Bar-Ilan University is slowly returning to relative normality while acknowledging the profound impact of war and trauma and supporting faculty members, staff, and students who were affected by the October 7 attacks and the Israel-Hamas War. Since the start of the academic year, which was postponed to December 31 due to the situation, many of the university’s events, courses, programs, and research have focused (or will focus) on related topics and have resulted in the creation of valuable initiatives and projects. Recognizing Achievement: Conferring Honorary Doctorates In June this year, Bar-Ilan University will award honorary doctorates to men, women, and...

Note: Registration is open for the 2024-2025 academic year  In the face of a troubling surge in global antisemitism, especially on college campuses, since October 7, 2023, Bar-Ilan University has taken a proactive stance by introducing a range of multilingual undergraduate degrees and a new combined graduate program. These innovative offerings aim to attract international and olim (immigrant) students, providing them with a top-quality education in a secure and inclusive environment at a significantly reduced cost. Recognizing the concerns of Jewish students who increasingly feel uncertain about their place in academic institutions, Bar-Ilan University is stepping up to offer an...

Bar-Ilan University's International School prioritizes fostering a vibrant community for international students. Despite current challenges, the school is committed to moving forward and establishing a sense of normalcy. To create a welcoming environment, the International School organizes various social activities throughout the year. Recently, students celebrated Chinese New Year, the Hindu Holi Festival, and International Women's Day, catering to the interests and passions of the international student community. These events at BIU aim to provide entertainment, facilitate cultural exchange, celebrate diverse traditions, and foster meaningful connections among students from around the world. BIU Honors Chinese New Year 2024 The Chinese...

January 14, 2024, marked 100 days since the October 7 atrocities and mass kidnapping that took place on the Gaza border in southern Israel. In this article, we focus on various Bar-Ilan University events related to the few weeks immediately preceding the 100 days. BIU Commemorates 100 Days in Captivity Standing in solidarity with the hostages and missing persons families, Bar-Ilan University marked the 100th day of war and captivity with two events – one on its Ramat Gan campus and the other on its Azrieli Faculty of Medicine campus in Safed (Tsfat). Read more.   Solidarity Visit of US...

Prof. Rivka Tuval-Mashiach is the new Academic Head of Bar-Ilan University’s International School. She takes over from Prof. Rachel Dekel, who served in the position since the school’s inauguration in May 2018. Prof. Tuval-Mashiach is a clinical psychologist and Professor in BIU’s Department of Psychology. She is also the chief psychologist and chair of the steering committee of NATAL, the Israel Center for Victims of Terror and War. Her research and clinical work include the study of the use of narrative approaches to diagnose and treat people exposed to trauma and those with PTSD. She also studies collective trauma, gender...

President’s Message Since the heinous Hamas attack of October 7, we, in Israel, have balanced fighting a war of survival with the difficult work of caring for the victims and the families of our hostages. We have also mobilized to contribute to vital efforts on the home front, both here on the Bar-Ilan campus and throughout the country. And sadly, we have also been made to confront a disturbing global trend: open and violent expressions of Jew-hatred, of a kind and scope not seen for nearly a century. In cities throughout the world, and particularly on college campuses, support for...

Marking one month since the October 7 terror attack in southern Israel, Bar-Ilan University held a ceremony to remember the victims and say a prayer for the hostages with the hope that they would be returned home safely and soon. The Bar-Ilan community lost 34 members of its community and since then, the university has provided continuous emotional support to the families. Bar-Ilan University President, Prof. Arie Zaban (center left) with Maayan Zin (center right) At an assembly on campus on November 7, guest, Maayan Zin, spoke about her daughters, Dafna (15) and Ella (8), who were abducted from their...

Bar-Ilan University's Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (The BESA Center), in partnership with the Department of Political Studies and Bar-Ilan University's International School, hosted a briefing over Zoom for the foreign diplomatic community in Israel almost two weeks after the brutal, unprecedented terror attack committed by Hamas on Israel's southern communities around the Gaza strip. The briefing's objective was to provide the diplomatic community with a deeper understanding of the political and strategic implications of the Israel-Hamas war. Approx. Thirty-five senior officials and military attachés participated in the briefing, including representatives from Turkey, the Netherlands, Rwanda, Spain, the EU, the...

Twenty-eight undergraduates from North America participated in the Bar-Ilan University-Yeshiva University’s 12th annual Summer Science Research Internship Program this past summer. A joint Bar-Ilan University-Yeshiva University initiative, the program enables students to gain hands-on experience in emerging scientific fields while being mentored by some of Israel's finest scientists. During the seven-week research experience, the students conduct intensive internships in the University's STEM research laboratories with faculty members from BIU’s Institute for Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials (BINA), Gonda (Goldschmied) Multidisciplinary Brain Research Center, Alexander Kofkin Faculty of Engineering, Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, and the Departments of Mathematics,...

Students from various Czech universities visited Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in August 2023 to learn about BIU’s award-winning, revolutionary research in energy and sustainability. The visit was part of the Czech Republic’s Neuron and IOCB Tech Internships grant program, which concentrates on the application, commercialization, and transfer of scientific understanding. The students (mostly undergraduate) were welcomed to BIU by Prof. Moshe Lewenstein, BIU’s Deputy President, and Prof. Shulamit Michaeli, Vice-President for Research, who gave them an overview of the various STEM faculties and departments as well as some of the innovative research being conducted by some of the top scientists in...