Some students are reconsidering their college plans amidst rising anti-Israel sentiments on American campuses.
Early in her senior year in high school in Washington D.C., Elie Ravitz-Basser realized that the Israel-Gaza war would upend her college plans.
“I applied to four universities in the United States early in the fall, but everything changed after October 7,” she said. “At that point, I decided to attend college only in Israel, surrounded by people who share my Jewish values.”
Ravitz-Basser is set to start her bachelor’s degree this fall in Jerusalem, pursuing a double major in English and Liberal Arts at Hebrew University’s Rothberg International School. She’ll be part of a brand-new, three-year undergraduate degree program, offered in English for the first time at Hebrew University.
“This is a unique opportunity to study in Jerusalem and immerse myself in the Israeli culture,” Ravitz-Basser said. “I’m excited about the classes I’ll be taking and I feel a deep connection to my great-grandparents, who came to Israel from Poland in the 1920s with the vision of reestablishing their homeland.”
Ravitz-Basser is among many recent high school graduates who have reconsidered their college plans in light of the anti-Israel protests that swept across U.S. campuses this year. For her, the breaking point came during the violent protests and encampments that spread from coast to coast this spring, many of which were seen as not just anti-Zionist but antisemitic.
“That made it clear that I wouldn’t attend any college where I couldn’t feel safe without hiding my identity,” she said.
Hebrew University is not just a top-tier Israeli academic institution but also consistently ranks among the top 100 universities in the world. As it prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary next year, the university has long offered a wide variety of programs in English for international students, including semester- and year-long programs for undergraduates as well as about 40 different master’s programs.
However, the new three-year undergraduate program in English marks the first time overseas students can complete an entire BA degree at the Jerusalem institution.
Degree tracks are available in English, Business, and Liberal Arts, and all undergraduate students are required to pursue a double major.
“We offer it this way to encourage our students to engage in multidisciplinary learning,” Oryan said.
About 25-30 students are expected in the first year, primarily from North America but also from Japan, India, France and Germany. Additionally, some new immigrants to Israel who prefer to take classes in English will join. Classes begin in November, right after the Jewish holiday season.
Image - Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90