NYU is rated first for Jewish students

NYU was ranked the No. 1 private school in the most recent "Top 60 Schools Jews Choose" survey by Reform Judaism Magazine.

The university has the highest Jewish undergraduate population on the list with 6,000 students, followed by Boston University, Yeshiva University and Cornell University. Yeshiva University was ranked third in population but first by percentage of Jews with 100 percent, outranking NYU, where 28.2 percent of students are Jewish.

Jewish student and CAS sophomore Steph Ray considered NYU's large Jewish population when she decided to attend NYU, but she felt other features of the school were more important.

"I was more influenced by NYU's academic offerings and location," Ray said. "The large Jewish population was more of an asset that made my decision to come to the school that much easier."

The university offers 70 Jewish courses and a major in Jewish studies as well as several extracurricular services geared specifically to the Jewish community, such as The Bronfman Center, the Chabad House, Hillel and Jewish fraternities and sororities.

Robert Chazan, an NYU professor of Hebrew and Judaic studies, attributes the university's first-place ranking to four main factors: a large Jewish community, pre-professional and professional programs, a large Jewish studies program and extracurricular activities offered to Jewish students.

"It is the combination of a first-rate school where serious Jewish classes can be taken and the availability of rich extracurricular activities that influences students," Chazan said.

Rabbi Dan Smokler, senior Jewish educator at The Bronfman Center, was surprised that NYU was rated with the highest Jewish population. But he believed it was the location of the school in the "epicenter of America" and the high quality of education that drew Jewish students in.

Smokler said Jewish students from other colleges, including the University of Pennsylvania, travel to NYU to take part in the Jewish programs.