By Dalya Eichler, Photographer and Staff Writer
When having conversations with many students in Yeshiva University, it is easy to notice the vast amount of students who start undergrad and express interest in eventually making aliyah. It may seem strange that many students go into school with one foot out the door. However, this might just be the exact mindset that is needed to kickstart a new future for YU. Throughout the years, YU has been a community fueled by a love for Israel and a strong sense of Zionism. This fall, YU launched a new four-year undergraduate program on its campus in Israel, and it may just be the start of a new YU.
This joint program partners with Bar-Ilan University and Tel Aviv University, even offering a shuttle service to commute between the campuses. Currently, those eligible are only alumni of seminaries or yeshivas that have been approved by YU; current undergraduate students on YU’s New York campuses are not eligible to transfer into this program. The tuition costs $17,500, with an additional $8,500 for housing. The present program only offers two degrees, one in Business Administration and Management with Tel Aviv University and another in Psychology and Multidisciplinary Jewish Studies at Bar-Ilan University, yet is a promising step in the right direction.
While this new branch of YU has been in demand for the past few decades, with the current rise in antisemitism, YU’s ability to maintain a strong presence in Israel is becoming even more crucial. With an increase in antisemitism, Americans will ultimately have to decide if they feel more or less safe living in places such as New York City. For many students, if they had the option to start college now at YU Israel, they would have considered attending.
With the student body containing many aliyah oriented students, the response towards this new program was diverse. Dvir Sabag (YC ‘26) told the YU Observer, “I applied first, assuming that this [program] would bring me closer to the broader Israeli community and give me a more integrated campus life with diversified students.” However, many components of the program turned him away from attending in the end. “The commute to and from the YU campus in Jerusalem is not nearly as idyllic.” Sabag noted that many components like this may lead students to “rethink” attending these programs, “especially if they are in search of a more typical university experience while in Israel.”
Many students also question how the YU Israel campus will compete with the university’s campus in New York. “So long as YU views its future in New York, the YU-Israel campus will likely always play second fiddle to the New York campuses,” Josh Makovsky (YC ‘25) told the YU Observer. “In terms of academic opportunities, I don’t think the YU-Israel campus will ever be on par with Wilf and Beren [YU’s New York campuses].”
Makovsky, who debated attending YU or a Hesder Yeshiva after his year in Israel, also noted that the YU-Israel program likely won’t integrate well with Israeli society. “I would have wanted to do Hesder for the experience of being part of Israeli society, which I wouldn’t have felt had I gone to YU based in Israel,” he said. “It seems to fit a very small niche of people who both want to remain in Israel while also wanting to have a YU-like experience.”
The YU Observer reached out to YU Israel on September 12 and September 19 inquiring as to how many students have applied, the target audience of the program, where the funding comes from, and why such an initiative is only being launched now, given that YU is an outspoken Zionist institution. YU Israel has yet to directly respond to the YU Observer’s specific inquiries.
Therefore, the target audience of the undergraduate degree program is slightly ambiguous. This program has the potential to serve seminary and yeshiva students conflicted with whether to go shana bet or to college. As of now, the YU Observer has not received many responses in the aliyah bound community that seem to be of positive interest, with some claiming that this program would not fit the Israel atmosphere they would hope to receive at a YU-Israel campus.
However, some students do see the potential in this program. “It seems like the best of both worlds,” Eliana Diamond (SCW ‘25) told the YU Observer. “The combo of getting to live in Israel and also be a part of this YU institution seems like a very special opportunity, especially when you factor in that the women’s program will get the opportunity to learn from Rabanit Shani Taragin, and the men’s program will get to be in the Gruss campus.”
One apparent issue with the new program is the competition with Israeli institutions. “The only consideration would be the expense,” Diamond said. “YU will now be competing with Israeli universities and their prices. They better make sure they can stand out.” That in itself will be a huge telltale for applications and YU’s ability to offer unique opportunities compared to all the other surrounding universities.
Students currently set to attend the YU Israel program are appreciative for the opportunity. “My original plan was to earn a degree from Stern in New York and hopefully return to Israel when the right time came,” Gabby Rivkin, a student currently enrolled to attend the program when it begins after the chaggim, told the YU Observer.
Students like Rivkin will be the first to see what the program is like firsthand, and many believe that it will be a popular choice moving forward. “Being part of the first group is definitely a leap of faith. They even named the inaugural year scholarship the Nachshon scholarship after the famous Midrash of Nachshon Ben Aminadav who took a leap of faith into the Yam Suf in Parashat Beshalach,” Rivkin said. “I hope that as the program continues to run smoothly more people will join us. It’s such a unique and amazing opportunity.”
Ultimately, the option for students to attend this program and have this opportunity is important, even though it may only currently cater to a small sect of students. Knowing that there is this choice for students who want to study in Israel while continuing their schooling with YU is huge, and possibly exactly what the “flagship Jewish university” needs right now.
Photo Caption: The YU Israel campus in Jerusalem
Photo Credit: Eugene Weisberg