The Hebrew University in Times of War

The Jewish world was shattered on Saturday 7 October when Hamas terrorists entered Israel and slaughtered more than 1400 Israelis, kidnapped 240 innocent people, and wounded many more.

Jews everywhere have risen to the occasion raising money, sending much needed supplies and provided moral support in a myriad of ways.

How has the Hebrew University reacted to the gravest situation faced by Israel since the Yom Kippur War and fore the Jewish People, the largest slaughter of Jewish lives in one day since the Holocaust?

The Hebrew University is not only Israel’s first and foremost university but it is also the university that has the most important ties and collaboration with the Israel Defence Force.

The Hebrew University is the home to the elite TALPIOT program housed on the Givat Ram campus. Talpiot is a top-notch Israeli Defence Force (IDF) training program for talented recruits who have demonstrated outstanding academic ability in the sciences and leadership potential. Graduates of Talpiot have been involved in major military developments such as the Merkava tank, the Iron Dome to name but a few.

 

 

The Hebrew University also runs the HAVATZALOT program which trains intelligence officers for key roles in the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate. Havatzalot’s cadets complete a full three-year bachelor’s double major degree at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. The first major is a unique compilation of different courses in Middle Eastern studies, political science and sociology. The cadets are free to choose their second major from the following options: Mathematics, Philosophy, Computer Science and Economics.

In addition to academic studies, the cadets go through rigorous military and intelligence training, including visits to various IDF units, combat recruit training and officers’ course. The three years of training are followed by six years of service in key positions in the IDF’s Intelligence Directorate. The Havatzalot Program is regarded as one of the most prestigious programs in the IDF.

 

 

The Institute for Research in Military Medicine (IRMM) is an institute of the Faculty of Medicine of the Hebrew University in partnership with the IDF.  The IRMM was established in 2013 for the purpose of developing new treatments and technologies of relevance to operational military medicine and disaster management.

 

The BINA Elite Dentistry

 Reserve Track was established some 8 years ago with students of dental medicine committing to serving for five years in the IDF after finishing their dental studies and receiving their degree.  Bina cadets go on to serve as Dental Officers in various units in the IDF Dental Corps based upon the IDF’s needs.

Furthermore, exclusive to the Hebrew University is the TZAMERET program run in partnership with the IDF that allows a student accepted on this program to serve in the IDF whilst studying for a medical degree. Whilst this entails a longer commitment to the IDF upon graduating, while studying, a Tzameret student is offered opportunities in areas beyond normal medical studies to be prepared to deal with casualties of war as well as disaster relief.

 

 

It is all very well assisting the IDF in how to manage in times of war but what else can a university do on other fronts when our country is at war?

At time of war, Jews everywhere pull together so in this spirit, the Hebrew University together with Friends organisations around the world have created a special campaign under the banner of “We Are One” aimed at promoting comfort in community and strength in solidarity.

This has translated into support for the community in areas such as

• Legal assistance to families of hostages and of missing people.
• The Clinical Legal Education Center in the Faculty of Law submitted an urgent appeal on behalf of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. In its appeal, the International Human Rights Clinic demanded that the UN take urgent action to obtain information about abductees and missing persons kidnapped by Hamas, and advance efforts for their safe release.
• The Clinic also submitted an appeal to the UN’s Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in which it urged the Working Group to issue an urgent appeal for Hamas to reveal and clarify the fate and whereabouts of every person abducted by it or any other organization within the Gaza Strip.
• In cooperation with Bizchut – The Israel Human Rights Center for People with Disabilities, the University’s Center for Disability Studies, and 23 disability advocacy organizations in Israel, the Clinic submitted a third appeal to the International Committee of the Red Cross calling for the Committee’s urgent action to free all those – including individuals with disabilities – kidnapped by Hamas and being held in the Gaza Strip.
• Additionally, the Clinical Center at the Faculty of Law extends support, advice, and legal information to the community addressing a variety of legal matters arising from the Iron Swords War.

 

• Assistance to bereaved families of fallen soldiers Logistical support for funerals held at the Mount Herzl Military Cemetery in Jerusalem.

• Establishing a school and kindergarten in Jerusalem for children evacuated from the South. The Hebrew University is working with the Jerusalem Municipality to establish a school and kindergarten for children evacuated from their homes in Sderot in southern Israel.
• Hosting families from the South The Beit Maiersdorf Faculty Club and guesthouse on the Mount Scopus Campus is offering to host families from the South and the families of people who have been wounded and are hospitalized in Jerusalem and nearby hospitals. Beit Bretter, part of the University’s Youth Division on the Edmond J. Safra Campus which has dormitory facilities, is already hosting such families. Beit Bretter is also providing one-on-one assistance to the Sderot evacuees.

• A school for children from Shlomi in the north The previous home of the National Library of Israel on the Givat Ram Campus is serving as a school for hundreds of children from the northern town of Shlomi, who were forced to evacuate from their homes.

• Accommodation and Education for Evacuee Families: The university has opened its campuses from Eilat to Mount Scopus in Jerusalem to house families from both southern and northern regions who have been displaced due to the conflict.

• Support for Gaza Envelope Region Residents: The Inter-University Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat has organized activities for over 300 residents from the Gaza envelope region who have found refuge in the city.

• Assistance in Hospitals: Faculty of Medicine students, with the full support of Faculty leadership, are volunteering in hospital departments suffering from staff shortages due to the war. Their activities include a project by students in the various medical professions — medicine, occupational therapy, nursing, pharmacy, and biomedical sciences — to map the needs of all departments in hospitals affiliated with the Hebrew University in order to provide optimal assistance. Other student volunteers are working as physician assistants (talking blood, doing ECGs) in day clinics, and also helping to transport patients. Occupational therapy students are busy providing professional work at rehabilitation hospitals, and also at mental health hospitals (Herzog, Eitanim and Kfar Shaul). The volunteer students are also assisting the Chairman of the National Mental Health Council, Dr. Zvi Fishel, with all matters related to mental health. The students are also providing childcare for the children of medical staff, cooking, and more. Efforts are being made to expand the voluntary work to other hospitals, including Shaare Zedek (Jerusalem) and Kaplan (Rehovot). To date, some 300 student volunteers have been assigned to 25 departments in 5 hospitals.

• Dental assistance for residents of the South and the military The Faculty of Dental Medicine is providing first-aid treatment for evacuees from the South and members of the security forces, including in specialist areas such as pediatric dentistry, oral medicine, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, and oral rehabilitation.

• Assistance to the Ben-Gurion University community The Ben-Gurion University of the Negev community has been particularly badly hit by the war. Hebrew University Psychological Services are helping, including sharing counselling, and coping mechanisms used at HU with colleagues at BGU.

• Provision of tools and assistance for professionals The Magid Institute for Continuing Education is running a free workshop ‘Letting go and connecting with your forces: body, imagination, creativity’ for therapy and welfare professionals, led by Dr. Ronen Berger, an art therapist and senior lecturer who is an expert in using creative tools for stress relief. The Department of Psychology is offering a free introductory workshop in Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for post-trauma. A group of educational counselling, research and therapy scholars at the Seymour Fox School of Education held a support session for 90 educators that addressed the personal upheaval that all are experiencing. The Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare held sessions for some 350 social work and early childhood professionals.

• Faculty Involvement in Agriculture and Education: Faculty members actively support agricultural farms in the southern region of the country by engaging in agricultural work. They also contribute to the community by delivering lectures and organizing diverse activities in the vacated hotels. Additionally, the university has donated approximately 450 computers to benefit children in the southern region.

• Activities for children and youth: The Hebrew University-affiliated Snunit nonprofit has made its ‘Galim Pro’ platform, which contains study materials in 17 subjects, as well as special child-friendly content on mental resilience and coping emergencies, available to all schoolchildren in grades 1-9. The HU Youth Division on the Edmond J. Safra Campus is offering on-site activities for children aged 3 to 6. The activities are open to all, with priority for young evacuees from the South and those with parents in the security services.

• Financial assistance: The Jerusalem School of Business Administration has set up a project to help small businesses negatively affected by the war.

• Legal Assistance: The Clinical Legal Education Center at the Faculty of Law is offering assistance, guidance, and information on diverse legal issues to the general community through its Online Legal Hotline on Facebook, which it initially established during the COVID pandemic. The Hotline is overseen by lawyers and social activists who offer help with a wide range of issues such as National Insurance rights and benefits, workers’ rights, registering with the Employment Service, public housing, rental assistance, debts, the rights of people with disabilities, and dealing with government agencies.

• Support for the Military: The University provided diverse logistics equipment to several military units.

• Faculty of Dental Medicine
  • Assistance in identifying those killed 
  • Faculty of Dental Medicine volunteers are helping to identify the bodies of those killed and has made donations of vital equipment.
  • The Faculty of Dentistry offers complimentary dental first-aid services to evacuees from the southern regions and members of the security forces.

• Support for the Ministry of Health is being offered by the Department of Psychology.
• Faculty members and students volunteer and assist.: Such activity includes donating blood and volunteering in civilian distribution centers set up to organize volunteer efforts such as collecting, packaging, and distributing donations of food, clothing, and other needed supplies to the military and to those who were evacuated from the South. Our community members are also volunteering to create and translate information about the situation and to send to contacts abroad for informative and advocacy purposes, and to provide lessons on Zoom for all levels and ages on a variety of school subjects and enrichment topics. Specific examples include Faculty of Humanities researchers volunteering at the “Brothers in Arms” distribution center in the South, and a faculty member emeritus in the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment coordinating a volunteer unit in a small town.  The Unit for Community Involvement at the Dean of Students office is identifying civil society organizations and initiatives requiring assistance and sharing these needs with the University community at large.

• Student activities and the Student Union The Student Union is working to connect students with civil society organizations in need of volunteers. Thousands of students are volunteering in various organizations, including Magen David Adom (ambulance services), HMO’s, Iron Hearts, the Jerusalem distribution center, Tel Aviv Compassion, Gedera distribution center, providing editing and translation services for families of missing persons, children’s activities for evacuees from the South, and more. A group of students has taken it upon itself to attend funerals and visit the families of the bereaved. Even some students who were themselves evacuated from the South have joined volunteer efforts, including in hospitals.

• Assistance to the University Community The Hebrew University provides extensive assistance in multiple areas to students, staff, and faculty members serving in the reserves including financial assistance, emotional assistance and, once the academic year begins, academic assistance:

• Support for reservists– reservists who were called up will not be charged rent for dormitory housing for the month of October. In addition, as per a decision made by all research universities in Israel, tuition payment deadlines will be postponed until after November. Further, extensive scholarships will be awarded to reservists once they resume their studies.
• The University is in contact with, and provides assistance as needed to, families of employees who have been drafted into the reserves.
• Supporting students and faculty who reside in the Gaza border area– the Dean of Students is in contact with each of the approximately 200 Hebrew University students who are residents of the Gaza border area – to hear their stories, to offer support, and to help them access their rights and relief efforts. Intervention and assistance will be provided as per students’ requests. The Human Resources Division of the University is in similar contact with academic and administrative staff who are residents of the Gaza border area.
• The Psychological Counseling Services of the Dean of Students office is operating a hotline for students and staff and expanding the activities of their emergency intervention team.
• The Director of the Psychological Counseling Services is holding meetings with students in various academic units to discuss coping mechanisms in crisis situations.
• The University is offering crisis intervention workshops for staff as needed.

• THE HUJI 5-Million NIS Fund! The Hebrew University is proud to announce the establishment of a dedicated fund aimed at supporting students serving in the reserves, residents of the Gaza envelope affected by a recent terrorist attack, and evacuees from the northern region. Within just a few weeks, the university has successfully raised NIS 15 million for this critical cause. The scholarships from this fund are designed to provide much-needed assistance to our students who find themselves on the frontlines in Gaza, the North, and the West Bank. This initiative is part of the university’s unwavering commitment to supporting its students during challenging times. To alleviate the immediate financial burdens faced by our students, the Hebrew University had previously announced that dormitory rent for students called up to serve in the reserves would be cancelled, and a 20% discount on dormitory fees would be provided to other students residing in dormitories during October and November.

• Additional activities:
• The Dean of Students Office is supporting students and their immediate family members who were injured, killed, or captured by Hamas. This includes attending funerals, shiva, and mourning tents. The Human Resources Department similarly acts in cases affecting academic and administrative faculty members.
• The Human Resources Department sends care packages and provides support and referrals for needed services to bereaved employees and/or their families, as well as families of those injured or missing.
• The Hebrew University publicizes a newsletter twice a week to the University community containing webinars, podcasts, relevant HR notices, and activities for children.
• The Hebrew University is assisting employees who have had to evacuate their residences in the South and assessing how best to help.
• Coping with mental stress
• The University is offering webinars on stress management.
• The a CHORD Center provides free counseling to academic and administrative staff regarding  all issues related to the fragile interface between Jews and Arabs in Israel as well as at the University.
• Initiatives for mutual assistance Initiatives for mutual support are taking place within various academic units, including the Benin School of Computer Science and Engineering, the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Faculty of Humanities, and the Faculty of Law. These initiatives bring together faculty, administrators, and students to support one another. In the words of the President of the Hebrew University, Professor Asher Cohen, “These are challenging days, marked by anxiety and uncertainty. The university is determined to be a beacon of hope and to make an unequivocal promise to our university community that better days lie ahead. We are confident in our ability to prevail in the face of the current difficulties and continue our mission of building a better and more just world.”