The Ivy League Torah Study Experience strives to present an overview of our Torah-true tradition through a rigorous presentation of core components of Torah and the analytical tools necessary for its proper understanding.

The ILTSE is open to undergraduate and graduate students who have minimal or no background in Torah learning; the objective is not to "convert" or coerce, but to provide an accurate understanding of Torah teachings and a meaningful experience of the traditional Jewish lifestyle.

Each student receives full room and board and a fellowship of up to $2,000. Admission to the ILTSE is selective, and is based on academic excellence, sincerity and degree of previous exposure to authentic Torah study and observance.”

In the last decades of the 20th century Jewish academic life in America advanced out of old-school discrimination to a point where many young Jews took for granted that they could pursue education in any field they desired. While this was an important advancement for the Jewish community, the involved campus culture allowed many students to lose interest in Jewish life and community.

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, recognized this and sent representatives to campuses all over the world with the specific goal of reaching out to unaffiliated Jews and bringing them closer to Judaism.

Soon Jewish-themed programs and classes became available to students everywhere, but during the summer months, many college students who were forced to take jobs to help pay their college tuition were unable to explore their heritage in any real way.

In 1985, Rabbi Jacob J. Hecht, OBM, met with a group of college-graduates to help him better understand this phenomenon. Many of the young men and women in the group had themselves discovered the practical observant Jewish lifestyle through intensive adult Jewish education. Rabbi Hecht brought their recommendations to the attention of the great philanthropist, Mr. Ira Rennert.

Together, the men founded the Ivy League Torah Study Experience and named it for Mr. Rennert's parents, Jonas and Sadie Rennert. The ILTSE created a framework for students in need of financial help to devote their summers to Jewish studies. Students would not only participate tuition-free, but would receive generous stipends that could be used to offset expenses of the school year.

To date, The Ivy League Study Experience is the only Jewish program in the world that offers full scholarship and an “Earn While You Learn” incentive for the personal use of those who complete its course properly.

Although the program was initially designed specifically for students in Ivy League schools, the academic achievements of students in other great institutions has led us to broaden the list of schools from which students are accepted.

In the past quarter-century, hundreds of students have participated in the ILTSE. Many have gone back to college after the summer to continue their studies. Many have gone on to centers for higher Torah learning in the US and Israel. But everyone leaves the program with a new understanding and appreciation for their identity as Jews.

With this background, the Ivy League Torah Study Experience continues to provide this unique experience in Living Judaism to Jewish college students of the 21st century.

The professors, mentors and administrators of the ILTSE serve with great personal pride: sharing the Jewish life experiences that they so value with groups of serious students who can in turn come to love and treasure them.

The ILTSE convenes on two open-space campuses in Upstate New York: the Solomon Dubovsky Shaloh Center I in Greenfield Park, and the Katz Family Shaloh Center II in Naponach. Three fresh and healthful meals are offered daily.

In addition to the intense pursuit of knowledge and Jewish identity, the ILTSE offers an exciting program of recreation including swimming, hiking, whitewater rafting, BBQs, music, day trips, weekend outings and regular sports.