Public Enrichment & Academic Programs

Women Speaking Hebrew Program

Wanting to enable minority groups to speak Hebrew, some university students initiated and now teach spoken Hebrew to women from East Jerusalem, on a voluntary basis. Every week, more than 300 women come to the Mount Scopus campus and benefit from free courses.

Women’s Circles Program

Empowering female university students and strengthening the university's connections with some of Jerusalem’s female residents, the Women’s Circles program brings together these two groups for study, dialogue and social activities, run by the students. Both the students and the residents hail from diverse cultural backgrounds. The circles focus on women’s issues, human rights and leadership.

Department of Psychology in the Community

Faculty members at the Department of Psychology are active in a variety of public bodies. Their activities include helping the Not Standing By Idly organization which helps women caught in the cycle of prostitution, and 'Or Shalom' which provides safe, loving homes and educational, psychological, and material support for children who have been removed from their homes by the social welfare services following severe abuse, neglect and tragedy.

Department of Geography in Beit Hakerem 

Department of Geography faculty members volunteer on the Beit Hakerem neighborhood committee, which campaigns for proper treatment of contaminated soil in the Beit Hakerem neighborhood of Jerusalem.

University for the People Program

Some 500 people, referred by social services and rehabilitation authorities, take weekly courses at the university in Law, Business, and Psychology, free of charge. These courses include an experiential element, are tailored to the needs of the participants, and are designed to empower them. The student-teachers of this program take part in a year-long academic course to prepare them for teaching and for strengthening their social responsibility.

School of Social Work and Social Welfare Shares its Know-How

Faculty members at the Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare engage in a wide range of activities to make their knowledge and experience accessible to the general public.

Their programs include:

  • Support and professional counselling through the JDC Better Together and the Community Work Service programs, which work to create long-term change in blighted neighborhoods.
  • Intervention programs to enable parents and their children to regulate emotions, build emotional resilience, and strengthen their ability to cope with difficult life events.
  • 'NAMAL' (Make Room for Games) and 'PANDA' (Coping Methods) programs in conjunction with 'Metiv', the Israel Psychotrauma Center.
  • Public lectures on multiculturalism, children at risk, and ethics.
  • Guidance for the Fourth World Movement, an international movement that seeks to overcome poverty by seeking out people living in the worst conditions of poverty and exclusion around the world.
  • Volunteering at the Israel Association for Couple and Family Therapy.
  • Managing the Ralph Goldman Center for Social Welfare, Judaism and Ethics Center.
  • Serving on public committees.

Digital Starter Program

Hebrew University students use their digital skills to help business owners located at the outskirts of Jerusalem, by promoting these businesses in social and digital media. Both the student volunteers and the business owners benefit from the professional, personal and practical bonds they form.