The Bezalel Academy, Israel’s historic fine arts school, will now offer a degree track specifically designed for ultra Orthodox students.

Attendees at the Oman Center in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Romema will be able to take a preparatory year starting this autumn, and join a graduate program beginning in 2013, all under the auspices of the Bezalel Academy. At the finish, the students will hold a Bezalel degree without ever setting foot on the campus. The degrees can focus on either fine arts or architecture.

"Our initiative with Bezalel is another breakthrough in integrating the Haredi sector in higher education and the labor market,” said Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. “Jerusalem has Israel's largest concentration of art schools and they are now opening programs targeting the Haredi sector as well."

“Being chosen to open our Academy to the ultra Orthodox is an honor and we are happy to be able to give this sector of the Israeli public the chance to expand its choices,” said Professor Yaara Bar-On, deputy president of Bezalel.

Romema is home to more than 8,000 Israelis, many of who are ultra religious. This initiative between Oman and Bezalel, which was made possible by the Council for Higher Education, enables Orthodox students to earn a select degree without leaving their reclusive community. The Oman Center believes this in turn will encourage members of the Haredi to work toward an alternative degree.