Ann and Jeremy Pava donated $10 million to Yeshiva University to establish an eponymous Center for Women’s Torah Scholarship, which is set to open this fall, their foundation, Micah Philanthropies, told eJewishPhilanthropy on Monday. 

The Pavas have long funded initiatives supporting religious women, as well as religious causes more generally. The new center, which will be part of Yeshiva University’s Stern College for Women, will be led by Jewish educator Raizi Chechik, the former head of Manhattan Day School. 

“Our dream has always been to help women pursue Torah learning at the highest levels — because their voices and scholarship are essential to the Jewish future,” Ann Pava, president of Micah Philanthropies, said in a statement.

The donation comes amid a growing push for female scholarship in Modern Orthodoxy, which in recent years has seen the creation and expansion of rabbinic and rabbinic-adjacent programs. The gift also joins several large donations to Yeshiva University over the past year, including a $36 million donation from the Wilf family, $15 million from the Morris Bailey and Joseph Jerome families, an $11 million donation from Moshael and Zahava Straus, a $6 million contribution from Chella Safra and her family and a $5 million endowment from hedge fund manager Bill Ackman.

Rabbi Ari Berman, president of Yeshiva University, hailed the Pavas’ donation, saying in a statement that the new program “reflects our commitment to cultivating women who bring wisdom, compassion and spiritual depth to every aspect of Jewish life.”

The flagship initiative of the new center will be the Pava Scholars Program, a three-year program for undergraduates. “Scholars will major in Jewish studies and take courses at the highest levels, enhanced by chavruta (study partner) learning, weekly colloquia and close faculty mentorship,” Micah Philanthropies said. 

The students will receive “generous scholarships” and will also take part in trips within the United States and to Israel and Europe. 

“This is a unique opportunity to strengthen our community by cultivating a talented and skilled cohort of women to serve as educators, scholars and leaders,” said Chechik. “By drawing on the exceptional Torah learning opportunities, rich Jewish Studies curriculum and outstanding role models at Stern College and throughout the broader YU ecosystem — along with the specially designed programming and training offered through the Pava Center — we hope the Pava Scholars will be equipped to contribute their wisdom in ways that will enrich and uplift the Jewish future.”