The crisis that has overtaken Israel since the early hours of October 7th is impacting every area of life, including the University. Students, teachers, and administrative staff, along with Israeli society as a whole, are experiencing anguish, stress and anxiety. “It is a difficult moment for the State of Israel and within it the university community (...) The vast majority of members of the university community are shocked by what happened and understand that a terrible crime against humanity was committed here,” say President of Hebrew University Professor Asher Cohen, Rector Tamir Shafer, and Executive Director Yishai Frankel, in their joint letter to the university community, sent on November 1st.
The letter mentions the members of the community (staff and students alike) who were mobilized as army reservists, and anticipates that, in coordination with all universities, depending on the progress of the war and "when it is considered that the country's situation allows it," the opening of the academic year will not begin before December, almost two months late. A central consideration in determining the opening date will be the status of the reservists and ensuring their optimal integration, with the provision of financial support, mentoring and assistance to complete their studies.
How do Israeli students go through the war? What experiences do we have of other wars that have affected this community? Can we anticipate what will come in the coming months? Although distant in time, the history of the Yom Kippur war can illustrate the perspectives that coexist in the student community in similar situations.
Return to routine
It was also in December, but 50 years ago, in 1973, that students from all over the country returned to classes against the background of the Yom Kippur War. The Israel Broadcasting Authority produced a documentary that covered the return to classes in the unusual conditions at that time, with many students still on reserve duty and others unable to participate in classes. According to official figures, only two thirds of the students attended the opening classes at the Hebrew University. In the central area of the country, around 70% were in attendance at Tel Aviv University and a similar figure at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan. The teaching staff was likewise incomplete.
While activity in hallways and common areas increased, bulletin boards reflected support for the reservists, and offered care and a listening ear from health professionals from each university. An unusual sight at the Israeli Institute of Technology, known as the Technion, in Haifa, was the predominance of women students. The same phenomenon was also noticeable at Ben Gurion University in Beer Sheva, where half of the students registered attended on the first day (35% of the students in the area of sciences and technology, and 80% of those in the Faculty of Arts and in the Faculty of Social Sciences). In all institutions, arrangements were made to guarantee that reservists could complete their studies, such as flexibility in exam dates, additional class hours to make up missed studies, and free distribution of class notes and transcripts. Some of the students were also allowed to change the location of their studies to be closer to their military bases.
Students expressed a variety of views on the decision to start the school year two months after the start of the war to be correct. “It doesn't seem fair to me that others can't study, and we are [continuing our studies] the same way,” stated one student who pointed out that the special allowances being made did not have the same relevance for students who were still performing military service and, for example, needed access to a laboratory for their studies, as they did for students who could now return to studies at the university. Another student maintained that “We cannot live a normal life because what is happening is not normal life.” In favor of starting, one of the students reflected: “The Arabs wanted to interrupt our lives and if we didn't start studying they would be fulfilling their objective.” Another student, invoking and paraphrasing David Ben-Gurion, said, “He would have told us that we are obliged to continue our studies as if there were no war and to continue fighting the war as if there were no classes.” Another student commented: “I am studying towards a doctorate in Zoology […] I have already finished the research part and I have an assistant who is helping me with some final questions. The dates were postponed, but one of the things that worries me is being able to dedicate myself to writing my thesis.” The television reporter asked this student if it was possible for him to finish his thesis from where he was, standing next to a tank at his military base. “No, there is no chance here. Neither of sitting down to plan nor of writing. And that hurts. At the same time, I think that I wish these were our main problems,” he reflected.
Present and future: education and war
"Education is not an essential service in war," says professor and education expert Yoram Harpaz, in an article published by the Israeli news site YNet. "Education deals with the future, while in war we deal with the present. The goal of education is to teach children to think, but in times of war they think less, they feel more. And now we all feel fear, anger and desire for revenge. But schools are not treatment centers, that is not the role of teachers," he adds.
In another article on the same site, Dr. Adar Cohen, Academic Director at the School of Education at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, views the return to school not as a punishment or a burden, but rather as part of the process of strengthening society that will also benefit the armed forces. “The attempt to return to school is part of the national effort to maintain resilience” that allows us to show the combatants that the protection they provide allows us to return to routine. Cohen asserts that connecting with study allows children to activate their cognitive skills and thus reduce anxiety, although he recognizes that it is necessary to talk with students about the context they are currently living in on the day they return to school, to listen to their questions and reflections, and to validate their fears and concerns.
The how, when and why of returning to routine after a collective trauma like the one experienced by Israeli society requires discussions and understanding. What is required is what those of us who inhabit university spaces usually seek: respectful dialogue with empathy, and prioritizing learning. Building consensus in such violent times is not only possible, but also necessary.
Sources:
https://archive.kan.org.il/main/news/news-local/14137/
https://www.ynet.co.il/parents/educationtime/article/skpnxn0bt
https://www.ynet.co.il/parents/educationtime/article/bkymgvifa#autoplay
https://www.ynet.co.il/parents/educationtime/article/rygbc8fzp