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January 5, 2009

Dear Friends,

After a relatively quiet weekend in Beer-Sheva, Ben-Gurion University had hoped to resume classes this week. But today, at 2:00 p.m. local time, two more grad missiles struck the city. 

While there were no casualties and relatively minor damage, the University was forced to suspend classes indefinitely, to insure the safety of our students.

I invite you to read two moving commentaries. Siren Song of War was written by a valued member of the BGU staff and depicts the reality today in Beer-Sheva, a reality that few expected.

The other is from a graduate student and new immigrant to Israel from New York who spoke to the New York Post about her new status as an Israeli under siege.

While classes have been canceled, we can be especially proud of the many BGU students who have remained in and around Beer-Sheva and are volunteering their time to work with residents of the city, primarily children.

They are calming their neighbors and helping them make their way to the  nearest bomb shelter or safe room when the sirens sound.

They are staffing a center for people recovering from shock; distributing food to the needy; and running activities and programs for youth-at-risk and for those hospitalized at Soroka University Medical Center.

Faculty members are also helping the citizens of Beer-Sheva, mainly to contend with stress-related trauma.

Members of the Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer Department of Social Work are manning a hotline for people suffering from stress and anxiety.

And many of BGU’s medical experts and faculty are working around the clock at the University-affiliated Soroka hospital, the primary trauma center for both military and civilian casualties. 

Through it all, BGU staff and researchers are still at work. The University has initiated a day-care service for children of University employees on the Marcus Family Campus. More than 300 children, ages 4-12, are already registered, and are being staffed by student volunteers. 

There is no way of knowing how long the crisis will continue or what its total impact on the University and Beer-Sheva communities will be.  

What we do know is that BGU is engaged in a growing number of ways to manage the crisis, safeguard our students, faculty and staff, and insure that to the greatest degree possible the academic year will continue.

AABGU is developing a needs analysis and we will keep you informed as to how you can help. 

Sincerely,