CEO and Senior Deputy President, added:
“The Defense Minister’s Award of Recognition validates what many in the security forces already say: Bar-Ilan is the academic home of soldiers.”
Bar-Ilan now stands among roughly 20 organizations and employers throughout Israel recognized with the 2025 Minister of Defence Award for their extraordinary contributions to supporting reservists during a time of national crisis.
Looking ahead, Bar-Ilan has pledged to continue the Academic Armour programme into the 2025–26 academic year, with expanded eligibility that includes not only reservists themselves but also their spouses. This forward-looking commitment reflects the university’s broader vision of weaving national service into the very fabric of academic life.
