BGU’s Transformative Role in a Post-October 7th Israel
BGU’s Transformative Role in a Post-October 7th Israel
April 30, 2025
Current events, Negev Development & Community Programs
Prof. Simon Barak, an Associate Professor at BGU’s Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR) on the Sede Boker campus.
The Jerusalem Post – At a time when Israel remains embroiled in a war with Hamas and is continuously recovering from the trauma of the October 7th terrorist attacks, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) is working to drive the nation’s recovery, rebuilding, and resilience.
On May 7th, Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU) will host Remarkable Resilience. Excellence in the Face of Adversity, a special virtual experience showcasing BGU’s transformative role in a post-October 7th Israel.
During A4BGU’s fifth annual signature virtual event, attendees will journey through BGU’s three campuses in Beer-Sheva, Sde Boker, and Eilat, discovering a powerful story of overcoming adversity in exceedingly challenging times.
BGU’s outstanding students and faculty will join the virtual experience to tell the story of the University’s excellence in the face of adversity, rooted in the roles of all three campuses. The Beer-Sheva campus is the “brains” of BGU, home of its world-changing research and innovation. The University’s “heart” is the Eilat campus, hub of its community service initiatives. The Sde Boker campus is BGU’s “soul” — where its namesake and Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, began implementing his blueprint for the country’s future, making the desert bloom by revitalizing the surrounding towns.
“Through this deep dive into Ben-Gurion University’s brains, heart, and soul, our program will powerfully demonstrate that BGU is leading the way forward not only in the South but also for all of Israel through its excellence in the face of adversity,” said Doug Seserman, CEO of A4BGU.
Prof. Simon Barak, an Associate Professor at BGU’s Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research (BIDR) on the Sede Boker campus, explained that there are three aspects of the campus that make it stand out.
“It’s not just important for us to be doing cutting-edge science. But it’s important for us to be doing that science right here in Sde Boker,” said Prof. Barak. “We really do feel that we are fulfilling David Ben-Gurion’s vision of developing the Negev. Ben-Gurion said that, ‘It’s in the Negev where the creativity and the pioneering spirit of Israel will be tested.’ The students from all over the world and from Israel want to come to the Sde Boker campus because we’re dealing with some of the world’s most intractable problems.”
BGU was directly and disproportionately impacted by October 7th compared to other Israeli academic institutions in terms of the number of students, faculty, and staff who were killed, wounded, kidnapped, and called to IDF reserve duty.
Yet in no way did that stop BGU’s community from leading the recovery from the attacks both regionally and nationally, through a wide array of volunteer and community service efforts.
Register for Remarkable Resilience. Excellence in the Face of Adversity a special virtual experience on Wednesday, May 7th, 2025, at 12 p.m. ET: a4bgu.org/remarkable-resilience
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