Bachelor of Arts in Jewish Studies

Yeshiva University

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. This explains the substantial Jewish Studies requirement in the college curriculum, and it also means that the Jewish Studies major or minor 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. Courses in Jewish Studies serve two main sets of stakeholders: the general Yeshiva College student population and majors in Jewish Studies. Its mission to all Yeshiva College students is to educate them regarding Jewish civilization from biblical times through the present and to develop their appreciation for the contexts in which Judaism arose and developed. For majors, its mission is to develop their facility with primary and secondary sources and their independent research skills, and thus prepare them to pursue graduate-level degrees in Jewish Studies.

Graduate School of Jewish Studies