History of the Jewish People and Contemporary Jewry
Hebrew University of JerusalemBachelor of Arts (B.A)
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Admission requirements
You can be admitted through one of these tracks:
By bagrut, no psychometric exam
Required bagrut average for direct admission
- Direct admission 9.75 (deserving advancement category 9.4)
Regular track
Weighted score based on the psychometric exam and bagrut (department admission threshold)(our wording)
- Admission threshold for the department 16.000. Explanations of how the calculation is done at the link
Through a preparatory program
Weighted score based on the psychometric exam and a mechina
- 50%/50% (applies to all mechina tracks)
Regular track
Required psychometric score for direct admission (for those eligible for a bagrut certificate)
- Direct admission 550 (deserving advancement category 515)
For adults and those who have studied before6
Weighted score based on the psychometric exam and a bachelor’s degree
- 50%/50% (does not apply when applicants with a degree are admitted directly)
Weighted score based on the psychometric exam, bagrut, and partial academic studies
- Weighted score based on the psychometric exam, bagrut, and partial academic studies. Relevant admission track. Contact the Registration and Admissions Office to check your chances of admission
Transfer track from The Open University of Israel
- A transfer track from The Open University of Israel to the department for the second year is available.
- Students must take 3 Open University courses (18 credit points in total) from the following group and earn a grade of 75 or higher in each course.
- Students must take courses in at least 2 of the following periods: the First Temple period (= the biblical period); the Second Temple, Mishnah, and Talmud period; the Middle Ages; the modern period.
- They must also meet the requirements of the transfer track to an additional department or supplementary studies.
- Students who wish to enter the faculty through the transfer track must take 6 Open University courses totaling 36 Open University credit points, approximately equivalent to 1 academic year in the faculty, and earn at least the required grade in each course, as specified for the department they wish to enroll in.
- Students who meet the track requirements listed below will be admitted to the faculty as second-year students, starting in the 2008/09 academic year.
- Students admitted to the faculty must obtain an exemption from English as a foreign language courses.
Direct admission for holders of a bachelor's degree/doctorate
- Direct admission for holders of a bachelor's degree/doctorate is available
Psychometric score for direct admission for applicants aged 30 and older (for those eligible for a bagrut certificate)
- Psychometric score for direct admission for applicants aged 30 and over (for those eligible for a bagrut certificate). Relevant admission track
Admission requirements for the second year
- English exemption required
- Completion of at least 1 academic year of study at an institution recognized by the Council for Higher Education 25 credit points minimum
- Compatibility between previous studies and the department's requirements
- Applicants must meet the requirements for moving on to the second year at the institution where they studied.
- Applicants must have an average grade of 75 or higher in the department in which they wish to continue their studies.
- The most suitable applicants will be admitted following discussion by the department's admissions committee and approval by the faculty's teaching committee
These are minimum requirements: meeting them does not by itself guarantee admission.
The requirements are in the institution's words. Names and labels marked "our wording" are our own, written from the same page.
For every track
- Minimum English levelScore of 85/Basic level
- Score of 120, required in cases where the language of instruction in high school is not Hebrew
- Type of psychometric scorePsychometric general multi-domain score, psychometric quantitative-oriented score, psychometric verbal-oriented score
- The History of the Jewish People and Contemporary Jewry department has one registration track: 105-1320 - History of the Jewish People and Contemporary Jewry double major
- A double-major track combining studies with another department from the combinations table
The Hebrew terms
bagrut averageממוצע בגרותbagrutבגרותadmission trackמסלול קבלהdirect admissionקבלה ישירה“deserving advancement” (affirmative-action category based on socio-economic criteria)ראויים לקידוםweighted scoreציון משוקללpsychometric examפסיכומטריadmission thresholdציון סףdepartmentחוגmechinaמכינה
Check your chances — the institution's calculator
- Source:The institution's siteinfo.huji.ac.ilchecked 2 Oct 2026
- Source:The institution's siteopenu.ac.ilchecked 2 Oct 2026
What you study
In the Department of Jewish History and Contemporary Jewry, we ask exactly this question. Looking at the events of each period throughout history, we try to discover how the ancient Israelites changed from a culture centered on the Temple into the “People of the Book.”
Studies cover different periods and events in the history of the Jewish people, from the biblical period to the 21st century, in Israel and around the world. History is studied and researched from different perspectives, such as social, political, economic, religious, cultural and geographic history, and others. Topics covered in the degree include: the biblical period, the Second Temple period, the period of the Mishnah and Talmud, the Arab and Crusader periods, Jews in Christian Europe, Jews under Islamic rule, World War II, waves of immigration to the Land of Israel, the establishment of the state, the State of Israel and the Diaspora, and more.
- Source:The institution's siteinfo.huji.ac.ilchecked 2 Oct 2026
- Source:Avodata, Ministry of Laboravodata.labor.gov.ilchecked 2 Oct 20262023 data
After the degree
What graduates work as
- Teaching in secondary schoolmost commonTeaching at the secondary-school level, excluding the teaching of subjects intended to prepare students for work in specific fields of employment.
- Teaching in elementary schoolTeaching a range of subjects at the elementary-school level.
Which industries they work in
- Education50%
Graduates’ salaries are about average 15,300 ₪ Average monthly salary 5–6 years after completing their studies(average across universities)
Most graduates go on to a master's degree(average across universities)
- Source:Avodata, Ministry of Laboravodata.labor.gov.il“universities” tabchecked 2 Oct 20262023 data
Admitted students and graduates
for this program at this institution
- Program length: 3 years
- Source:Avodata, Ministry of Laboravodata.labor.gov.ilchecked 2 Oct 2026
Money
How the institution is funded
Budgeted institutions
Tuition2026/27
Annual tuition for a full-time bachelor's degree program in the 2026/27 academic year: ₪12,203.
- Source:Council for Higher Educationche.org.il /…/מוסדות מתוקצביםchecked 4 Oct 2026
- Source:Council for Higher Educationche.org.il /…/שכר-הלימודchecked 4 Oct 2026
Links
This field at other institutions
- Ariel University in SamariaHistory of the Jewish PeopleBachelor of Arts (B.A)
- Bar-Ilan UniversityJewish HistoryBachelor of Arts (B.A)
- Ben-Gurion University of the NegevHistory of the Jewish PeopleBachelor of Arts (B.A)
- Tel Aviv UniversityHistory of the Jewish PeopleBachelor of Arts (B.A)
- University of HaifaHistory of the Jewish PeopleBachelor of Arts (B.A)