Jan 7, 2009 -- For Liorah Sabbah, who grew up with minimal Jewish education on the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, the opportunity to learn about Judaism at an in-depth level was an offer she could not refuse. While initially hesitant about leaving her home country to enroll in the Basic Jewish Studies Program at Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women, Sabbah has no regrets. Sabbah, now a sophomore, quickly adapted to YU and thoroughly enjoys partaking in the BJS Program. “I love the Shabbatonim, meeting different people and finding answers to my questions,” she says. “I am surrounded by so many wonderful people who help guide me in the right direction.” Since their respective launches in 2004 and 2005, the Mechina Program for men at Yeshiva College and the Basic Jewish Studies Program (BJS) for women at Stern have inspired hundreds of college students like Sabbah. The programs draw students from all parts the world—including Panama, Morocco, France, Venezuela, Belgium, Ukraine, Peru, Germany and Italy among others—all with varying degrees of Judaic knowledge. Through specialized courses and extra-curricular activities, the programs offer students a hands-on Jewish learning experience. They live and learn in a Jewish community committed to traditional values and contemporary thought, while simultaneously obtaining a degree from a top university. “The programs provide introductory classes to Jewish text and Jewish observance in a warm and non-judgmental environment,” says Rabbi Zev Reichman, director of the Mechina Program. Students study at their own pace, choosing from a variety of courses. Their curriculum includes explanatory prayer services, individualized mentoring and chavrusa [study partner] learning. Students also experience Shabbat hospitality and retreats with faculty, visits with Torah leaders and field trips to Jewish sites. Despite the differences in their backgrounds, the program participants integrate into the general YU student body over time. Sam Ulrich, a freshman from San Diego, decided to attend the Mechina Program because he wanted to pursue Torah study. He enjoys the shiurim [lectures] as well as the extra-curricular events. “I hope to gain knowledge and insight and learn Torah to the fullest,” Ulrich said of his goals as a Mechina student. Rabbi Reichman has been amazed by students’ progress. “One student entered the program a few years ago without the ability to read or translate a Hebrew word. Today, he is about to enter YU’s semicha [rabbinic ordination] program,” he says. Shoshana Schechter, director of the women’s BJS Program, says that each student has her own unique story that has led her to YU. “No matter their backgrounds, they all share a common bond—a passion to learn more about their heritage. It’s inspiring to watch the students deepen their Jewish identities and commitment to Torah, things they never felt so strongly about before,” Schechter says. Sophie Lachmann, a biology major at Stern, grew up in Barranquilla, Colombia, and came to YU three years ago. “After all those years struggling to be observant in Barranquilla, I was given the opportunity to expand my knowledge of Judaism, earn a college degree and most importantly, become part of a big Jewish community,” says Lachmann, a junior. “I hope to remain close to all the amazing people that I have met along the way—the BJS Program has been like a family to me.” Lachmann particularly enjoyed the Gerald and Mary Swartz July in Jerusalem Program, where Mechinah and BJS students spend their summers learning in and touring Israel. Lachmann says: “It was a life-altering experience for me.”