University in Ramat Gan, Israel, that features Jewish studies.
The university was founded in 1955 as an institution of higher learning that would fulfill the basic aims of Judaic tradition. The curriculum for both men and women includes required courses in Jewish studies, which pursue the goals of integrating Judaism and present-day reality - cultivating a respect for Jewish principles and customs. Pinhas Churgin was the university's founder and first president. In 2003 it had 32,000 students, including those studying at five regional colleges. The university offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in liberal arts, social sciences, and natural sciences. There are faculties in Jewish studies, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, and law.
In November 1995, Yigal Amir, a law student at Bar-Ilan, assassinated Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. The following day all classes were canceled and the university's president issued a statement expressing "deep shock, horror and utter condemnation." Bar-Ilan was subjected to massive criticism for fostering or allowing religious and political extremism. One of the most significant points made was that while students were exposed to the extreme religious politics of Jewish settlers on the West Bank and Gaza, no moderate alternative views were to be heard on campus. This derived, at least in part, from the fact that the university's founders decided to follow the pattern of Roman Catholic universities in the United States, rather than that of Yeshiva University in New York. Ironically, Bar-Ilan originally neglected direct religious education. This was changed in 1970 when a religious studies unit was established.
Bibliography
Fisch, Harold. "Bar-Ilan University." In The Israel Year-book, 1971. Tel Aviv: Israel Yearbook Publications, 1971.
Klein, Menachem. Bar Ilan University: Between Religion and Politics. Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 1997.
— MIRIAM SIMON UPDATED BY PAUL RIVLIN


