View source for Hebrew University of Jerusalem

{{Short description|Public research university in Israel}}
{{use dmy dates|date=July 2023}}{{Use British English|date=December 2024}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Infobox university
 | name                   = Hebrew University of Jerusalem
 | native_name            = {{Script/Hebrew|האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים}}
 | native_name_lang       = he
 | image                  = Hebrew University Logo.svg
 | image_upright          = 0.4
 | established            = 24 July, 1918
 | type                   = [[Public university|Public]] [[research university|research]]
 | founders               = [[Albert Einstein]]<br />[[Chaim Weizmann]]
 | endowment              = US$515.4 million (2018)<ref name="President's Report 2019">{{Cite web|url=https://campaign.huji.ac.il/sites/default/files/pdfs/President%E2%80%99s+Report+2019.pdf|title=Something went wrong...|website=campaign.huji.ac.il}}</ref>
 | budget                 = US$802.4 million (2018)<ref name="President's Report 2019"/>
 | rector                 = [[Oron Shagrir]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Prof. Oron Shagrir Elected Rector of the Hebrew University |url=https://en.huji.ac.il/news/prof-oron-shagrir-elected-rector-hebrew-university |website=The Hebrew University of Jerusalem |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
 | chancellor             = 
 | president              = Tamir Sheafer<ref>{{cite web |title=Prof. Tamir Sheafer Elected President of the Hebrew University |url=https://international.huji.ac.il/news/prof-tamir-sheafer-elected-president-hebrew-university |website=HUJI International |access-date=13 November 2025}}</ref>
 | vice_chancellor        = 
 | dean                   = 
 | students               = 23,000
 | undergrad              = 12,500
 | postgrad               = 5,000
 | doctoral               = 2,200
 | city                   = [[Jerusalem]] and [[Rehovot]]
 | country                = Israel
 | campus                 = Urban
 | free_label             = 
 | free                   = 
 | colours                = 
 | nickname               = HUJI, Hebrew U
 | mascot                 = 
 | website                = {{URL|https://en.huji.ac.il/en|huji.ac.il}}
 | logo                   = [[File:Hebrew University new Logo vector.svg|270px]]
 | footnotes              = 
 | administrative_staff   = 1,500 <ref name="stanford">{{Cite web | title=Foreign Exchange Program for SLS Students | url=https://law.stanford.edu/education/international-and-global-opportunities/foreign-exchange-program-for-sls-students/hebrew-university-of-jerusalem-hu-jerusalem-israel/?utm_source=chatgpt.com }}</ref>
 | academic_staff         = 1,200 tenured faculty <ref name="stanford" />
 | affiliations           = 
}}

The '''Hebrew University of Jerusalem''' ('''HUJI'''; {{langx|he|הַאוּנִיבֶרְסִיטָה הַעִבְרִית בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם}}) is an [[Israel]]i [[public university|public]] [[research university]] based in [[Jerusalem]]. Co-founded by [[Albert Einstein]] and [[Chaim Weizmann]] in July 1918, it is the second-oldest institution of higher learning in Israel, having been founded 30 years before the [[Israeli Declaration of Independence|establishment of the State of Israel]] but six years after the older [[Technion]] university. 

The university has five affiliated [[teaching hospital]]s (including the [[Hadassah Medical Center]]), seven faculties, more than 100 research centers, and 315 academic departments. {{As of|2018}}, one-third of all the doctoral candidates in Israel were studying at the HUJI. The HUJI has three campuses in [[Jerusalem]]: one in [[Rehovot]], one in [[Rishon LeZion]] and one in [[Eilat]].<ref>{{cite web |title=The Hebrew University of Jerusalem – Our Story in Numbers |url=https://en.huji.ac.il/university-numbers |access-date=August 24, 2024 |publisher=Huji.ac.il}}</ref> Until 2023, the world's largest library for [[Jewish studies]]—the [[National Library of Israel]]—was located on its [[Edmond Safra|Edmond J. Safra]] campus in the [[Givat Ram]] neighbourhood of Jerusalem.

Among its first [[board of governors]] were [[Sigmund Freud]] and [[Martin Buber]]. Four of [[Israel's prime ministers]] are alumni of the university. {{As of|2018}}, 15 [[Nobel Prize]] winners (8 alumni and teachers), two [[Fields Medal]]ists (one alumnus), and three [[Turing Award]] winners have been affiliated with the HUJI.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Something went wrong... |url=https://en.huji.ac.il/news/results-are-hebrew-university-ranks-77th-worldwide-and-1-israel-according-2022 |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=en.huji.ac.il}}</ref>

==History==
[[File:Mount Scopus (2009).jpg|thumb|Establishment of the Hebrew University and laying of the cornerstone, 1918]]
[[File:Opening ceremony of Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1925.jpg|thumb|Opening ceremony of Hebrew University of Jerusalem 1925. An image from Younes & Soraya Nazarian library digital collections, University of Haifa]]
[[File:Zoltan Kluger. Hebrew University, Jerusalem.jpg|thumb|Hebrew University in 1937]]
[[File:Keren Hayesod Album, Hebrew University01 (cropped).jpg|thumb|alt=Hebrew university campus, 1930s|Hebrew University campus, 1930s]]
[[File:The National Library of Israel building - Amitay Katz.jpg|thumb|right|[[National Library of Israel]], Givat Ram, established 1892]]
[[File:Academy of the Hebrew Language.JPG|thumb|right|The building of [[Academy of the Hebrew Language]], Givat Ram. The AHL replaced in 1953 the Hebrew Language Committee, established in 1890.]]A vision of the [[Zionist]] movement was the establishment of a [[Jewish]] university in the [[Land of Israel]]. Founding a university was proposed as far back as 1884 in the [[Kattowitz|Kattowitz (Katowice)]] conference of the [[Hovevei Zion]] society, and by [[Hermann Schapira]] at the [[First Zionist Congress]] of 1897.

The [[cornerstone]] for the university was laid on 24 July 1918. Seven years later, on 1 April 1925, the Hebrew University campus on [[Mount Scopus]] was opened at a gala ceremony attended by the leaders of the Jewish world, distinguished scholars and public figures, and British dignitaries, including the [[Arthur James Balfour|Earl of Balfour]], Viscount [[Edmund Allenby|Allenby]], [[Winston Churchill]] and Sir [[Herbert Samuel, 1st Viscount Samuel|Herbert Samuel]].<ref name=Faught>{{Cite book |last=Faught |first=C. Brad |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6kp-EAAAQBAJ |title=Cairo 1921: Ten Days That Made the Middle East |date=2022-07-08 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-25674-1 |pages=116 |language=en}}</ref> The university's first chancellor was [[Judah Magnes]], who led the school as chancellor from 1924 to 1935.<ref name="New.huji.ac.il">{{cite web|url=https://new.huji.ac.il/en/page/454 |title=Office of the President &#124; האוניברסיטה העברית בירושלים &#124; The Hebrew University of Jerusalem |publisher=New.huji.ac.il |date=2017-09-01 |access-date=2020-02-18}}</ref> In 1935 to 1948 he led the school as president.<ref name="New.huji.ac.il"/>

One of the most controversial issues during the conceptualization of the university regarded its future official language. Whereas one side, the so-called "Germanists", proposed a combination of German and Arabic for all non-Jewish subjects, the other side opted for the general use of Hebrew. The former party was afraid the very recent Modern Hebrew might not yet allow high-level academic discussions since it still suffered from a lack of specific technical terms in non-religious contexts. Although this concern can not simply be dismissed as unreasonable, the representatives of this position underestimated the symbolic significance of Hebrew for many Jews, not least of all for those outside the academia. Therefore, they were not able to prevail in the discussion and had to give in to the decision that the new university would be an explicitly Hebrew one.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mimeo.dubnow.de/the-language-of-science/|title=The Language of Science &#124; Mimeo|date=30 November 2020 }}</ref> The question, what would define the specific Hebrew character of the university did not only regard the choice of an official language but also organizational aspects, as for example the establishment of departments and the definition of their respective research areas, and the outline of its overall academic profile. Therefore, in 1919, [[Shmaryahu Levin]] inquired a number of prominent Jewish European scholars about their opinions on the subject. One of the respondents was [[Ignaz Goldziher]] whose proposals were at least partly implemented: oriental languages, Jewish literature, and archaeology were among the first subjects studied at the university.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://mimeo.dubnow.de/envisioning-a-hebrew-university/|title = Envisioning a Hebrew University &#124; Mimeo| date=13 July 2021 }}</ref>

By 1947, the university had become a large research and teaching institution. Sir [[Leon Simon (Zionist)|Leon Simon]] was Acting President from 1948 to 1949, and he was succeeded as president by Professor [[Selig Brodetsky]], who served from 1949 to 1952.<ref name="New.huji.ac.il"/> Plans for a medical school were approved in May 1949, and in November 1949, a faculty of law was inaugurated. In 1952, it was announced that the agricultural institute founded by the university in 1940 would become a full-fledged faculty.<ref>{{cite news |last=Weitz |first=Yechiam |url=https://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/841024.html |title=The subversives on the hill |work=Haaretz |date=March 15, 2011 |access-date=September 6, 2011 |archive-date=3 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080503233107/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/841024.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During the [[1948 Arab–Israeli War]], attacks were carried out against convoys moving between the Israeli-controlled section of Jerusalem and the university.<ref>''The Palestine Post'', April 14, 1948, p. 3</ref> The leader of the Arab forces in Jerusalem, [[Abdul Kader Husseini]], threatened military action against the university [[Hadassah Hospital]] "if the Jews continued to use them as bases for attacks."<ref>'Husseini Threatens Hadassah', ''The Palestine Post'', March 18, 1948, p. 1</ref> After the April 1948 [[Hadassah medical convoy massacre]], in which 79 Jews, including doctors and nurses, were killed, the Mount Scopus campus was cut off from Jerusalem.<ref>[https://archive.today/20120530163054/http://fr.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1207486207992&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull Victims of Hadassah massacre to be memorialized], Judy Siegel-Itzkovich, ''The Jerusalem Post'', April 7, 2008.</ref> British soldier [[Jack Churchill]] coordinated the evacuation of 700 Jewish doctors, students and patients from the hospital.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wwiihistorymagazine.com/2005/july/col-profiles.html |title=Fighting Jack Churchill Survived A Wartime Odyssey Beyond Compare |publisher=Wwiihistorymagazine.com |date=1941-12-27 |access-date=2014-03-08 |archive-date=17 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130917135443/http://www.wwiihistorymagazine.com/2005/july/col-profiles.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

When the [[Jordan]]ian government denied Israeli access to Mount Scopus, a new campus was built at Givat Ram in western Jerusalem and completed in 1958. In the interim, classes were held in 40 different buildings around the city.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=6x3S8eM3spAC&q=attacks+on+medical+convoys+to+mount+scopus&pg=PA193 |title=International Dictionary of University Histories |isbn=9781884964237 |access-date=September 6, 2011|last1=Summerfield |first1=Carol J. |last2=Devine |first2=Mary Elizabeth |last3=Levi |first3=Anthony |year=1998 |publisher=Taylor & Francis }}</ref> [[Benjamin Mazar]] was President of the university from 1953 to 1961, [[Giulio Racah]] was Acting President from 1961 to 1962, and [[Eliahu Eilat]] was president from 1962 to 1968.<ref name="New.huji.ac.il"/>

The Terra Santa building in [[Rehavia]], rented from the Franciscan Custodians of the Latin Holy Places, was also used for this purpose.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Archaeology/jermandate.html |title=Jerusalem: Architecture in the British Mandate Period |publisher=Jewishvirtuallibrary.org |access-date=September 6, 2011}}</ref> A few years later, together with the [[Hadassah Medical Center|Hadassah]] Medical Organization, a medical science campus was built in the south-west Jerusalem neighborhood of [[Ein Kerem]].

By the beginning of 1967, the students numbered 12,500, spread among the two campuses in Jerusalem and the agricultural faculty in [[Rehovot]]. After the unification of Jerusalem, following the [[Six-Day War]] of June 1967, the university was able to return to Mount Scopus, which was rebuilt. According to the [[Applied Research Institute–Jerusalem]], Israel confiscated 568 [[Dunam]]s of land from the [[Palestinian]] village of [[Isawiya]] for the Hebrew University in 1968.<ref>[http://vprofile.arij.org/jerusalem/pdfs/vprofile/isawyieh.pdf 'Isawiya Town Profile], ARIJ, 2012, p. 14</ref> In 1981 the construction work was completed, and Mount Scopus again became the main campus of the university.{{citation needed|date=September 2019}} [[Avraham Harman]] was President of the university from 1968 to 1983, [[Don Patinkin]] from 1983 to 1986, [[Amnon Pazy]] from 1986 to 1990, [[Yoram Ben-Porat]] from 1990 to 1992, [[Hanoch Gutfreund]] from 1992 to 1997, and [[Menachem Magidor]] from 1997 to 2009.<ref name="New.huji.ac.il"/>

On 31 July 2002, a member of a terrorist cell [[Hebrew University massacre|detonated a bomb]] during lunch hour at the university's "Frank Sinatra" cafeteria when it was crowded with staff and students. Nine people—five Israelis, three Americans, and one dual French-American citizen—were murdered and more than 70 wounded. World leaders, including [[Kofi Annan]], President [[George W. Bush]], and the EU's High Representative [[Javier Solana]] issued statements of condemnation.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://memorial.huji.ac.il/eng-open.html |title= HUJI Memorial Pages |publisher= Memorial.huji.ac.il |date= July 31, 2002 |access-date= September 6, 2011 |archive-date= 16 February 2017 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170216103225/http://memorial.huji.ac.il/eng-open.html |url-status= dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Terrorist bombing at Hebrew University cafeteria July 31, 2002 |publisher= Mfa.gov.il |url=https://mfa.gov.il/MFA/MFA-Archive/2002/Pages/Terrorist%20bombing%20at%20Hebrew%20University%20cafeteria%20-.aspx |access-date= 15 February 2021 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title= Israel plans to strike Hamas following Hebrew University bombing attack |publisher=[[Al Bawaba]] |date= 31 July 2002 |url=https://www.albawaba.com/news/israel-plans-strike-hamas-following-hebrew-university-bombing-attack |access-date= 15 February 2021}}</ref>

[[Menachem Ben-Sasson]] was President of the university from 2009 to 2017, succeeded by [[Asher Cohen]] in 2017.<ref name="New.huji.ac.il"/>

In 2017, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem launched a [[marijuana]] research center, intended to "conduct and coordinate research on cannabis and its biological effects with an eye toward commercial applications."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.782086|title=Hebrew University Creates a Buzz With New Marijuana Research Center|last=JTA|date=2017-04-07|work=Haaretz|access-date=2017-04-11|language=en}}</ref>

==Campuses==
===Mount Scopus===
{{further|Mount Scopus#Hebrew University of Jerusalem}}
[[File:Hebrew University Jerusalem IL WV.JPG|thumb|Mount Scopus campus]]
[[File:Amfiteatron-al-shem-Rothberg.JPG|thumb|Mount Scopus campus: Rothberg amphitheater]]

[[Mount Scopus]] (Hebrew: Har HaTzofim הר הצופים), in the north-eastern part of Jerusalem, is home to the main campus, which contains the Faculties of Humanities, Social Sciences, Law, [[Jerusalem School of Business Administration]], Seymour Fox School of Education, Baerwald School of Social Work, Harry S. Truman Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, Rothberg International School, and the Mandel Institute of [[Jewish Studies]].

The Rothberg International School features secular studies and Jewish/Israeli studies. Included for foreign students is also a mandatory Ulpan program for Hebrew language study which includes a mandatory course in Israeli culture and customs. All Rothberg Ulpan classes are taught by Israeli natives. However, many other classes at the Rothberg School are taught by Jewish immigrants to Israel.

The land on Mt. Scopus was purchased before [[World War I]] from [[Sir John Gray-Hill]], along with the Gray-Hill mansion.<ref name="docs.google.com">{{cite journal |author= Diana Dolev |title= Architectural Orientalism In the Hebrew University – The Patrick Geddes and Frank Mears Master-Plan |journal= Assaph, Section B, Studies in Art History |issue=3 |pages=217–234 |location= Tel Aviv |url=https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:BzVt66WQaxYJ:arts.tau.ac.il/departments/images/stories/journals/arthistory/Assaph3/12dolev.pdf+architecture+hebrew+university&hl=en&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh7pTs4UOFXL1OlcdB2jCvesR8GqakjTVnBHW5kojibwNbWcF_7mwDX7oZrtsk9MquSvjS7A_n_4xznhmS_3ddSnIxlCVpyqK3UbFxwRrkCnYU9QZyizlepFKMdaHgvwKLYcUn7&sig=AHIEtbR-5rKVO7r_TXl7G1ORKHubfSNj6g |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121112060234/https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache%3ABzVt66WQaxYJ%3Aarts.tau.ac.il%2Fdepartments%2Fimages%2Fstories%2Fjournals%2Farthistory%2FAssaph3%2F12dolev.pdf+architecture+hebrew+university&hl=en&pid=bl&srcid=ADGEESh7pTs4UOFXL1OlcdB2jCvesR8GqakjTVnBHW5kojibwNbWcF_7mwDX7oZrtsk9MquSvjS7A_n_4xznhmS_3ddSnIxlCVpyqK3UbFxwRrkCnYU9QZyizlepFKMdaHgvwKLYcUn7&sig=AHIEtbR-5rKVO7r_TXl7G1ORKHubfSNj6g |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2012-11-12 |publisher= Tel-Aviv University, Faculty of Fine Arts |year= 1998 |access-date= September 6, 2011 }}</ref> The master plan for the university was designed by [[Patrick Geddes]] and his son-in-law, [[Frank Mears]] in December 1919. Only two buildings of this original scheme were built: the [[David Wolffsohn]] University and National Library, and the Mathematics Institute, with the Physics Institute probably being built to the designs of their Jerusalem-based partner, Benjamin Chaikin.<ref name="Dolev">{{cite book |author= Diana Dolev |title= The Planning and Building of the Hebrew University, 1919–1948: Facing the Temple Mount |year=2016 |publisher= Lexington Books |pages= 67–76 |isbn= 9780739191613 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IkaLCwAAQBAJ&pg=PA67 |access-date=26 July 2018 }}</ref>

Housing for students at Hebrew University who live on [[Mount Scopus]] is located at the three dormitories located near the university. These are the Maiersdorf (מאירסדורף) dormitories, the Bronfman (ברונפמן) dormitories, and the Kfar HaStudentim (כפר הסטודנטים, Student Village).

Nearby is the [[Nicanor Cave]], an ancient cave that was planned to be a national pantheon.

====Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare====
The first [[Bachelor of Social Work]] in Israel, the school was founded in 1958.  The school was named after [[Paul Baerwald]], a leader of the [[American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee|Jewish Distribution Committee (JDC)]]. The JDC was an initial funder of the school along with the Ministry of Welfare and the [[Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality|Tel Aviv Municipality]].<ref name="History">{{cite book |url=https://en.sw.huji.ac.il/book/history-school |title=History of the School |access-date=22 January 2023}}</ref> A new self-standing building was dedicated on the [[Givat Ram]] university campus in April 1967.<ref>{{cite journal | url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30021751 | jstor=30021751 | last1=Pins | first1=Arnulf M. | title=Reviewed work: The University and Social Welfare, Israel Katz, Harold Silver | journal=Social Service Review | date=1970 | volume=44 | issue=4 | pages=470–472 | doi=10.1086/642615 | issn=0037-7961 | url-access=subscription }}</ref> The school has been called "the leader in training and research in the fields of social work and social policy."<ref name="Bounce" /> It has been ranked the highest rated school of social work in Israel.<ref>{{cite web |title=8 Best universities for Social Work in Israel |url=https://edurank.org/psychology/social-work/il/ |website=EduRank |date=11 August 2021 |access-date=5 February 2023}}</ref>  The [[Master of Social Work]] was introduced in 1970.<ref name="History" />  The school houses the Israel Gerontological Data Center, Nevet- Greenhouse of Context-Informed Research and Training for Children in Need, The Center for the Study of Philanthropy in Israel, The Resilience Research Group.<ref name="Bounce">{{cite web |title=Hebrew University school of Social Work and Social Welfare |url=https://www.bounce-project.eu/consortium/huj/ |website=Bounce Project |access-date=22 January 2023}}</ref>

===Edmond J. Safra, Givat Ram===
[[File:Hebrew University of Jerusalem.jpg|thumb|Givat Ram campus]]
The [[Givat Ram]] campus (renamed after [[Edmond Safra]] in 2005) is the home of the Faculty of Science including the [[Einstein Institute of Mathematics]]; the Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences; the [[Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences]]; the [[Israel Institute for Advanced Studies]], the Center for the Study of Rationality, as well as the [[National Library of Israel]], (JNUL).

===Ein Kerem===
The Faculties of Medicine and Dental Medicine and the [[Institute For Medical Research, Israel-Canada]] (IMRIC)<ref>{{cite web |url=http://imric.org/about-us |title=About Us — Institute for Medical Research Israel-Canada (IMRIC) |publisher=imric.org |date=2014-05-15 |access-date=2014-05-19 |archive-date=27 May 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527212604/http://www.imric.org/about-us |url-status=dead }}</ref> are located at the south-western Jerusalem [[Ein Kerem]] campus alongside the [[Hadassah Medical Center|Hadassah-University Medical Center]].

===Rehovot===
[[File:RehovotCamps Ariovitch.jpg|thumb|Rehovot campus, Ariovitch Auditorium]]

The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.agri.huji.ac.il/english/about.html |title=Faculty of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Quality Sciences |publisher=Agri.huji.ac.il |access-date=September 6, 2011}}</ref> and the Koret School of [[Veterinary Medicine]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://departments.agri.huji.ac.il/vetschool/ |title=Koret School of Veterinary Medicine |publisher=Departments.agri.huji.ac.il |access-date=September 6, 2011}}</ref> are located in the city of [[Rehovot]] in the coastal plain. The Faculty was established in 1942 and the School of Veterinary Medicine opened in 1985. These are the only institutions of higher learning in Israel that offer both teaching and research programs in their respective fields. The Faculty is a member of the [[Euroleague for Life Sciences]].
[[File:Hebrew University opening Ceremony.jpg|alt=Lord Balfour Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Mt. Scopus|thumb|Lord Balfour Speaking at the Opening Ceremony of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem on Mt. Scopus]]

==Libraries==
The Hebrew University libraries and their web catalogs can be accessed through the HUJI Library Authority portal.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lib-authority.huji.ac.il/ |title=lib-authority.huji.ac.il |publisher=lib-authority.huji.ac.il |date=2013-07-26 |access-date=2014-05-19 |archive-date=29 January 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090129204545/http://lib-authority.huji.ac.il/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Jewish National and University Library===
The [[Jewish National and University Library]] is the central and largest library of the Hebrew University and one of the most impressive book and manuscript collections in the world. It is also the oldest section of the university. Founded in 1892 as a world center for the preservation of books relating to Jewish thought and culture, it assumed the additional functions of a general university library in 1920. Its collections of [[Hebraica]] and [[Judaica]] are the largest in the world. It houses all materials published in Israel, and attempts to acquire all materials published in the world related to the country. It possesses over five million books and thousands of items in special sections, many of which are unique. Among these are the [[Albert Einstein Archives]], [[Hebrew]] [[manuscripts]] department, Eran Laor map collection, Edelstein science collection, [[Gershom Scholem]] collection, and a collection of [[Maimonides]]' manuscripts and early writings.

In his will, Albert Einstein left the Hebrew University his personal papers and the copyright to them. The Albert Einstein Archives contain some 55,000 items.<ref name=Einstein>{{cite news |last=Sela |first=Shimrit |url=http://news.haaretz.co.il/hasen/pages/ShArtStEngPE.jhtml?itemNo=1011875&contrassID=2&subContrassID=2&title=%27Phone%20company%27s%20%27Einstein%27%20ads%20shelved%20due%20to%20Hebrew%20U.%20copyright%20row%27&dyn_server=172.20.5.5 |title=Albert Einstein's bequest to the Hebrew University |work=Haaretz |date=March 15, 2011 |access-date=September 6, 2011 }}{{dead link|date=March 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>  In March 2012 the university announced that it had digitised the entire archive, and was planning to make it more accessible online.<ref>{{cite news|last = Rabinovitch | first = Ari | work = [[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-einstein-archive-idUSBRE82I0WD20120320 | date = March 20, 2012 | access-date = March 20, 2012 | title=Einstein the scientist, dreamer, lover: online}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Einstein papers to go digital on the Web | work = Space Daily |url=http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/Einstein_papers_to_go_digital_on_the_Web_999.html | date = March 19, 2012 | access-date = March 20, 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = University digitises Einstein archives via new website | work = [[Silicon Republic]] | last = Doyle | first = Carmel |url=http://www.siliconrepublic.com/innovation/item/26304-university-digitises-albert/ | date = March 20, 2012 | access-date = March 20, 2012}}</ref>  Included in the collection are his personal notes, love letters to various women, including the woman who would become his second wife, [[Elsa Einstein|Elsa]].

===Subject-based libraries===

In addition to the National Library, the Hebrew University operates subject-based libraries on its campuses, among them the [[Avraham Harman]] Science Library, Safra, Givat Ram; Mathematics and Computer Science Library, Safra, Givat Ram; Earth Sciences Library, Safra, Givat Ram; [[Berman Medical Library|Muriel and Philip I. Berman National Medical Library, Ein Kerem]]; Central Library of Agricultural Science, Rehovot; Bloomfield Library for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Mt. Scopus; Bernard G. Segal Law Library Center, Mt. Scopus; Emery and Claire Yass Library of the Institute of Archaeology, Mt. Scopus; Moses Leavitt Library of Social Work, Mt. Scopus; [[Zalman Aranne]] Central Education Library, Mt. Scopus; Library of the Rothberg School for International Students, Mt. Scopus; Roberta and Stanley Bogen Library of the [[Harry S. Truman]] Research Institute for the Advancement of Peace, Mt. Scopus; and the [[Steven Spielberg Jewish Film Archive]].

==Rankings==
{{Infobox university rankings
| ARWU_W = 81 | ARWU_W_year = 2024  | ARWU_W_ref = <ref>{{cite web | title=ShanghaiRanking-Univiersities | url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/institution/the-hebrew-university-of-jerusalem }}</ref>
| CWTS_W = 219 | CWTS_W_year = 2024 | CWTS_W_ref = <ref>{{cite web | title=CWTS Leiden Ranking | url=https://www.leidenranking.com/ranking/2024/list }}</ref>
| QS_W = =240 | QS_W_year = 2025 | QS_W_ref = <ref>{{cite web | title=The Hebrew University of Jerusalem | url=https://www.topuniversities.com/universities/hebrew-university-jerusalem }}</ref>
| THE_W = 301-350 | THE_W_year = 2025 | THE_W_ref = <ref>{{cite web | title=Hebrew University of Jerusalem | date=7 March 2024 | url=https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/hebrew-university-jerusalem }}</ref>
| USNWR_W = 271 | USNWR_W_year = 2025 | USNWR_W_ref = <ref>https://www.usnews.com/education/best-global-universities/hebrew-university-of-jerusalem-500554 {{Bare URL inline|date=August 2025}}</ref>
}}

According to the [[Academic Ranking of World Universities]], the Hebrew University is the top university in Israel, overall between 101st and 150th best university in the world, between 301st and 400th in physics, between 201st and 300th in computer science, and between 51st and 75th in business/economics.<ref>[http://www.shanghairanking.com/World-University-Rankings/The-Hebrew-University-of-Jerusalem.html Academic Ranking of World Universities 2020] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023143548/http://www.shanghairanking.com/World-University-Rankings/The-Hebrew-University-of-Jerusalem.html |date=2013-10-23 }}, published by [[Shanghai Jiao Tong University]] in 2020.</ref>

In 2021, Shanghai Ranking and the Center for World University Rankings ranked the Hebrew University 1st in Israel in its ''World University Rankings'' (90th according to Shanghai Ranking<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/arwu/2021|title=ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities|website=www.shanghairanking.com}}</ref> and 64th in the world according to the Center for World University Rankings).<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cwur.org/2021-22/Hebrew-University-of-Jerusalem.php|title=Top 100 |publisher=Center for World University Rankings| year=2020 | access-date=October 7, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=admin_afhu |date=2021-08-16 |title=Hebrew University Ranks 90th Among World's Top 100 Universities, #1 in Israel |url=https://www.afhu.org/2021/08/16/hebrew-university-ranks-90th-among-worlds-top-100-universities-1-in-israel/ |access-date=2023-08-07 |website=American Friends of the Hebrew University |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Hebrew University consistently ranks as Israel's best university in [[mathematics]], and among the best worldwide. It was ranked as the 11th best institution in mathematics worldwide in 2017, 19th best in 2018, 21st best in 2019, and 25th best in 2020.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.shanghairanking.com/Shanghairanking-Subject-Rankings/mathematics.html |title=ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2019 – Mathematics &#124; Shanghai Ranking – 2019 |publisher=Shanghai Ranking |access-date=2020-02-18 |archive-date=1 July 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701105815/http://www.shanghairanking.com/Shanghairanking-Subject-Rankings/mathematics.html |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>The Hebrew University of Jerusalem climbed 13 places to rank 77th among the world's top universities, and the highest-ranked university in Israel, according to the 2022 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) published on Monday morning.</ref>

==Friends of the University==
The university has an international Society of Friends organizations covering more than 25 countries. Canadian Friends of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem (CFHU), founded in 1944 by Canadian philanthropist Allan Bronfman, promotes awareness, leadership and financial support for The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. CFHU facilitates academic and research partnerships between Canada and Israel as well as establishing scholarships, supporting research, cultivating student and faculty exchanges and recruiting Canadian students to attend the Rothberg International School.  CFHU has chapters in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver.

The [[American Friends of the Hebrew University]] (AFHU) is a not-for-profit 501(c)3 organization that provides programs, events and fundraising activities in support of the university. It was founded by the American philanthropist, [[Felix M. Warburg]] in 1925. Supported by its founder, [[Stephen Floersheimer]], and headed by Eran Razin, ''Floersheimer Studies'' is a singular program, publishing studies in the field of society, governance and space in Israel. It was established in 2007 replacing the ''Floersheimer Institute for Policy Studies'' of 1991.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.fips.huji.ac.il/|title=Floersheimer Studies|website=en.fips.huji.ac.il|language=en|access-date=2017-08-16}}</ref>
<!-- PLEASE RESPECT ALPHABETICAL ORDER -->

==Publications==
==={{Anchor|Institute of Archaeology, Mt. Scopus}}Institute of Archaeology, Mt. Scopus===
* ''Qedem: Monographs of the Institute of Archaeology''
* ''Qedem Reports''
* ''Jerusalem Journal of Archaeology'' (JJAR), open-access, peer-reviewed, multi-disciplinary journal

==Notable people==
{{Further|List of Hebrew University of Jerusalem people|List of Nobel laureates by university affiliation}}
Since its founding in 1918, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem has produced generations of leaders, innovators, and scholars who have shaped Israel and the world. It is the university with the most Israeli Prime Ministers among its graduates (4), as well as multiple Presidents, Supreme Court justices, Mossad directors, and Israel Prize laureates. 

<gallery class="center" classes="center" mode="packed" widths="140" heights="140" perrow="5" caption="Notable Hebrew University alumni and faculty include:">
File:Ehud Barak official portrait 1999.jpg|10th Prime Minister of Israel [[Ehud Barak]] (B.Sc. Physics and Mathematics, 1968)
File:Ariel Sharon 2001.jpg|11th Prime Minister of Israel [[Ariel Sharon]] (B.A. History and Middle Eastern Studies)
File:Ehud Olmert official portrait 2006 (cropped).png|12th Prime Minister of Israel [[Ehud Olmert]] (B.A., LL.B.)
File:Naftali Bennett official portrait.jpg|13th Prime Minister of Israel [[Naftali Bennett]] (LL.B.)
File:Natalie Portman 2023.jpg|[[Academy Award]]-winning actress [[Natalie Portman]] (B.A. Psychology, 2003)
File:Daniel Kahneman (3283955327) (cropped).jpg|[[Nobel Prize in Economics|Nobel laureate in Economics]] [[Daniel Kahneman]] (faculty member and alumnus)
File:Aaron Ciechanover 01.JPG|[[Nobel Prize in Chemistry|Nobel laureate in Chemistry]] [[Aaron Ciechanover]] (MS, MD)
File:AHARON BARAK.jpg|Former President of the [[Supreme Court of Israel]] [[Aharon Barak]] (LL.B., LL.M. 1958; LL.D. 1963)
File:MKr364751 Yuval Noah Harari (Frankfurter Buchmesse 2024).jpg|Historian and bestselling author [[Yuval Noah Harari]] (B.A., History)
File:Efraim Halevy.jpg|Former Director of [[Mossad]] [[Ephraim Halevy]] (LL.B.)
</gallery>

==Yissum==
Yissum Research Development Company is the university's technology transfer company, founded in 1964. Yissum handles all licenses and patents of the researchers and employees of the Hebrew University. Since its formation Yissum has founded more than 80 spin-off companies such as: [[Mobileye]], BriefCam, HumanEyes, [[OrCam device|OrCam]], ExLibris, BioCancell, NewStem<ref>{{Cite news |date=14 December 2022 |title=NewStem, MSK Innovation Hub Team to Validate Cancer Diagnostics Software Platform |work=[[GenomeWeb]] |url=https://www.genomeweb.com/business-news/newstem-msk-innovation-hub-team-validate-cancer-diagnostics-software-platform |access-date=14 December 2022}}</ref> and many more. Yissum is led by Yaacov Michlin and other leaders in the business industry such as: Tamir Huberman,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://il.linkedin.com/in/tamirhuberman/ |title=Tamir Huberman – Israel &#124; LinkedIn |publisher=Il.linkedin.com |access-date=2014-05-19 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131106121050/http://il.linkedin.com/in/tamirhuberman/ |archive-date=2013-11-06 }}</ref> Dov Reichman, Shoshi Keinan, Ariela Markel and Michal Levy. Yissum is also a member of ITTN (Israel Technology Transfer Organization).

==See also==
{{Portal bar|Israel|Education}}
*[[Einstein Papers Project]]
*[[Yehezkel Kaufman]]
*[[List of Israeli universities and colleges]]

{{clear}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons}}
*[http://new.huji.ac.il/en Official website]

=== Friends of The Hebrew University ===
*[http://www.afhu.org  '''American''' Friends of the Hebrew University]
*[http://www.bfhu.org  '''British''' Friends of The Hebrew University (BFHU)]
*[http://cfhu.org  '''Canadian''' Friends of The Hebrew University (CFHU)]

=== Alumni ===
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110401202706/http://www.hujalumni.eu/  The '''European Alumni''' of The Hebrew University]

=== Locations ===
* [[Mount Scopus]] campus: {{Coord|31|47|40|N|35|14|20|E|display=inline,title}} <!-- from the Google maps location of the main campus listed in the text above -->
* [[Givat Ram Stadium]]: {{Coord|31|46|33|N|35|12|00|E|display=inline}}

{{Hebrew University of Jerusalem}}
{{Universities in Israel}}
{{UNIMED}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Hebrew University of Jerusalem| ]]
[[Category:1925 establishments in Mandatory Palestine]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges established in 1925]]
[[Category:Law schools in Israel]]
[[Category:Research institutes in Israel]]
[[Category:Universities in Israel]]
[[Category:Universities and colleges in Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Erich Mendelsohn buildings]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Rehovot]]
[[Category:Mount Scopus]]