Neve Yerushalayim is the oldest and largest college for Jewish women in the world. Founded in 1970 to educate baalot teshuva in the why and how of living an Orthodox Jewish life, Neve has approximately 35,000 alumni. Its campus in the Har Nof neighborhood of Jerusalem is also home to 11 schools and seminaries for post-high school, undergraduate, and graduate students from religious backgrounds.
History
Neve was founded in 1970 by Rabbi Dovid Refson, the British-born alumnus of the Gateshead Yeshiva and Yeshivas Knesses Chizkiyahu. After his marriage, he entered the kollel at the Harry Fischel Institute in Jerusalem and began delivering shiurim to American students. Deciding to open his own yeshiva, he placed an advertisement in The Jerusalem Post and was surprised when three young women showed up. "I thought yeshivah meant for boys, but apparently, in some places, yeshivah can mean a girls' school as well", he said. The staff "adapted" to the new reality, and Neve was born. Soon after, Rabbi Moshe Chalkowski came on board as principal. Students began arriving at the school on the recommendation of Rabbi Shlomo Freifeld, Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, and the Chabad movement. The student body was older than Refson expected; while he was only 24 years old at the time, Neve's first students were in their late twenties and early thirties; some were as much as ten years his senior. In its early years, Neve was considered an unofficial sister school to the Ohr Somayach yeshiva for baal teshuva men in Jerusalem. First located in the Bayit Vegan neighborhood of Jerusalem, Neve expanded in the 1970s with a Hebrew division, a preparatory school, and the one-year Shalhevet program. In the 1980s, Neve added a French division and the Machon Devorah seminary. The latter seminary has since been joined on campus by other seminaries designed for post-high-school women from religious backgrounds. According to Refson, the idea of adding seminaries to the baalot teshuvah campus was meant to augment the girls' experience of Judaism, "creating a culture where kashrus, Shabbos and tzniyus are taken for granted".
Curriculum
Neve offers courses for beginner through advanced levels. From the start, instructors focused on the practical applications of Jewish law. Subjects include kashrut, the laws of family purity, and the laws of Shabbat and Jewish holidays. The curriculum also includes Tanakh and Jewish literature, aside from Talmud.
Student body
The English-speaking student body at Neve hails from the United States, Canada, Great Britain, South Africa, and Australia. In 2014, the school maintained a student body of 900 women. As of 2019, the average age of students is post-graduate; many obtained professional qualifications before coming to study here. As of 2019, Neve has approximately 35,000 alumni. The college is also a drop-in site for North American and South Americankiruv groups, and summer visits by college students, Birthright groups, and visiting professionals.
Campus
Neve acquired its campus in Har Nof with significant funding from the Committee for Aid and Development Abroad chaired by United States SenatorDaniel Inouye. The main building and two dormitories opened in 1987. As of 2016, the campus includes 12 academic buildings and eight dormitories, plus an auditorium, amphitheater, and synagogue. The Family Institute at Neve Yerushalayim, a family counseling clinic staffed by over 60 religious therapists, sees more than 400 clients monthly.
