Religious Life on Campus

Tel Aviv University is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion and is a host to students from various ethnic and religious backgrounds. It is the policy of the University to respect all religious beliefs—no student will be penalized for absence due to religious observance, and alternative arrangements will be sought to satisfy the academic requirements involved.

Please consult your program coordinator regarding any questions or issues you might have.

 

 Prayer Spaces on Campus

 

For Jewish students, there are many minyanim (prayer services) each day except Shabbat. At the Cymbalista Synagogue on campus, Shacharit is at 7:10. There are two options for Mincha, a longer minyan at 13:30 and a shorter one at 13:55. Maariv is at 18:10 (even in the summer). Depending on demand, there is a Friday night minyan at Shai 20 as often as possible.

There are multiple synagogues in the area around the campus. The closest to both dorms is at Noach 20. Their Friday night minyan starts at the same time that Shabbat starts and on Shabbat morning is at 9:00.

 

For Muslims, there are several prayer spaces available: at the Buchmann Faculty of Law building, the Exact Sciences Library, and the Einstein dorms.

Christian students typically hold their prayers in the Abraham Meerbaum Auditorium, which is by the Faculty of Medical Sciences.

 

See the online campus map or download a PDF map to find the specific building. 

 

 Jewish Resources on Campus

 

All food on campus is kosher-certified. There is a wide choice of meat, milk, and vegetarian options. There is a kosher McDonalds and coffee available all around campus. However, please note that the Japanika outside the main gate of the university is not kosher. Not all the restaurants at the bottom of Broshim are required to be kosher and therefore it is important to check. Currently, Burgerim and Aroma at Broshim are kosher certified.

 

There is a Shabbat key to gain entrance to the dorms on Shabbat without using an electronic chip or card. Please request one from the building administration and they will provide this for you. Lights turn on automatically in the hallway, which is permissible and one does not need to worry about these lights on Shabbat. Please speak to Rav Eitan for more information.

 

All students may request a mezuzah from maintenance. If one wants to buy their own or buy any Judaica there is a Judaica store in Ramat Aviv Gimmel, at Shuster Center.

 

There are on-campus options for students who wish to actively participate in Jewish religious life:

 

 Hillel

 

The Foundation for Jewish Life on Campus is a student-run organization that provides a variety of programming on college campuses around the world. Throughout the school year, TAU Hillel offers events in English and Hebrew that are open to all regardless of religion or nationality.

 

For more information regarding Hillel, go to their Tel Aviv website.

 

 M.D. Katz JLIC at TAU

 

The M.D. Katz Jewish Learning Initiative on campus (JLIC)* is at TAU to provide our students from any denomination or religious affiliation, a way to observe religious aspects of Jewish life during their time at the university.

The M.D. Katz JLIC program directors host dinners every Friday without fail, celebrations for Jewish holidays such as Hanukkah, and Rosh Hashanah, weekly Shiurim and classes, bring guest speakers and events to campus, and make key Orthodox necessities, such as Kashrut, Chagim, and Shabbat, easier to observe and more meaningful.

Find out about their upcoming events on their Instagram.

 

Download the brochure to learn more about JLIC initiatives at TAU

 

 

Meet the Сouple:

Eitan and Elana Phillips are TAU’s onsite rabbinic couple and M.D. Katz JLIC’s program directors. They facilitate social activities and religious studies at their home for interested students.

Working closely with the Lowy International staff, Eitan and Elana are building an open and accessible community for those wishing to observe a religious life on campus.

 

Rabbi Eitan grew up in London and has been in Israel for most of the last decade including serving in the IDF. After learning at Yeshivat Hakotel, he studied Jewish history and Politics at Hebrew University. He then completed his Masters at Haifa University, whilst receiving Smicha from Mizrachi Musmachim (RabbinicalOrdination). Eitan then worked in high-tech and was the youth director at Shivtei Yisrael in Raanana for two years, prior to establishing the program at Tel Aviv University. Most recently Eitan served in the IDF reserves during the Israel-Hamas war post-Oct 7th.

Eitan can often be found in the library, CafeNeto (his fav spot for coffee), or Coffee Star (in his opinion the best salads on campus). Eitan loves political theory, talking about Israel and current affairs, as well as playing and watching football (soccer).

 

Elana made aliyah at the age of seven from New York to Efrat. She did Sherut Leumi in a home for children at risk and then was a Madricha at Midreshet Moriah, while studying for her BA in Psychology and Education at Hebrew University. Elana was also a youth director in Raanana for two years. Elana worked in high tech for a year and completed her MA in Educational Psychology and now works in schools in Tel Aviv as an educational psychologist.

She loves spending time with her family, swimming and dancing. Together Elana and Eitan have three children, Yakir (5), Oriyah (3), and Naveh (4 months).

 

Both Eitan and Elana are available and would love to get coffee to chat or learn something together! Do not hesitate to reach out.

 

 

Eitan and Elana Phillips, with their two older children.

 

* The M.D. Katz JLIC at Tel Aviv University was made possible by New Jersey philanthropist Dr. Monique Katz and her family in memory of Dr. Mordecai (Morty) Katz, z”l, who passed away at 88 in March 2021.