The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel's first university and a symbol of the cultural rebirth of the Jewish nation in its ancestral homeland, is a multidisciplinary institution of higher learning and research. It has become a scientific center of international repute, with formal and informal ties extending to and from the worldwide scientific and academic community. It is an institution where thousands of young Israelis receive a university education with an accent on excellence; where advanced, postgraduate study and research are stressed; and where special programs attract a large number of overseas students to pursue degrees or earn credits for transfer. The Hebrew University has a three-fold function: to serve the State of Israel by training its scientific, educational, and professional manpower; to serve the Jewish people by preserving and expanding the Jewish cultural, spiritual, and intellectual heritage; and to serve humanity by extending the frontiers of knowledge.

Since its inauguration in 1925, the Hebrew University has grown from three modest institutes of Jewish Studies, Microbiology, and Chemistry to an internationally renowned institution offering academic programs in a wide variety of disciplines, from the humanities and social sciences to medicine, agriculture, and computer science. The Hebrew University recently celebrated the opening of the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology and of the School of Public Policy.

Some 1,300 faculty members teach approximately 24,000 students at the Hebrew University's four campuses at Mount Scopus, Givat Ram, Ein Karem and Rehovot. The Edmond J. Safra Campus in Givat Ram is home to the Jewish National and University Library, whose collection includes over 3,000,000 books and periodicals and unique collections such as the Albert Einstein Archives.