Israel now an option for Baylor study abroad students

For the first time, Baylor students will have the opportunity to study in Israel, through BearsAbroad and a partnership with Tel Aviv University.

Tel Aviv is Israel’s largest university, with more than 30,000 students enrolled, and is consistently ranked among the top 100 universities in the world thanks to a reputation for innovation and discovery.

Recognizing the benefits Baylor students would gain both educationally and spiritually, Dr. Jerry Long, PhD ’01, Baylor’s director of Middle East studies, has been working to start up a Tel Aviv program for years. “Our own Christian faith is rooted in that physical space, as well as our theological identity,” notes Long.

The BearsAbroad program isn’t blind to the concerns students and parents may have about safety in Israel, says Bobby Leis, an exchange program and study abroad advisor. “Tel Aviv is incredibly nice, well kept, and incredibly safe, in a great location,” Leis continues. “It’s probably the safest place you could go in Israel right now.” And, as with all their study abroad programs, the BearsAbroad staff keeps a close eye on safety levels dictated by the state department. “Even before warnings start to go into orange, Baylor will pull out of the program,” Leis says, noting how long Baylor hit pause on its program in Egypt. “For any student to go into this program, it has to meet the Baylor standard and international safety standard.”

Israel joins the dozens of countries across every continent but Antarctica that Bears can study in during their time at Baylor. For more information on this and other BearsAbroad programs, visit bearsabroad.baylor.edu.

Sic ’em, Bears in Tel Aviv!