The Robert M. Beren Department of Jewish Studies

The minimal understanding of the ideal of Torah Umadda is the pursuit of the study of Torah along with secular disciplines, but the highest form of this ideal is a level of integration in which each pursuit enriches the other.

Such enrichment can take place with respect to virtually all fields, but there is no area where the interaction is as intimate and potentially rewarding as in the use of the tools of the academy to enhance one's understanding of the Jewish heritage itself.

Jewish Studies at Yeshiva College are taught with a reverence for tradition combined with the rigorous application of the methodology of the relevant academic disciplines. In short, academic Jewish Studies lies at the heart of YU's mission.

This explains the substantial Jewish Studies requirement in the college curriculum, and it also means that the Jewish Studies major should evoke serious interest on the part of any student whose decision to attend YU is rooted in the desire to attain a broad and sophisticated appreciation of Judaism and the Jewish people.

The Robert M. Beren Department of Jewish Studies includes programs in Bible, Hebrew, Jewish History, and Jewish Philosophy and Thought. A student majoring in Jewish Studies may choose a concentration in any of these programs. Hebrew is also available as a separate major. 

If you have any questions about Academic Jewish Studies at Yeshiva College, please contact Dean David Berger at dberger@yu.edu or 212.960.5400, ext. 5253.

Torah Studies (Morning Programs)

The singularity of the Yeshiva University education derives from its dual curriculum. Torah instruction and study provides a spiritual, moral and ethical foundation for education in the liberal arts, sciences and business. Thus, in addition to the study of academic Jewish Studies at Yeshiva College, all college undergraduates must be enrolled in a morning Torah Studies program, which meets in the morning and early afternoon.

Yeshiva University offers preeminent programs in Torah Studies for undergraduate students of every background and at every level of experience and expertise. Students at Yeshiva College select from four distinct Jewish Studies options, which are designed to deepen students' ethical religious and philosophical insights. They afford exposure to the beauty of Torah study, the depth of Jewish legal traditions and the appreciation of religious practices. If you have any questions about Torah Studies at Yeshiva, please contact Rabbi Yona Reiss at yreiss@yu.edu or 212.568.7300.

Study in Israel

For students who choose to begin their YU education in Israel, the S. Daniel Abraham Israel Program is the formal arrangement between Yeshiva University and yeshivot and seminaries in Israel. This Yeshiva University program provides structure, support and guidance for the more than 600 young men and women who study in Israel each year.