ABOUT | Touro Berlin

About
Touro

Touro Berlin is an American university that is globally recognized fully accredited by the Middle States Commission of Higher Education and fully approved and officially recognized by the Berlin Senate. It provides an exciting and safe academic setting in Berlin, one of the top cities for a perfect global student life.

Touro University Berlin: A Campus of Touro University New York

Touro University Berlin gGmbH is a legally independent non-profit institution of higher education being part of the world-wide Touro family.

Touro Berlin provides programs in English and grants New York degrees to be acquired in vibrant Berlin. In 2022, under the leadership of Dr. Alan Kadish, Touro College New York gained university status, becoming the first institution within the last 50 years to be promoted to this highest academic standard in the State of New York. Proud to be part of this development Touro College Berlin gGmbH is now Touro University Berlin gGmbH.

Established in 1970 by Dr. Bernard Lander, Touro New York City began as a liberal arts college. It has since grown and includes over 35 campuses across the United States and internationally, in Israel, Russia, and Germany.

Dr. Lander founded Touro College Berlin in 2001, inspired by Berlin's diverse and open society and its significant Jewish history. Touro Berlin launched its first program in 2003, focusing on International Business, which was developed later into a Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Business Management. This expansion continued with the launch of an MBA program in 2010. Complementing this development a Bachelor of Arts in General Psychology was established in 2013.

In 2005, after a visit to the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, Dr. Lander established the Lander Institute for Communication and Tolerance, introducing the Master of Arts (MA) in Holocaust Communication and Tolerance in 2007.

Starting in the fall semester of 2024, Touro Berlin will offer a new major, the Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity and will provide for an MA in Psychology.

Touro Berlin’s campus, Am Rupenhorn, is located in the Charlottenburg district, housed in a historic Bauhaus villaensemble. Carrying a special energy, that beautiful and historic setting was designed as a base for a Jewish entrepreneurial Family, also under security aspects. It has served many roles in between before finally becoming the safe home of Touro Berlin and the lively campus for its students in 2003.

Routed in Ethical Values Providing for Success

Dr. Bernard Lander envisioned and established the non-profit Touro College to cater to an inclusive community of students including students who were often overlookedas well. This is fully in line with Berlin’s striving for a dynamic, diverse, open society and complements the American pursuit of happiness at its best. Providing fair chances to everybody Touro University Berlin serves the underserved as well.

Touro Berlin is rooted in Jewish ethics to lead its students to knowledge-based success in life and to personal happiness. The Institution honors the cultures and beliefs of all its students in its vibrant student life while establishing its ethical values.

Since 1970, the Touro has grown exponentially; its values remain. In so doing, an environment was created in which also Jewish students’ cultural and spiritual needs go hand in hand with educational pursuits. As we’ve expanded, our focus has been on serving diverse communities and catering to students who simply want an exceptional education and classroom experience in a safe, warm, tolerant, inclusive, and intellectually rigorous environment.

Across all of our schools and programs, we advocate for and expect all students to live integrity and respect. We believe in the dignity of all individuals and strive to contribute toward an inclusive society that concurs.

We are proud of our simply universal values.

Our campus is located in the beautiful Charlottenburg district of Berlin, in a historic Bauhaus villa with a profound history. Our campus was originally the home of the Lindemann family and was designed by the German architect Bruno Paul. When the Nazis seized power in the 1930’s, the Lindemann home at Am Rupenhorn became the official residence of Hanns Kerrl, the Reichskirchsminister (The Reich’s Church Minister). When the war ended in 1945, the house was handed over to the Allied Forces and was used as a learning center for the British Military in the years following the war. Eventually, it was handed back to the Berlin government and was used as a pedagogical and educational center in the 1950’s until it was acquired by Touro College in 2003.

Collaboration

In 2001, Dr. Lander collaborated with Sara Nachama to establish Touro College in Berlin. The decision to choose Germany’s capital as the new campus for Touro College was based on the college’s profound Jewish history and the unification of communities in Berlin.

Inspiration

In 2005, Dr. Lander was inspired by a visit to the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin and wanted to set up a Holocaust Institute at Touro. The Lander Institute for Communication and Tolerance was founded in 2006.

MBA program

The MBA program was introduced in 2010.

University now

Under CEO Touro University System, Dr. Alan Kadish´s tenure Touro College finalized its major change in status, becoming Touro University.

1970

2001

2003

2005

2007

2010

2022

2023

Foundation

Touro College was founded in New York City in 1970 by Dr. Bernard Lander as a Liberal Arts college. Since the 1970’s, the expansion of the college has reached California, Nevada, Israel, Russia, and Germany.

Business Program

In the Fall Semester 2003, Touro Berlin opened, with a class of 18 students studying Bachelor’s in International Business program, which eventually became BSc Business Management degree.

M.A. Program

In Fall semester 2007, the department welcomed its teaching staff for the M.A. program in Holocaust Communication and Tolerance.

Cybersecurity Program

The BSc program in Cybersecurity starts in fall 2023.

Accreditation

Touro University is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), an agency recognized by the United States Secretary of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

This accreditation status covers Touro University and its branch campuses, locations, and instructional sites in the New York Area, as well as branch campuses in Berlin, Illinois, Jerusalem, and Moscow.

Institutions are reaccredited every eight years. Reaccreditation requires preparation and submission of a self-study, followed by a site visit consisting of a team of MSCHE peer evaluators. Touro University’s accreditation was previously reaffirmed on November 19, 2015. On March 4, 2021, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education notified Touro University that the Mid-Point Peer Review was conducted successfully and no further evidence was required. The next evaluation visit is scheduled for spring 2024.

Welcome to Touro University Berlin

Founded in 2003 we take great pride in being the Berlin campus of Touro University New York. Our institution of higher education has a special meaning within the framework of the history of Berlin; we especially honor this within our academic mission to maintain the highest standards in research and teaching following an interdisciplinary concept.

As the American academic Institution in Berlin based on jewish values and academic competency we provide a uniquely successful, future oriented education for our students.

Our excellent faculty and our dedicated admin team continuously strive to promote and apply our ethical and intellectual heritage and values to build bridges between cultures and work for the good of society as a whole.

Thanks to being a non-profit organization we wisely allocate our resources to maintain a high degree of academic efficiency and effectiveness.

We are strongly dedicated to preserving our history as a Jewish American University, while embracing, welcoming and honoring students from all backgrounds. Fulfilling our mission to provide excellent academic and personal growth within our Undergraduate Programs of Business, Psychology and upcoming Cyber Security; MBA program, upcoming MA in Psychology and our unique MA in Holocaust Communication and Tolerance; we offer our students an exceptional international network of educational, entrepreneurial, business, and governmental leaders.

Our successful graduates prove that our students acquire more than academic and personal skills to succeed in their professional life within our globally challenging world. Touro University System provides a lifelong constantly growing community. Expertise in all facets ensures conveyance of values and all necessary skills inside and outside of the classroom for professional careers that embrace a unique future.

Jane Williams-Boock

More than two decades ago, when Dr. Bernard Lander first envisioned opening the Berlin campus of Touro University, he recognized the need to perpetuate an awareness of the tragic Holocaust to both the Jewish community and the society at large. Today, as part of a continually expanding Touro University, our Berlin campus looks back on more than 20 years of success while we look forward to continued academic achievement.

Touro University Berlin – A Campus of Touro University NY, USA is an integral part of the Touro family, sharing in Touro’s mission and goals, including an unwavering commitment to the Jewish heritage, the Jewish intellectual tradition, and academic excellence. We offer students excellent opportunities for intellectual growth and career advancement. Our offerings are always expanding with additional majors and minors, as well as certificate programs.

The leadership, administration and faculty of Touro University Berlin – A Campus of Touro University NY, USA are committed to making your educational experience rewarding. I wish you all great success in your educational goals and experiences with us at Touro University Berlin – A Campus of Touro University NY, USA.

Simcha Fishbane, Ph.D.

Leadership