Rebecca Ivry Department of Jewish Studies

Welcome

The Rebecca Ivry Department of Jewish Studies at Stern College where our faculty is made up of a world-class cadre of teachers with a vast range of interests and expertise. We have rabbis, linguists, philosophers, historians, archeologists, halakhists, biblical scholars – and while each teacher has their own talents, passions, and strengths, the entire faculty has a collective sense of commitment to offer every one of our students three essential things: skills, identity, and mission.

The skills to access and analyze our sacred texts and traditions

An identity that deepens their connection to the Jewish past and the Jewish present

And the sense of mission that lies at the core of all that Jewish civilization has to holds dear – to bring this world closer to the divine ideal.

Our Mission

• To build students’ knowledge and analytic skills in the study of Bible/Tanakh, Hebrew language, Jewish history, Jewish philosophy, and Torah she-be’al peh, including Talmud, Jewish law, and other Rabbinic literature, through robust, rigorous, and scholarly coursework; and 
• To instill in our students an understanding of the ethics and values that emerge from Jewish learning, and to foster curiosity and engagement with Torah, an ethos of ahavat Hashem and yirat Hashem (love and awe of God), and connection to the masorah (tradition), to religious mentors, to the land and people of Israel, and to Jewish faith, practice, and culture that will sustain our students throughout their lives.