UC Berkeley institute for Jewish law gets $2.85 million grant

University of California, Berkeley institute focused on Jewish law and Israel received a $2.85 million grant from four Bay Area Jewish foundations.

The grant for the Institute for Jewish Law and Israeli Law, Economy and Society will be distributed over the next three to five years, the institute said in a statement last week.

The Jim Joseph Foundation will provide $1.2 million and the Rosalinde and Arthur Gilbert Foundation is giving $750,000. The Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund and the Koret Foundation are each donating $450,000.

With the grant, the 2-year-old institute hopes to expand its programming, which includes conferences and community events along with courses.

The institute is currently running two programs — one on Israel studies and one on Jewish law and thought.

“This tremendous gift will support the Institute’s goals of reaching more students and faculty, offering more programming, and transitioning from a ‘startup’ to a permanent institution at U.C. Berkeley,” Kenneth Bamberger, the institute’s faculty director and a law professor, said in the statement.