President Chamovitz Shares How BGU Took Action Following Oct 7
President Chamovitz Shares How BGU Took Action Following Oct 7
November 10, 2023
Ben-Guion University students volunteering at Soroka Medical Center.
The Jewish Chronicle — When he became president of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Professor Daniel Chamovitz never thought he’d one day be formulating a mourning protocol.
But when Hamas terrorists attacked southern Israel on October 7, the reality for the world-leading university, which is located just 40 kilometers from Gaza, changed forever, and with it the requirements of his role.
“We immediately sprang into action when, within an hour or two, it was clear that this was just not a normal attack,” he told the Jewish Chronicle.
“Even on October 7, 500 of our students — medical students, social work students, psychology, physical therapist — descended on our university, on the Soroka University Hospital affiliated with Ben-Gurion, and volunteered in the emergency room, each to his abilities, whether they were already almost physicians or they were just helping with the families, or whatever they could do,” Chamovitz explained. All of this happened without top-down leadership, he said: “It’s not that the university organized that. It’s built within our DNA to be part of the community.”
This week, several high schools from Beer-Sheva are moving to the university’s main campus, to allow them to continue functioning despite the ongoing rocket barrages: “The university is opening up its buildings to the school districts of Beer-Sheva so that the students can study in a protected environment,” said Chamovitz.
BGU has established a student emergency assistance fund to provide critical direct financial help to students in need. Prior to the attack, around 400 of its students lived within seven kilometers of the Gaza border. Many have had to evacuate their homes, leaving behind cars, laptops and other belongings. They also have a variety of physical and mental health needs that may go on for some time.
Find out how you can help support BGU and to donate to these efforts head to a4bgu.org/negevprevails.
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