Dear members of the Hebrew University community,

Spring is a time of renewal, but here in Israel it is also a time of reflection, remembrance, and, of course, gratitude.

I am writing to you between two important remembrance days: Yom HaShoah and Yom HaZikaron. On the first, we remember the victims of the Holocaust and mark their heroic attempts at resistance, while highlighting how propaganda, ideology, and compliance enabled the Nazis to carry out this historical atrocity. The day is a pledge to ourselves and to the world: Never Again.

Tomorrow, Israel will mark its second remembrance day, Yom HaZikaron, during which we mourn those who lost their lives protecting and defending the State of Israel. This solemn day seamlessly shifts into Yom HaAtzmaut, this year celebrating 74 years of Israeli independence.

We are thankful for all we’ve accomplished, for the excellence we have achieved. And we are grateful that we are now in the position to help others.

In fact, the Hebrew University has offered physical and academic shelter to refugees fleeing from Europe, which today is awash in innocent blood. We are witnessing the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces, the incredible human suffering and the cruel consequences of war. Ukrainians are fleeing their homeland, instantly becoming refugees.

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem is proud to have offered Ukrainian academics, graduate students, and undergraduate students, along with Russian academics fleeing their homeland, a temporary safe haven, allowing them to continue their academic pursuits at Hebrew University and the Rothberg International School, along with various forms of aid, including stipends, room and board, and tuition waivers.

To date, 70 Ukrainian researchers and 24 students have applied, alongside 11 Russian academics. Of these, over forty applications have been accepted, with the remainder currently under review. We welcomed 26 researchers and students who managed to travel to Israel, and wish the others safe passage as they make travel arrangements.

“I literally exhaled for the first time in weeks when our plane touched down in Israel and knelt down to touch the earth. I’m not Jewish, my husband is, but I felt such gratitude for this country and to Hebrew University for taking us in.”

- Dr. Anastasiia Zinevych, from Odessa National Economic University, today at Hebrew University’s Center for the Study of Rationality.

This year, as the remembrance sirens wail across Israel, I hope you will join me in remembering, while also being thankful for all that we’ve accomplished.

 

With gratitude,

Asher Cohen

President, Hebrew University of Jerusalem