"Precisely now - it has special importance": 25% increase in students of Jewish studies

The Schechter Institute for Jewish Studies publishes data showing a 25% increase in new students within two years, a drop in the average age to 50.2, and a sharp rise in learners from management and technology fields. The data indicate a shift in the learner profile and geographic expansion beyond Jerusalem.

The Schechter Institute for Jewish Studies in Jerusalem has released data ahead of the academic year, summarizing five years and pointing to a significant change in the learner profile. The number of new students rose by about 15% between 2024 and 2025, and by an additional 8% between 2025 and 2026 – a cumulative growth of about 25% in two years. Meanwhile, the average age dropped from 56.4 in 2023 to 50.2 in 2026 – a decrease of more than six years in three years. The most notable change is a 130% jump in the number of students from management, technology, and organizational fields within one year – their share rose from 16% to 34% of all respondents, becoming for the first time the largest group, surpassing education professions. The geographic distribution also changed: the share of residents from the Dan region, Sharon, and central Israel rose from 18% to 31% in two years. In terms of study fields, there was a 333% increase in enrollments in the Jewish Thought program, 100% in the Jewish Art program, and 33% in the program dealing with Jerusalem and the Land of Israel. The institute's president, Prof. Ari Ackerman, said that "precisely in a time of disputes and upheavals, serious and open study of Jewish culture has special importance." The institute's CEO, Michal Makov-Feld, added that the change requires adapting the learning experience to people in the midst of their careers.