Students from dozens of countries are finding a sense of belonging and a connection to their Jewish identities at Reichman University in Herzliya, where the Jewish Learning Initiative on Campus (JLIC) offers opportunities to combine academic studies with Torah learning, prayer, and Jewish communal life.
In interviews with Arutz Sheva, Jonathan Davis, head of the Raphael Recanati International School, Rabbi Elisha Guberman of JLIC, and students Ilan Moskowitz and Madeline Landau described how the initiative is helping young Jews from around the world build friendships, strengthen their Jewish identities, and feel at home while studying in Israel.
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"What's happening behind here is a shiur, which takes place a few times a week," Davis explained, pointing to students gathered for a Torah lesson. "They come and they learn, and they learn Torah, or they learn Gemara."
Rabbi Guberman described the atmosphere of the gatherings, which combine Jewish learning with an informal social environment.
"The weather here in Herzliya is so amazing. Getting together with all these students here, just grabbing some pizza, talking Torah, it's so natural, it's so amazing, it's so fun," he said.
For Ilan Moskowitz, who previously attended a university in the United States, the opportunity to study Torah in Israel carries particular significance.
"This is very meaningful to me personally, because last year I was actually at a university in America, and it's very different to be able to learn here in Israel, learning the Chumash, actually on the land where it's talking about," he explained.
Moskowitz emphasized the importance of being able to incorporate Jewish learning into his regular academic schedule.
"It's just so much more meaningful to be able to go straight from class, right to learning, and then being able to see all my friends here all together," he said.
"It's very important to be able to combine the Jewish learning with your daily studies, and to be able to have that opportunity on campus is important."
Student Madeline Landau similarly described the opportunity to learn Torah alongside friends as one of the most meaningful aspects of her university experience.
"I love being able to find the time to learn Torah and to just be together with my friends and to share that value that I love so much," she said.
Beyond Torah classes, the initiative organizes a range of activities designed to create a thriving Jewish community on campus.
"We also have free Friday night dinners that take place here on campus. We also even have post-Shacharit brunches," Davis noted.
Rabbi Guberman and his wife have been working with students at Reichman University for more than a year, seeking to address both their spiritual and social needs.
"My wife Yiska and myself are here on a mission," he explained. "We're making sure the spiritual and physical well-being of the students at Reichman is all being met."
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He listed Shabbat meals, prayers, Torah classes, social events, and communal gatherings among the activities intended to help students build meaningful connections.
"Here at Reichman and at JLIC, we believe that the Torah is here to up our game, to make us appreciate life more, to enjoy life more, to connect to ourselves, to our friends, to God, to our family," Rabbi Guberman said.
The program also encourages students who may not regularly participate in religious activities to rediscover the value of Jewish practice.
Rabbi Guberman recalled conversations with students who told him that attending morning prayers and sharing breakfast with friends had transformed their daily routines.
"A lot of kids come up to me and say, I've never been to Shacharit in so long, I didn't come to Minyan, but really this just makes my routine so much better," he recounted.
"Coming together with friends, starting my day off right with prayers, with going to have breakfast together with the guys, and then going out for class really boosts my day and makes it just so much more meaningful."
A central feature of the initiative is its international character.
Davis pointed to students who had come to Reichman University from communities across North and South America and elsewhere.
"Behind me here are students from Englewood, New Jersey, from Lawrence, from São Paulo, Brazil, from Toronto, Canada, and a gazillion other places," he said. "And these people met for the first time on this campus."
Moskowitz described how their shared Jewish identity helps students overcome cultural and geographical differences.
"You meet people from all around the world. I mean, there's like 90 countries or something like that, there's so many people, and you get to learn all together," he said.
"Because we have shared values, it doesn't feel like you're so far apart from them."
Rabbi Guberman stressed that the initiative is not limited to students from religious backgrounds.
"A lot of people think JLIC might be really dedicated towards religious students, but really we're not dedicated towards religious or any other background," he explained.
"You could be from anywhere in the world, from any religious background, we are always open," he said, emphasizing that everyone is welcome to participate.
Davis echoed that message, saying that students should be able to experience Jewish life in ways that suit their individual backgrounds and interests.
"When a person comes to this campus, they should be able to have Jewish life presented to them in the way that they would like it," he said.
"What we have to have on campus is the opportunity to allow for all of these individuals to enjoy campus life, but together with Jewish life."
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For Davis, Jewish identity and academic achievement are complementary parts of a complete university experience.
"These people are connecting by learning together. We want to give them the Jewish experience at Reichman University," he explained.
"An academic experience, in my view, without a Jewish experience, is lacking."
Rabbi Guberman added that the friendships formed through the initiative can benefit students long after graduation.
"Kids get to know each other and build not only a spiritual network, but also an emotional network and a substantial network for their business ahead," he said.
For Landau, the greatest benefit is the feeling of community that the gatherings create.
"I feel that the significance of the gatherings and being here for the JLIC events are that everyone can come together as a community, and I feel that it's so important," she said.
"I just feel like everyone here feels the same way, that they're at home and together."
Davis emphasized the responsibility the university has toward the families who entrust it with their children.
"Parents who send their students to us can trust us. We're here for their children, and we want to make sure that their children are fulfilled," he said.
"What we are providing is a home away from home."
He pointed to the Friday night meals, which can bring together approximately 150 students, as an example of the community the university seeks to build.
"We want a student who comes to one of our Friday night meals, even though they can have dinner with their own parents that night, but they can have dinner with another 150 other students, and they can be part of a community, and it's our job to provide that," Davis explained.
"I'm inspired by the fact that through Yiddishkeit and through Jewish values, these youngsters are connecting here."
For the students themselves, that sense of belonging is what makes the initiative so special.
"JLIC feels like my home away from home, being able to be here in Israel and have the same community feeling that I do at home," Moskowitz said.
Landau concluded by expressing appreciation for the effort invested in creating a welcoming environment for students.
"I'm really appreciative for JLIC in that it's really not taken for granted, and I see how much time and effort they put into their activities, and really making it something that everyone can enjoy."
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