Emergency Fund for Technion Students
Israel’s Technion has been thrown into a state of emergency as rockets have rained down on Haifa, bringing death and destruction. Normal life has been completely disrupted, with many workplaces closed, daycare and summer camps for children discontinued, and the population ordered to stay in or near shelters. The Technion was forced to completely close for a week and all exams have been postponed, which may be academically devastating for many students. Israel’s defensive operations in Lebanon have required an emergency call-up of thousands of IDF (Israel Defence Forces) reservists, including a great many Technion students and graduates, some of whom have made the ultimate sacrifice in defending their country and one of whom, Ehud Goldwasser, has been kidnapped and is being held by Hezbollah. Urgent help is needed to provide emotional and financial support to students whose lives have been turned upside down by the terrorist attacks that are pounding Israel on all fronts. Everything possible must be done to enable our Technion family to hold on to as much normality as possible in these difficult times and to prevent the terrorists from inflicting long-term damage that can be prevented by supporting the students now.
Immediate help is needed to fund a hot line to support students who are experiencing severe anxiety and stress. It is vital to establish a discretionary fund to provide quick and direct financial support to students who have special emergency needs or whose jobs have disappeared because of the security situation. (For example, places of entertainment have been closed, which is financially disastrous for students supporting themselves with part time work and students with children are forced to stay home because of the sudden lack of day care.) New immigrant students are particularly hard hit, as are students from poor socio-economic backgrounds, whose families have also been financially hit by the security crisis.
A Technion Committee will be established there to evaluate cases on an individual basis and provide the funds necessary for these students’ basic needs.
In the longer term, upon their return from military duty, and during the coming semesters when they will face more and longer call-ups, Technion reservists will need academic, financial, and emotional help following the trauma of a battlefield. The Technion will do its utmost to assist them to catch up with their studies, provide economic assistance, and take other measures to ease their burdens. There is not a single student unaffected by the current emergency, and the longer Israel remains under fire, the more aid will be needed. The Technion is establishing a special Emergency Fund for Technion Students in order to provide the necessary emotional, academic, and financial support students need immediately.
With your generous help, Technion students will be able to continue their studies and help Israel maintain the cutting edge in science and technology that is absolutely vital to Israel’s security.
Please send a donation to the British Technion Society- 62 Grosvenor Street, London, W1K 3JF (please indicate if it can be gift aided).
On behalf of Technion’s students – THANK YOU. |