Bar-Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, has been awarded the prestigious Minister of Defense Award of Recognition in appreciation of the university’s exceptional commitment to student reservists and members of the security forces since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
A special selection committee—comprising representatives from the IDF, the Ministry of Defense, the business sector and local government—chose Bar-Ilan for this honor, citing the university’s innovative “Academic Armor” program. This initiative provides comprehensive academic, financial and emotional support to reservist students, and includes an unprecedented investment of NIS 50 million (about $14 million) in scholarships and academic resources.
Launched at the beginning of the 2023-24 academic year, the Academic Armor program was created in direct response to the mobilization of over 30% of the university’s student body for IDF reserve duty. Under the program, each reservist student receives a tailored package of benefits, including tuition assistance, administrative support, academic credit, access to a personal advisor and emotional counseling.
The university also extended support to students displaced from their homes due to the ongoing conflict. Aid measures included housing and academic scholarships, distribution of laptops for remote learning, private tutoring, class recordings, the development of AI-powered learning tools, and professional emotional support from psychologists and social workers.
“This recognition by the Ministry of Defense affirms the vital connection between national service and academic excellence,” said Arie Zaban, president of Bar-Ilan University. “A remarkable testament to this is that one out of every two students on the dean’s list is a reservist—double their proportional representation in the student body. We remain deeply committed to supporting our students and strengthening Israeli society.”
Zohar Yinon, Bar-Ilan’s CEO and senior deputy president, added: “The Defense Minister’s Award of Recognition validates what many in the security forces already say: Bar-Ilan is the academic home of soldiers.”
Bar-Ilan is one of approximately 20 organizations and employers nationwide to receive the Minister of Defense Award of Recognition for 2025, acknowledging its extraordinary contribution to Israel’s reservists.
Looking ahead, the university has announced that it will continue the Academic Armor program into the 2025-26 academic year, extending its support to reservists and their spouses. With enrollment at an all-time high, it remains a leading academic institution for those who serve.
