Ben-Gurion University of the Negev ‘BGU’ is no longer operating in the shadow of war, they are now operating in the midst of a full-fledged war for Israel’s existence. Courses are being held via Zoom, and its campuses are closed. The BGU community has dispersed, with students, faculty, and staff facing the missile attacks, mad dashes to the shelters, and unrelenting stress with their families across the country. Despite Israel’s remarkable defence capabilities, the number of missile impact sites is growing, and a number of its community members live in the affected areas. Three faculty members have already been evacuated from their homes which suffered damage as a result of the missile attacks. On top of that, over 6,000 BGU students have received orders to perform emergency reserve duty, requiring that they tear themselves away from their families, studies, and everyday lives to serve their country once again.

 

Across Israel, hundreds have been injured in missile attacks or forced to evacuate their homes as a result of damage caused by the attacks.

 

On 19th June Soroka Hospital, adjacent to BGU and the location of its medical school, was hit by a missile fired from Iran. Soroka is the general hospital of Beer-Sheva and serves as the central hospital of the region and provides medical services to approximately one million residents of the South, from Kiryat Gat and Ashkelon to Eilat.

 

Thank G-d no one was seriously injured—neither at BGU nor at Soroka. This was not simply a matter of luck. At Soroka, the hospital director had proactively ordered the evacuation of the building’s top floors, knowing they did not meet safety standards.

 

The direct hit caused extensive physical damage to the building. The shockwave from the

blast shattered hundreds of windows and dislodged doors and sidings across the university campus. At its Soroka campus, the damage was more severe: pathology labs, medical teaching labs, and lecture halls are currently unusable, and repairs will take months. Most painfully, several researchers lost years of work as their laboratories were destroyed.

 

BGU is in urgent needs of funds to repair its facilities, and we would be grateful if you would consider a donation at this most important time.

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Donate now by clicking here​

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