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BGU President Speaks At JPost’s Israel Summit

BGU President Speaks At JPost’s Israel Summit

January 11, 2024

Current events

Ben-Gurion University President, Prof. Daniel Chamovitz

The Jerusalem Post — Since its establishment, the Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has been crucial in developing Israel’s South. After October 7, its expertise will be instrumental in rebuilding and strengthening the region, the university’s president, Prof. Daniel Chamovitz, highlighted, speaking at the Jerusalem Post’s Israel Summit.

“In the 1960s, David Ben-Gurion envisioned a Hebrew Oxford in the Negev, at a point where, in Beer-Sheva, there were more camels than people,” Chamovitz said. “Ben-Gurion University is arguably the most important university for the development of Israel if you believe that the Negev is necessary for the future of our country.”

The university has been directly affected by the massacre carried out by Hamas and the ensuing war.

“We have had over 95 casualties, and one of our students is still held hostage in Gaza,” Chamovitz noted. “Hundreds of our students and employees have been displaced.”

BGU is working on the next phase of its mission and forging a way forward.

“We are holding discussions to understand our role in the rebuilding of the Negev,” Chamovitz said, highlighting that the endeavor will be “dependent on the expertise that will come out of Ben-Gurion University, whether in the field of urban planning, sustainability, tourism, medicine, mental health, or all the other areas.”

Watch the full summit here.

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