Director's Statement

Tel Aviv is a young city, as it influences and shapes world humanity, with just over one hundred years of history; it is the business and cultural heart of Israel, a country with more than three millennia of history and culture.

Israel is a fascinating country in which to travel, study and do research. The country serves as “God’s little museum”: the lowest place on earth (The Dead Sea) vs. high mountains (ski in the Hermon); beautiful sea beaches along the Mediterranean vs. desert wilderness; wild rare fauna (Persian Fallow Deer) and flora; vibrant modern cities (Tel Aviv) vs. holy cities (Jerusalem).

Israel boasts several Nobel Prize winners; its science research is among the best in the world and its entrepreneurship and innovations skills are world reknown as recorded in the famous book Start-Up Nation. One can see many small start‐up companies as well as entrepreneurship incubator hubs along beautiful Rothschild Avenue in the center of Tel Aviv. Israel also enjoys fantastic academic research in the Humanities, the Social Sciences and the Arts. Tel Aviv, for example, has a vibrant, world‐class modern dance scene.

Greater Tel Aviv‐Jaffa is an outstanding academic place and a popular destination for international students and faculty. In addition, Tel Aviv offers young people a dynamic student life with its bustling nightlife, lively art scene, gay‐friendly attitude, and 14‐ kilometer beach. The city is a great contrast to Jerusalem, an ancient religious Holy City on the Judean Hills.

NYU Tel Aviv offers courses in Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies (including intensive study of Hebrew and Arabic), the Sciences and business entrepreneurship and innovations in addition to courses on Israeli cinema, Queer Theory, journalism, history, and conflict resolution.

If you study at NYU Tel Aviv, you will be exposed to the wonders of the Ancient and the Modern worlds at the same time; enjoy great academic minds, taste fantastic innovative fresh Mediterranean food and delight yourself in the art scene here.

Benjamin Hary, Ph.D. (Berkeley)

Professor, Skirball Department of Hebrew and Judaic Studies,

New York University

Director of New York University, Tel Aviv

Headshot of NYU Tel Aviv Director, Benjamin Hary

Benjamin Hary, Ph.D. - NYU Tel Aviv


Facilities & Services

NYU Tel Aviv is located in the Old North of Tel Aviv, a quiet, central neighborhood adjacent from HaYarkon Park. Our academic center, which houses our classrooms and administrative offices, is located less than five minutes away from the residence hall. It is equipped with study lounges, a reading room with computers and printers for students and a small kitchenette with a water bar, a microwave and a mini-fridge for personal use.

In addition to the NYU Tel Aviv facilities, students have access to libraries located on Tel Aviv University's campus, a short 15-minute bus ride away. And, in our academic center’s neighborhood, you can find numerous cafes, restaurants and parks for recreation and study.


The City

Tel Aviv, Israel’s cosmopolitan coastal city, is the second largest city in Israel. Situated on the Mediterranean coastline, Tel Aviv is the country’s academic and cultural center and economic hub. The city epitomizes a culture that is both ancient and modern in unique and complex ways. Tel Aviv is at once Mediterranean and Middle Eastern, it is a dynamic global city with all the international and cultural influences this status entails.

It is one of the world’s most important and closely-watched global cities, ranking third after Tokyo and Paris as the city with the most news agencies. From their base in Israel, journalists cover the entire Middle East. Tel Aviv has the world’s largest number of bio-tech start-ups per capita, and the second largest (after the US’s Silicon Valley) concentration of high tech firms.

Tel Aviv boasts some of the Mediterranean’s best cultural institutions, restaurants, and recreation. Three of the largest cultural centers in Israel are located in Tel Aviv: the Tel Aviv Museum of Art, the Diaspora Museum, and the Eretz Israel Museum. There are many world-class museums and galleries,  a vibrant intellectual scene, as well as the site of cutting-edge theater and dance. In addition, opera and classical music performances occur daily.

The architecture of Tel Aviv is quite unique with buildings representing such styles as Ottoman, Levantine, Bauhaus, and Modern. Tel Aviv is a World Heritage site for having the densest concentration of Bauhaus architecture in the world, some 1,500 buildings.

Tel Aviv has a diverse population representing nationalities from the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and beyond.

Climate

Tel Aviv averages more than 300 sunny days a year! Consequently the beaches are very popular. Summers along the Mediterranean are typically hot with pleasant springs and autumns, and cool wet winters. In winter, temperatures seldom drop below 40 degrees Fahrenheit and daytime in summer is often about 80 degrees Fahrenheit or warmer.

Transit Tips

Walking is one of the best ways to get around Tel Aviv, since the city is small and incredibly flat. In addition, you can rent a bicycle or take the bus. The Dan Bus Company has many bus lines around Tel Aviv and nearby areas.


Culture & Customs

The abundance of warm weather and access to public beaches make the coastline an important part of city life. Writer and lifelong Tel Aviv resident Etgar Keret describes the city as “half Iran, half California; it’s a synagogue meets sushi bar.”

Israeli cuisine is a fusion of various cultures, and Tel Aviv boasts some of the Mediterrean’s best restaurants. By simply strolling along the coast, people in Tel Aviv will find falafel stands, Yemenite eateries, Moroccan restaurants, cafes, souks, sushi bars, and much more.

Tel Aviv has more than one hundred synagogues, and one of Tel Aviv’s famous landmarks is the Hassan Bek Mosque located on the beach. The ancient port city of Jaffa, which borders Tel Aviv, is home to large Muslim and Christian communities.