American Friends of Bar-Ilan University

💻 The Technological Backbone of Bar-Ilan's Breakthroughs ⚡

At Bar-Ilan University, a powerful technological foundation underpins every advancement.

Over the past decade, Bar-Ilan has transformed nearly every aspect of campus operations. This ranges from becoming Israel’s first university to implement a fully digital student administration system; to migrating critical infrastructure and learning platforms to the cloud; to launching advanced data and automation systems that support research, teaching, and student success.

Key milestones include:
💭 Campus-wide cloud migration
🛜 Online examination and remote testing capabilities
🧑‍💻 Digital faculty and student service portals
🔢 Automation of administrative processes
📊 An advanced research-supporting data center
✔️ Modernized procurement and operational infrastructure

These investments may occur behind the scenes, but their impact is felt across every classroom, laboratory, and research center. By building a stronger technological backbone, Bar-Ilan is empowering world-class research, enhancing the student experience, and pioneering a model for the university for the future.

📈 A Surge in Scholarship: Faculty Recruitment at Bar-Ilan 📚

Bar-Ilan University’s investment in world-class talent is paying dividends.

Over the past eight years, the university’s faculty has grown from 663 to 712 members, with 49 new faculty recruits joining in 2025 (up from the 17 faculty members who joined in 2017). Among these new hires, eight have earned prestigious awards recognizing exceptional research achievement and future potential.

Behind every breakthrough in AI, medicine, cybersecurity, energy, and the sciences is a brilliant researcher pushing the boundaries of knowledge. By attracting outstanding faculty, Bar-Ilan is strengthening Israel’s innovation ecosystem and advancing discoveries that impact lives around the world.

American Friends of Bar-Ilan University is proud to support the university’s continued growth and its commitment to academic excellence, cutting-edge research, and educating the next generation of leaders.

🩺 BUILDING THE FUTURE OF HEALTHCARE IN ISRAEL 🇮🇱

As Israel's healthcare system faces growing challenges, from physician shortages to rising demand for accessible, high-quality care, innovative solutions have never been more important.

That is exactly why Bar-Ilan University's Azrieli Faculty of Medicine was founded.

Located in the Galilee, the Faculty combines academic excellence with a commitment to improving health outcomes through medical education, research, and community engagement. Students are trained not only as physicians, but as leaders dedicated to advancing health equity and addressing real-world healthcare challenges.

Through its research, partnerships, and community-based initiatives, Bar-Ilan is helping develop innovative approaches to prevention, treatment, and healthcare delivery, particularly in underserved communities across Israel's North.

📅 Interested in learning more? Join us on June 16 for Meeting Israel's Public Health Challenges, featuring Dr. Sivan Spitzer and Dr. Idana Goldberg.

🔗 Register: https://tinyurl.com/IsraeliHealthWebinar

Bar-Ilan University continues to strengthen its position as a leader in artificial intelligence research and innovation.

The latest example: Dr. Yoli Shavit of Bar-Ilan's Faculty of Engineering is part of an elite European consortium awarded a €5.95 million Horizon Europe grant to develop advanced AI models that could transform how new materials are discovered, designed, and brought to market.

The achievement reflects Bar-Ilan's broader investment in AI across disciplines, where researchers are applying cutting-edge technologies to tackle challenges in fields ranging from engineering and medicine to cybersecurity and the social sciences.

By combining world-class research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and a commitment to ethical innovation, Bar-Ilan is helping shape the future of artificial intelligence — and ensuring its benefits extend far beyond the laboratory.

📣 STAFF ANNOUNCEMENT 🇮🇱🇺🇸

American Friends of Bar-Ilan University is excited to welcome Boaz Meir, who brings a rare combination of strategic vision, deep relationship-building skills, and a proven track record of engaging philanthropists around meaningful causes to the newly created role of VP of Principal Gifts.

“I could not be more excited to join the team supporting Israel’s second-largest university,” Boaz said. “Bar-Ilan is a truly unique place. It doesn’t just drive academic excellence and power the ‘Start-Up Nation’ through groundbreaking research—it also serves as a moral and cultural anchor.”

Boaz joins AFBIU in this newly created national role at a time when the organization continues to rally American support for Bar-Ilan, which in recent years has cemented its status as Israel’s fastest-growing major research institution, thanks to surging student enrollment in advanced graduate and doctoral programs.

Read more in the Boulder Jewish News: https://boulderjewishnews.org/2026/denverite-boaz-meir-steps-into-new-role-as-vp-of-principal-gifts-at-american-friends-of-bar-ilan-university/

Shabbat Shalom from the campus of Bar-Ilan University.

Wishing a peaceful and restful Shabbat to our students, faculty, alumni, friends, and supporters in the United States and around the world.

Israel’s healthcare system is facing growing pressure amid ongoing regional instability, rising demand, and widening gaps in access to care. At the same time, the need for innovative, community-focused healthcare solutions has never been greater.

This moment calls not only for recovery, but for a reimagining of healthcare delivery and equity in times of prolonged disruption. And that is precisely where Bar-Ilan University has stepped in.

Join us on June 16 for a timely program on innovative solutions helping strengthen healthcare access and outcomes in the North and across Israel. Our latest webinar features Dr. Sivan Spitzer, Deputy Director of Bar-Ilan's Russell Berrie Galilee Diabetes SPHERE, and Dr. Idana Goldberg, CEO of the Russell Berrie Foundation. Their conversation will explore the challenges facing the region today and the cutting-edge approaches that are improving access to care while creating a stronger foundation for the future.

🇮🇱 Meeting Israel's Public Health Challenges 🩺
🗓️ Tuesday, June 16
🕛 12 pm ET / 11 am CT / 10 am MT / 9 am PT

REGISTER HERE: https://tinyurl.com/IsraeliHealthWebinar

The classroom didn't stop. Neither did they. 📖

Even as Israel faces its most prolonged period of conflict in decades, Bar-Ilan University students show up, engage, and push forward.

Last year, Bar-Ilan ranked #1 in psychology, AI language research, energy, chip design, and smart materials, and saw a 37% increase in research funding over eight years, among the highest of any Israeli university.

Excellence isn't a headline. It's what happens every day in these seats.