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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."

 

Photo credit: Tel Aviv University.

Tel Aviv University grants permission for the use of these photos/images for stories on TAU

 

 

(6 December 2023 – Jerusalem) Yesterday's congressional hearings addressing antisemitism on university and college campuses highlight the willful lack of accountability when it comes to Jews, Israel and antisemitism on campus and in academia. 

Yad Vashem is extremely alarmed by University Presidents of Harvard, MIT and UPenn refusal to claim that genocidal calls against Jews does not violate university policy and code of conduct. In fact, when the three presidents were asked point blank whether calls for the genocide of the Jews violated university rules or code of conduct their response respectively was it is a 'context dependent decision'. Yad Vashem is appalled that leaders of elite academic institutions would use misleading contextualization to minimize and excuse calls for genocide of the Jews.  The positions taken by the three university presidents in their testimonies highlight a basic ignorance of history, including the fact that the Holocaust did not start with ghettos or gas chambers, but with hateful antisemitic rhetoric, decrees and actions by senior academics, among other leaders of society.

Institutions like Yad Vashem play a critical role in raising awareness about the history of antisemitism and the Holocaust.  Both are essential to confronting the current acute situation and bringing about long-term solutions.

"Any university, institution or society that can “contextualize” and excuse calls for genocide is doomed," reacted Yad Vashem Chairman Dani Dayan. "I call upon university administrations to empower and train their faculty and students to better understand the dangers of antisemitism. We invite university leadership to visit Israel and Yad Vashem during this university semester break in order to learn what past calls for the genocide of Jews has led to - the Holocaust. Never Again must begin with education."

 

 www.yadvashem.org
  

Yad Vashem, the World Holocaust Remembrance Center, was established in 1953. Located in Jerusalem, it is dedicated to Holocaust commemoration, documentation, research and education.

 

 

 

 

 Today, November 26, 2023, 3rd day of liberation of the kidnapped persons by the terrorist group "Hamas", I had a conversation with Uri Geller, British-Israeli mentalist, worldly famous for his psychic abilities, reader of minds and bender of metals, whom I admire a lot and met personally in Jerusalem.

I remembered that he mentioned 15 days ago in the program "Ofira Vecatorza" that he warned about a Black Saturday exactly two months before the fateful October 7. I asked him: “Uri, did you really have premonitions of the coming catastrophe and you warned about it?”.
Uri: “Yes, exactly on July 13 I sent a special letter to authorized sources warning about the danger”.

The letter said: “Israel is like the Titanic traveling toward an iceberg. Israel is in a clear and immediate danger. We are busy with internal ears between us and we are sedated by politicians of all sides of the spectrum helped by all communication media. The retired generals and politicians tell us grandmother stories about being strong. In short terms we deal with a war with five scenarios at the same time: Siria, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza inside Israel”. For twenty years our enemies have gathered and have an arsenal of 250.000 missiles, they will launch 5.000 missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles everyday over Israeli cities``.

Geller warned that “at the same time there are 600.000 weapons in the Arab settlements, and that chaos will reign in streets of cities like in Shomer Homot. Many people don’t know the strength of Radwan of Hezbollah, which is the strength of command with thousands of soldiers whose aim was to penetrate the Lebanese border from Gaza to all the settlements. It is supposed that the situation is difficult with hostages, a massacre, we must be prepared for a total war with the FDI, which is based on the immediate reserve army”.

Geller concluded the letter with a call to equip the residents with weapons and recruit many for the combat service. The weapons must be redistributed between all the residents, each settlement along the conflict line must be equipped with weapons, food and medicines. The National Guard must be immediately established with 100.000 volunteers, religious, traditional and secular, armed and trained. We must be enlisted for combat service. “Am Israel Jai”.

Finally I asked Geller: How do you see the continuation and ending of this war?
Uri Geller answered me: “Firstly our goal is to bring back all the kidnapped people. We will have a few more days with a ceasefire, but at the end of the day we need to destroy Hamas, not only for the cruel murders they have carried out. In the world, there was no such thing, maybe in the time of barbarians hundreds of years ago, maybe because we need peace in the south, and that's why Hamas will disappear. As for the north, it is more problematic, but there too we will have to do something. I am an optimistic person and I believe that even in the north we will be able to restore peace of mind to the people, and return to their homes. Don't forget that we are now under attack by 7 countries. I am an optimist!

 

Photo Silvia G Golan

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the Cornerstone-Laying for the Community of Ofir, named after the Late Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council Chairman Ofir Leibstein: "We will rebuild and expand the communities, and we will add more communities." 

 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, today (Wednesday, 29 November 2023), laid the cornerstone of the community of Ofir, in memory of the late Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council Chairman Ofir Leibstein. Those attending the emotional event, together with Construction and Housing Minister Yitzhak Goldknopf and local council heads from the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip, praised the courage of the late Ofir Leibstein and noted his heroic fight, together with his late son Nitzan, in battles against Hamas terrorists at Kibbutz Kfar Aza on Saturday October 7th

Prime Minister Netanyahu to the local council heads from the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip [translated from Hebrew]: 

"All of you endured very difficult days here. Friends were murdered. Leaders were murdered – men and women who fought, soldiers and police officers. It is simply unbelievable what happened here on the day of this ultimate test. The people of Israel hold onto our land by the fingernails, repelled the murderers, the monsters, and now we are in the midst of action that will continue to its end. 

We established a state, an army, communities and cities. We welcomed immigrants, but the battle continues as it has for 100 years and more. It most definitely continued here on that terrible day and we will overcome them. 

This construction expresses what we are now doing. Several months ago, we decided to establish a new community and called it 'Hanun' and today we are changing its name to 'Ofir' after the late Ofir Leibstein, a leader, a man of the Land of Israel, a builder and a man engaged in settling the land. Here children will grow up and be educated about his contribution, heroism and sacrifice. 

We will continue to build, not one community but communities, here in this place. We will build and we will continue to build, here and all throughout the Land of Israel. We will rebuild and expand the communities, and we will add more communities." 

Participating in the event were Sdot Negev Regional Council Chairman Tamir Idan, Sderot Mayor Alon Davidi, Merhavim Regional Council Chairman Shai Hajaj, Eshkol Regional Council Chairman Gadi Yarkoni, Sha'ar Hanegev Regional Council Acting Chairman Yossi Keren and Hof Ashkelon Regional Council Chairman Itamar Revivo. Also in attendance were Tekuma Authority Director Moshe Edri, head of IDF Home Front Command Maj. -Gen. Rafi Milo, the Prime Minister's Chief of Staff Tzachi Braverman, the Prime Minister's Military Secretary, Maj.-Gen. Avi Gil, and Prime Minister's Office Director General Yossi Shelley. 

The cornerstone-laying for the community of Ofir is a direct continuation of the Government decision, by the Prime Minister and the Construction and Housing Minister on 5 February 2023, to establish a new community in the area adjacent to the Gaza Strip to be called Hanun (which was defined as a provisional name).

  

Photo credit  Silvia G Golan   ( this is one of the last photo of  Ofir Leibstein - taken 2 days before the massacre )

 

 

 

 

Wednesday, 1 November 2023 / 17 Marcheshvan 5784

President Herzog addresses the nation

President Isaac Herzog this evening made an address to the nation, in which he stressed the strength and resilience of Israeli society.

Text of the President’s address

"Citizens of Israel, tonight I would like to address each and every one of you, personally, and talk about resilience, spirit and soul, on a personal and national level. It's been almost a month since our country underwent a serious change. For almost a month we have been in a war like no other. Almost a month has passed since that cursed day, when the sun rose, the flowers blossomed, and butchers slaughtered, slaughtered and slaughtered - women and men, elderly and infants, from kibbutzim, communes, communities, cities and towns. It is close to a month since that utter horror – which flashes again and again before our eyes, day after day, hour after hour.

Degrees of grief overflow in a way that cannot be contained at all, in a way that cannot be grasped in heart or mind. It surrounds and rocks us. We all feel it, for ourselves, for the parents, for the children. The displacement of hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, hundreds of thousands of reservists recruits, and the war being fought – from the frontline to the back – affects us, all of us mentally, both personally and nationally. And the fallen – the best of our children – whom we have mourned over the last days, only adds to the pendulum of pain that we are all experiencing at this time. We will forever remember those who fought bravely and fiercely in the mission of defending the people and our homeland. We embrace their families and pray that they will know no more sorrow. In war, each of us endure moments which are simply unbearable. Every day, I meet families and communities displaced from their homes, I visit the wounded in the hospitals, and families of those missing or being held hostage. Truly an Israeli mosaic like no other. The pain of the families of the hostages and the missing is simply unfathomable. My conversations with them are the most painful conversations I have held in all of my life. Mothers and fathers, families, spouses and partners, have not slept for more than three weeks. The cruelest and darkest abyss, engulfed these families and us as a nation. I say you what I told the families, unequivocally, the hostages are in our thoughts, and their return is an integral part of the success of this campaign – of course – alongside victory in this decisive war against the enemy and restoring security to all Israeli citizens.

I knowingly commit to you, that the best minds - thousands of Israelis, from the country’s leadership to every level of the security services – will work with professionalism and dedication, every minute of the day, to fulfil our moral duty as a country – to bring them back home.

Just this week we saw an example of success in these efforts, with the rescue of the soldier, Uri Megidish, from Hamas, in a bold, resourceful, and determined joint operation by our forces. Last night, I was at the operational headquarters of the security forces, and I can testify firsthand, that the response of Hamas – as if they had not been holding Uri – was false and reflects the level of pressure they are feeling.

The monstrous enemy is trying with all its might to conduct a psychological campaign against us as well, employing the most abhorrent of tools. We saw it this week many times, and I estimate that we will also see it many times in the future in different forms. They want to scare us with videos, rumors, and lies. They try to undermine us psychologically, to hurt our personal and national spirit. We will not let them succeed. We just won't give it to them. Our spirit cannot be broken. Hamas must not be trusted. Human monsters must not be believed. You must not fall into the traps of psychological warfare. We must not let them play cruelly with our heads and souls. Please, we must all act responsibly at this time. Don't spread unfounded rumors.


I would like to express my appreciation for the responsibility shown by the Israeli media in their decision not to play into the hands of the brutal psychological terror of our enemies.

This is true for us as a country, and this is true for each and every one of us.

Among other things, the enemy seeks to incite hatred within us - between Jewish citizens and Arab citizens. Such attempts must be fought uncompromisingly and unequivocally. We must eradicate any incarnation of enmity, racism and violence towards different groups within us. Remember that there are dozens of Arab citizens here who paid with their lives in the terrible massacre, and as part of the security forces and the IDF. Remember the mutual responsibility as displayed by the overwhelming majority of the Arab society in Israel.

Citizens of Israel, we are in a time of war that has been imposed on us, that unfortunately - as is the nature of a fierce and protracted war – will bring more ups and downs, moments of hope and moments of sadness and pain.

I would like to share with you, words that I said just this morning to the mother, and the bereaved family, of nine year old Tamar from Ashdod, who died as a result of an anxiety attack, after having tripped on the way to a shelter during a siren for a missile attack.
Words that I have said repeatedly over recent weeks to hundreds and thousands of individuals, families, and whole communities.

On a very personal level, I understand how overwhelming and challenging these moments are. These feelings are so very natural and human, and must be given space to be felt. It is appropriate, even recommended, to express the pain, concern, and tears. It is appropriate and recommended to verbalize the anxiety. Looking after and tending to the soul at this time is so important. With such a reality, it is important that each of us finds strength, even a modicum of strength, in something that provides a little calm, soothes, keeps busy, however mundane and simple it may be. Both Michal and I find this strength on the road, as we journey through the country and meet the Israeli people. This strengthens and moves us. This empowers us and gives us hope.

I would like to speak of another source of great hope at this time, even now- in the fog, especially now. The Israeli spirit. An unbreakable spirit. The spirit of a storm which rose from ashes and destruction and is already blowing with all its might. This spirit has revealed itself mightily, in thousands of heroic stories from the frontline and the home front. It blows through each outreached hand, in the exemplary Israeli volunteerism and mutual responsibility, seeking to strengthen, to embrace, to support. It blows in every corner of our remarkable country – every corner. It is an eternal spirit, passed on to us from the generations before us, a spirit which will continue to guide us, generation to generation.

This spirit is you- my sisters and brothers – the people of Israel. Israeli society is our true secret weapon. You are my greatest hope, our greatest hope. Am Yisrael Chai (The People of Israel lives).


I pray from here for the healing of the wounded - in body and soul. I embrace the bereaved families stricken with grief, I wish to offer strength and encouragement to the forces of the IDF, the ISA, the Mossad, the police and the prison services, their commanders, all the security, emergency and rescue forces, along with the welfare, health and education workers. All those engaged in the holy work.

I appreciate the national responsibility shown by the Opposition, and their desire to back and strengthen the leadership of the country and the war cabinet in conducting the war, so that it will lead to victory - with God's help.

We have a solid country, and a wonderful and magnificent people. We have important and powerful allies all over the world. We have Jewish sisters and brothers in the Diaspora, who stand by us with all their might despite the attacks and threats against them. And above all, we have national resilience and unending strength. And with us at every moment, we have the power of hope. A hope that has existed for thousands of years, the breath in our lungs, a hope unparalleled in history, of a people to return to their country, to their homeland. A hope that we will rebuild, we will build, we will plant and grow. A hope - that the crops in the fields and orchards of the kibbutzim, communities, towns and cities, will grow again and again and again, and we will grow with them, all the people in all their diversity, all over the country.

We will always remember the eternal words: “Our hope is not lost. The two thousand years old hope. To be a free people in our country, the land of Zion and Jerusalem.”

Link to the address (Hebrew)

https://media.gostreaming.tv/?r=512&k=87a8cfc6d6