Responding to the massive incidence of PTSD following the war.

TAU hosted a hackathon to tackle the urgent challenges which will persist “the day after” Iron Swords.

No one knows when Iron Swords will end, but it is clear that new ideas will be needed to deal with the damage caused to Israel and its citizens. Tel Aviv University students Amitai Mintzer and Nir Komem rose to the task. They conceived and implemented a hackathon, “HackTAU: The Day After,” together with Tel Aviv University’s Entrepreneurship Center. After months with no students on campus, about 230 arrived from 15 different academic institutions along with 70 academic and professional mentors to look for creative ways to solve the various crises facing Israel right now. The Big Idea  Komem and Mintzer have been close friends since serving in the army together. Komem is an undergraduate student at the Buchmann Faculty of Law and the Interdisciplinary Humanities Program as well as a Rothschild Program Ambassador; Mintzer is an MA student in Anthropology and is in the Adi Lautman Interdisciplinary Program for Outstanding Students. “After October 7th, everyone wanted to do something to help right then and there. We thought, someone needs to plan for what’s next,” said Mintzer.  

“As we see it, academia is the ideal venue for this task. The problems we’re facing as a society are huge and we need new ideas to solve them. Academia is in charge of creating new ideas and connecting people with ideas to each other.”

  Komem expanded: “As we see it, academia is the ideal venue for this task. The problems we’re facing as a society are huge and we need new ideas to solve them. Academia is in charge of creating fresh ideas and connecting people with ideas to each other. And as students, we have to remind ourselves that we are qualified to help. If we’re good enough to fight in Gaza, and we’re good enough to help as volunteers, then our generation is good enough to plan for the future.”   Nir Komem (left) and Amitai Mintzer present their idea on day one HackTAU. (Photo: Yael Tzur)   The first step was identifying the challenges that needed addressing, so the two contacted as many people from around the country as they could find to ask what problems were most pressing. Six main challenges arose: Housing and Community: Finding a solution for the hundreds of thousands of displaced citizens from the north and south of Israel, and the urgent need to restore the social ties in these communities. Education: Adapting educational institutions to the new needs of students and creating a safe space for children and youth. Agriculture: Leveraging the acute need to rehabilitate the agricultural sector in Israel as an opportunity to integrate innovative solutions in the industry. Mental health: Developing various programs addressing national trauma and engaging in mental health from a collective perspective. Jewish-Arab Relations: Creating a vision and plan for a sustainable Jewish-Arab partnership and peaceful co-existence on academic campuses. Humanities: Focusing on the moral and human crises developing during these times within the region and worldwide.   Komem and Mintzer’s next step was to recruit students to head up each challenge along with academic and professional mentors to help bring ideas to fruition. “It’s like we had six hackathons at once,” says Mintzer. Thinking Together  One of the exceptional features of the event was the large diversity of thinkers it brought together to innovate for Israel’s future. Students of all disciplines, communities, and backgrounds came from all over the country to form 50 teams. There was even a group of eighth graders who came to observe but in the end were welcomed to participate.  

I was blown away by this event—the number of students, the quality of the work, the ideas people brought, and the groundbreaking new ways of thinking.” 

  “We had here something truly singular,” said Agricultural Challenge student head Itai Rozitzki, who is getting his BA at TAU in Philosophy and Law. He had been on reserve duty for two months and chose to spend three of his rare days off-base at the hackathon. “In every disaster, those who can see the opportunity to improve the world can benefit in the long run. I was blown away by this event—the number of students, the quality of the work, the ideas people brought, and the groundbreaking new ways of thinking.” Many students already had ideas upon arriving, some with teams already in place, while others came with simply a will to help their country. They were matched up based on ideas and interests with the help of mentors. Komem and Mintzer made sure each challenge had both an academic advisor who could help direct the ideation process, as well as a professional advisor who knew how to put the ideas into action.   One team develops their solution by listening to each other’s thoughts. (Photo: Yael Tzur) Each challenge had two or more teams cooking up different ideas and working in different ways. For example, in the Jewish-Arab Relations Challenge, one group focused on the urgent creation of solidarity in this time of division while the other attempted a more long-term program that could continue during calmer times for years to come. Said Elinor Shechter, the Hebrew University student head of the Jewish-Arab Relations Challenge, “it’s not uncommon to be a Jewish or Arab student and not talk to each other for the whole year. We wanted to try to mitigate that separation.” Entrepreneurial Support    When Komem and Mintzer approached the TAU administration with their idea, they were connected with the University’s Entrepreneurship Center. It is considered one of the leading startup accelerators in Israel and has led to the establishment of 18 startups that have raised approximately $155 million. The Center hosts several hackathons a year, including one during the COVID-19 pandemic which culminated in a remote-exam solution that was picked up for commercialization.  

“The purpose of the Entrepreneurship Center is to encourage creative thinking and bring students new tools for implementing innovative ideas and projects. All these were reflected in the hackathon.”

  Said Founder and Managing Director Mr. Yair Sakov, “The purpose of the Entrepreneurship Center is to encourage creative thinking and give students new tools for implementing innovative ideas and projects. All these were reflected in the hackathon. On a personal note, I wanted to support this project because shortly after the war started, I volunteered for five weeks with the evacuees from southern Israel. The close interactions familiarized me with their challenges and needs intimately. “Strong communities like the kibbutzim are losing people who do not want to return to the Gaza border area. For those who want to return, it is not clear where they will go after their homes were destroyed. The residents of the south who were involved in activities to bring Arabs and Jews together completely lost trust in their neighbors who they helped and fostered friendships with for years.  These are exactly the challenges identified for the hackathon. They are core issues for the residents of the south and the State of Israel in general,” Sakov said.   Yair Sakov speak at the HackTAU final presentation. (Photo: Yael Tzur)   Another integral supporter of the event was Allon Ventures, founded by Dr. Ori Allon. Dr. Allon, who has founded and successfully sold multiple software-based businesses, strongly believes in the positive impact technology has on our world. He is thrilled to support the upcoming generation of innovators who are using their talents to address critical issues. Unique Solutions  At the end of three intensive days, students from each challenge got up in front of their peers and presented fully-formed projects complete with goals, expected difficulties, and resource needs. “We’re hoping these projects will continue beyond the hackathon, and we’ll be setting up a website for the purpose of connecting professionals in the field as well as possible supporters to the student project creators,” said Komem. Added Mintzer, “as a humanities student I feel that academia is where we grapple with tough questions, and where we learn and think about value and meaning. Many people are interested in what will happen after the hackathon, but for me what’s important is that we’re making an academic space where students can take control of their lives and the future of their country. Even though we are all different, we can work together to create the country we want to see.”   You can read about each project in Hebrew here.

GoFundMe campaign started by the Lowy International School to fund the purchases.

Currently in Israel, brave men and women are fighting on the front lines defending our freedom and protecting our homeland. Many of them are IDF lone soldiers, who risk their lives in combat zones far away from their homes and communities. Students from The Lowy International School, together with the Yahalom Foundation, have launched an initiative to send care packages to support such soldiers and show our appreciation. Emma Brachfeld, an MA student in Environmental Studies at Tel Aviv University, initiated the idea after observing individuals in the US sending funds for various military units in Israel. The goal is “to help support soldiers, specifically lone soldiers who do not have a support system here in such a harrowing time.” Yishai Stern, the organizer of the campaign on GoFundMe, himself a reservist, a TAU student, and a Lowy International student counselor, adds:  

“We want to give back to the community of lone soldiers, ensuring they know we are here for them and sending our love to the front lines, wishing them a safe return.”

  Around ten Lowy International students have been called up for reserve duty, and in the broader TAU community, there are many more lone soldiers. The care packages will go out to all of them, with comforts, Kosher baked goods, and warm items suitable for the coming winter months. The necessary items will be purchased with the money raised through the campaign. Additionally, on the baking day at the Lowy International office, the team will make cookies to add to the packages, which will be delivered to military bases in the south and north of Israel.   Yishai Stern (Photo courtesy of Yishai Stern) Yishai explains, “Now that some time has passed since the start of the war, soldiers mostly have everything they need, so our care packages are more about extras—to show extra love.

It could be warm things, such as blankets to make the nights feel more homey and comforting, or other items to brighten their days, like backgammon boards for soldiers to pass the time between missions.

Every contribution, big or small, goes a long way to help us reach our goal of making as many lone soldier nights warmer as possible.

Support TAU’s Uniform to University Scholarship Fund.

Academic & Financial Assistance

• Combat soldier scholarships for students who serve as fighters and who can remain on the frontlines for several months straight. Lone soldiers are particularly vulnerable. Allocations will come in the form of partial or complete tuition, living stipends, and housing aid of up to $7K per student.
• Funding for academic tutoring for returning soldiers who have missed important study material and who need help to complete courses, succeed in tests, and save the semester. Allocations begin at $1,500 per tutor.

Head of the Lowy International Student Life Team talks about the work of her team on campus.

—How would you say your role has shifted since October 7?

We had a semester’s worth of scheduled activities and that all changed in a moment.

—Student life on campus must be quite unique these days, given the war. Can you describe your experience with the current cohort of international TAU students?

We’re holding gatherings in the dorms and on campus, events with special guests, yoga classes, movie nights, Shabbat dinners, picnics and tours — options that allow us to continue to be safe — and we almost always have a great turnout.

—What would you say has been the highlight of your job these past couple of months?

—Do you have a holiday wish?

We really can’t wait to have all our students back with us; we’ve planned a lot for them, and we miss them here.

New academic course for international students.

Tel Aviv University is offering the first academic course on the Israel-Hamas war that began on Oct. 7th, 2023. Targeting international students, the course was launched as early as the first semester of the current academic year. TAU officials explain that to offset the distorted, simplistic picture of the war currently presented on many campuses worldwide, the course aims to present an accurate, fact-based, and complex perspective on the conflict.

Thousands of students from all parts of the world study at TAU Lowy International School, from North and South America, Europe, India, China, Australia, Africa, and elsewhere. Now, for the coming academic year, TAU has initiated a new academic course led by top experts, on the Oct. 7th war. The course will review the background to the war, as well as its immediate implications for both Israel and the world at large, in different areas including conflict management, Middle East studies, economics, international law, security studies, national resilience, trauma studies, and more. In this way TAU aims to raise the international students’ awareness of the war’s causes and impact, in the hope that they will portray a more complex and accurate picture of it in their own countries.

Prof. Milette Shamir, TAU’s VP International: “The horrendous statements heard on many campuses around the world, especially in North America and Western Europe, are often a byproduct of blatant ignorance coupled with the consumption of information from dubious sources on social media. As a counter measure, we offer students from all over the world an opportunity to learn about the war through exposure to well-founded facts, responsible research, and a complex ways of thinking. This is the appropriate response of academia to the venom propagated on campuses and in the social networks.”

Dr. Nimrod Rosler, Head of the International Program in Conflict Resolution and Mediation: “The horrors we experienced on Oct. 7th and afterwards underline the need for a deep understanding of the dynamics of violent conflicts. Such an understanding can be obtained from the academic knowledge and experience of the prominent lecturers who will teach in the course, providing   participants with tools for dealing constructively with the war now and with its consequences in the future. Positive ways for coping with the horrors are the key to resilience and hope for a better future.”

The new academic course follows another initiative of the Lowy International School: a taskforce initiated by international students to assist Israel’s national effort to tell the war’s true and tragic story to the world. Participating students conduct dialogues on the social networks with people in other places in the world, providing them with materials and information that present Israel’s narrative from the perspective of international students in Israel.

Prof. Ronen Avraham, Head of the Lowy School’s Parasol Foundation International LL.M. Program: “This task force is a moving initiative of students, and I am proud that TAU provides it with logistical backing. We have already reached 1.3 million people and have thousands of followers worldwide. The events of Oct. 7th will enter the history books, not only of Israel and the Palestinians, but also of the entire world. We will not give up our efforts to spread the truth, for the benefit of both our contemporaries and future generations.”

The course aims to present an accurate, fact-based, and complex perspective on the conflict.

By introducing the newly-designed course, TAU aims to raise the awareness of international students regarding the causes and impact of the war, in the hope that they will present a more nuanced and accurate picture in their respective countries.

“The horrendous statements heard on many campuses around the world, especially in North America and Western Europe, are often a byproduct of blatant ignorance coupled with the consumption of information from dubious sources on social media,”—Prof. Milette Shamir, TAU’s VP International.

“Such an understanding can be obtained from the academic knowledge and experience of the prominent lecturers who will teach in the course, providing participants with tools for dealing constructively with the war now and with its consequences in the future,”—Dr. Nimrod Rosler

Narrating Truth Amidst Conflict

“The events of Oct. 7th will enter the history books, not only of Israel and the Palestinians, but also of the entire world. We will not give up our efforts to spread the truth, for the benefit of both our contemporaries and future generations,”—Prof. Ronen Avraham

Public Statement by Presidents of Israel Research Universities Regarding Statements by American University Presidents in Congressional Hearings.

Since the horrifying atrocity of October 7th, there has been a distressing surge in anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment on numerous campuses across the United States, including some of its most esteemed universities. Instead of offering empathy and support to Israeli and Jewish students in the wake of the brutal massacre of Jewish communities in their homeland, campuses have witnessed protests advocating for the annihilation of the State of Israel (“from the river to the sea”) and endorsing terrorist activities against Israeli citizens (“intifada”). There has been a disturbing display of hatred towards Jews and Israelis, causing fear among this community on American campuses. This resurgence of hostility evokes memories of dark chapters in Jewish history.

Under these distressing circumstances, there is an urgent need for firm leadership on American campuses—leadership that unequivocally declares, “This far, no further.” Regrettably, such resolute leadership appears to be lacking at present. While some individual academic leaders have vocally opposed anti-Semitism and actively worked against it, many others have remained silent.

In a disconcerting recent hearing held in the U.S. Congress, presidents from three prominent universities (Harvard, MIT, and Pennsylvania) were questioned about their stance on severe instances of anti-Semitism on their campuses. Although these leaders acknowledged the existence of anti-Semitic expressions, they maintained that curbing a significant portion of these expressions is challenging due to their protection under the banner of free speech.

During a critical moment in the congressional hearing, the university presidents were asked whether a call for the genocide of the Jewish people aligns with their institutions’ codes of conduct. Astonishingly, they struggled to provide a straightforward “no” and instead offered vague responses, suggesting that the response depends on the context. This hesitation raises concerning questions about the interpretation of free speech.

Following the hearing, the president of Harvard University released a brief statement emphasizing the institution’s prohibition of anti-Semitic expressions, a sentiment echoed by the president of the University of Pennsylvania.

The positions taken by the university presidents during the congressional hearing, suggesting that anti-Semitic expressions and calls for genocide may fall under the umbrella of free speech, defy the principles of the U.S. Constitution. A nation that permits a call for genocide in the guise of freedom of speech does a disservice to its values. Freedom of speech, while a fundamental right, must yield in the face of incitement, hatred, and calls for violence, especially a call for genocide. This principle holds true not only in the United States but also in all democratic countries globally.

The university presidents’ failure to provide a firm stance in dealing with instances of anti-Semitism and anti-Israel sentiment on many campuses in the United States is alarming. Apologies and expressions of regret are not enough; what is required are clear and decisive actions. In their testimony before Congress, the university presidents mentioned measures taken or planned to protect the security and well-being of Jews and Israelis on campuses.

It is now their responsibility to ensure the effectiveness and sufficiency of these measures. The burden lies on their shoulders to demonstrate that the universities they lead not only excel in academics but also uphold universal humanistic values and defend the rights of minorities. It is imperative that everyone understands that advocating for the destruction of a people is strictly prohibited at Harvard, MIT, Pennsylvania, and everywhere else in the world.

Prof. Arie Zaban, President of Bar-Ilan University; Chairperson of Association of University Heads, Israel – VERA

Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, President of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev

Prof. Alon Chen, President of the Weizmann Institute of Science

Prof. Asher Cohen, President of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Prof. Leo Corry, President of the Open University

Prof. Ehud Grossman, President of Ariel University

Prof. Ariel Porat, President of Tel-Aviv University

Prof. Ron Robin, President of the University of Haifa

Prof. Uri Sivan, President of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology

An in-depth survey of Arab Israelis reveals.

A comprehensive study conducted by the Moshe Dayan Center at Tel Aviv University following the outbreak of the Iron Swords war reveals some important new trends among Arab Israelis. The findings indicate that about half of the Arab population (47%) feel that Israel’s response to the Hamas attack on Oct. 7th, 2023 was justified (44% do not). In addition, most Israeli Arabs (57%) believe that the Hamas militants intentionally targeted women and children in the communities near the Gaza border, while 32% do not.   The survey included 502 Israeli Arab citizens aged 18 or over who constitute a representative sample of the adult Arab population. The study was initiated by the Konrad Adenauer Program for Jewish-Arab Cooperation, which represents the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, and is part of the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies at TAU.   According to the data, about half of the respondents believe that the Hamas attack on Oct. 7th did not contribute to a solution to the Palestinian problem. The rest are evenly divided: some think that it did contribute (21%) while others feel that it had no impact (19%).   In addition, a large majority of the Arab population (85%) approve of the initiatives by Arab citizens to help the residents of Otef Aza. About half (54%) also approve of the participation of Arab Israelis in the advocacy efforts to present Israel’s position to the world. However, when asked about solidarity, 70% of the participants responded that solidarity between Arabs and Jews in Israel has weakened following the events of Oct. 7th.   The survey also asked about the participants’ political views and found that the majority (66%) are in favor of an Arab party joining the coalition following the next elections.   Dr. Arik Rudnitzky, the head of the program, notes that the study points to a major shift in the positions of Arab Israelis and greater identification with Israel. “The war between Israel and Hamas, which began almost two months ago, has generated an unprecedented change in the positions of Israel’s Arab citizens. First and foremost, many identify with the communities of Otef Aza, and with Israel’s efforts to present its positions to the world.”  

“Identification with Israel is manifested in the fact that for the first time, and in contrast to all previous surveys, civic Israeli identity plays as strong a role as national Arab identity for Arab Israelis.”

  “The war has led to a head-on clash between the Israeli and Palestinian narratives in the international media and on social media. It is also worth noting that identification with the Israeli narrative with regard to the events of Oct. 7th is higher among the younger generation of Arab Israelis. This is a dramatic finding because relative to their elders, young people are more exposed not only to the Israeli and global media, but also to social media where the Israeli narrative is at a disadvantage.”   Dr. Arik Rudnitzky (Photo: The Konrad Adenauer Foundation)   “At the same time, there is anxiety among Arab Israelis who fear harassment by Jewish Israelis because of the war. Clearly, the violent events of May 2021 resonate in the minds of many, Jews and Arabs alike, but it is important to understand that the war in October 2023 is an entirely different story from the events in May 2021. We should bear this in mind following the conclusion of the war.”  

“The country’s Arab citizens are signaling to the Jewish population and the government that they are an integral part of the State of Israel.”