On October 7th, Shimon Dayan was at his mother-in-law's house with his wife and their one-month-old son. "My mother-in-law woke us up and told us there was a war in the South. I switched on my phone, saw the catastrophe, and had no doubt my unit would be called up. I spoke to the commander, and within about two hours, I was on my way to the South," he recalls.
Mor Shapira, who is fluent in 10 languages (Hebrew, English, Arabic, Persian, French, Italian, Spanish, Turkish, Portuguese, and Swedish), watches TV broadcasts from Arab countries, which provide her with a unique perspective on what she terms "the Theatre of the Absurd in the Middle East." Accordingly, she was recruited at the beginning of the Iron Swords war to support classified missions.
In these challenging times, the Bar-Ilan University community has rallied to support and aid the residents of the South and the North of Israel, as well as the entire Israeli society, in various ways. A month into the conflict, the BIU team has initiated and promoted 56 initiatives for the community.
Stav Waknine is originally from Riverdale, NY, and made Aliyah with her mother and sister 6 years ago. Stav is entering her third and final year of study for her BA, majoring in Communications and Political Science. She works as a nanny, and has transferred to full time since October 7th. “It was tough at the beginning, because I had to keep them entertained at home the whole day,” says Stav. “Now that they’re back at school I’m there with them so I can bring them home if they need to go.
On October 7th, Elisha Loev, along with his partner, Tal, were staying at his parents' home in Ma'ale Levona. They intended to switch off their mobile phones, as Elisha's parents observe the Sabbath. "When my phone suddenly rang early in the morning, I realized that I had forgotten to turn it off," he recounts. "A friend of mine, who also observes the Sabbath, called, which indicated that something unusual had happened." As the hours passed, Elisha began to grasp the magnitude of the tragedy and horror, preparing himself for joining the IDF reserves.
Among the building blocks of Israel's defense in the current war are the powerful aircraft carriers deployed by the United States in the Middle East. Dr. Tal Tovy, a US military historian in the Department of General History at Bar-Ilan University, describes the history of American aircraft carriers in the Middle East.
30 days after the October 7th attack, Bar-Ilan University held an event to commemorate the casualties of the Bar-Ilan community. Yellow balloons were released into the sky to symbolize the hope for the safe return of the 242 hostages still held in Gaza - each balloon represented a hostage.
In the midst of Israel’s war with Hamas, Bar-Ilan University has launched an initiative designed to provide emotional support for children in a unique way: The "Teddy Bear Hospital" project enables children to care for dolls, express their emotions and learn basic medical concepts, within a warm, supportive environment.
The leaders of Israeli universities have published a letter addressing the alarming discourse emerging from global academia. The letter expresses dismay over certain narratives misrepresenting the situation, or worse, actively targeting Israelis and Jews. The letter highlights the need for a nuanced understanding of the conflict and urges academic institutions to foster critical thinking and challenge simplistic narratives. Additionally, it calls for the protection and respect of Israeli and Jewish members within academic communities, affirming their rights as any other minority.
