<p>Cornell is certainly academic.</p>
<p>Students in the College of Arts and Sciences can major in Near Eastern Studies (<a href="http://www.arts.cornell.edu/nes/academic/undergrad.html)%5B/url%5D">http://www.arts.cornell.edu/nes/academic/undergrad.html)</a>, and students in any college can do a concentration in the Program of Jewish Studies (<a href="http://www.arts.cornell.edu/jwst/gen.html)%5B/url%5D">http://www.arts.cornell.edu/jwst/gen.html)</a>.</p>
<p>I do not know how the offerings at WashU compare, though.</p>