Hebrew Theological College

Hebrew Theological College (HTC) is committed to the advancement of scholarship in accordance with the principles of Judaism. The school provides academic programs to produce Torah-imbued college graduates and superior advanced graduate and professional programs for qualified students who will serve the Jewish community and humanity through their professional and personal vocations.

Established in 1921, HTC joined the Touro University System in 2015 and is housed on a seven-acre campus situated in the quiet Chicago suburb of Skokie, Illinois. HTC boasts a beautiful study hall, state-of-the-art computer lab, science laboratory and the Saul Silber Memorial Library. A separate women’s campus for HTC’s Blitstein Institute is located in the West Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago.

TORAH, ACADEMICS AND LIFE HTC offers an intensive program of Talmud study combined with academic studies, focused on developing a love of Torah learning and advancing professional and career goals in a yeshiva setting. Students form lifelong relationships with rabbis and faculty. HTC offers an accredited Bachelor of Arts degree, including a required general education component that consists of comprehensive core curricula in both advanced Hebrew studies including Bible, Hebrew, Jewish history, Jewish law and Jewish philosophy and liberal arts and sciences—natural sciences, math, English and social science. Students major in Talmud and are encouraged to add a second major in accounting, business or psychology. HTC students are provided the expertise, knowledge and skills needed to excel in their chosen field upon graduation. In particular, graduates of HTC’s accounting CPA track are expertly prepared for the CPA examination. Likewise, the psychology department is staffed by clinicians who prepare students to matriculate into top-tier PsyD programs, as well as programs in social work and education.

BLITSTEIN INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN

Blitstein Institute of Hebrew Theological College welcomes students from across the Midwest as well as a cohort of international students hailing from South America, South Africa, Europe and Israel looking to gain a superior education in a Torah-imbued environment. It offers a comprehensive curriculum leading to a baccalaureate degree with a major in Judaic studies and additional majors in accounting; business, including e-commerce and marketing; computer and information sciences; education, including licensure in primary, secondary and special education; English; graphic arts and design; health sciences; psychology; and speech and communication disorders. The health sciences major provides prerequisite courses for graduate and professional education leading to careers in medicine, dentistry, nursing, pharmacology, physician assistant and physical and occupational therapy.

Blitstein Institute offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program in cooperation with North Park University and has cooperative agreements with Midwestern University, DePaul University and Rush University. Blitstein graduates have been accepted to top-tier graduate programs at Northwestern University, Rush University Medical Center, UIC and NYU.

Tova Benhamou

Clinical Labratory Analyst

Tova Benhamou may have graduated from Touro’s Hebrew Theological College (HTC) in 2019, but faculty at the Chicago-based school are still looking out for her.

Dr. Laurie Erickson, chair of the Department of Health Sciences at HTC, thought that her former student would be interested in hearing a presentation from an invited guest speaker. “She asked if I wanted to join in on Zoom along with her current students,” says Benhamou, who was moved but hardly surprised. “Not only did she reach out, but I couldn’t listen in at the time, so she recorded it all for me! That’s what the professors are like, they remember who you are and reach out even if you’re no longer there.”

Benhamou, a 22-year-old newlywed, graduated from Touro’s HTC with a double major in Judaic studies and health sciences. After receiving her degree, she secured a position at Life Scan Labs, a private medical testing company, where she became a microbiology processor—setting up body fluid cultures and performing C. diff, influenza and RSV testing. Her managers were so impressed by her knowledge, work ethic and abilities, they offered additional training and promoted her to clinical laboratory analyst. Benhamou now operates sophisticated, state-of- the-art equipment, performs tests on blood samples, analyzes and reports results.

She credits HTC for her professional achievements. “You’re an individual there,” she says. “They take care of us, they give each of us a good education, customizing it for every student. Then they help show us what to expect when we leave and go out in the world.”