"From War to Revival" - The Inspiring Journeys of Tel Aviv University Alumni During the War

The event, whose theme was "From War to Revival", opened with remarks from Sigalit Ben Hayoun, the head of Tel Aviv University's Alumni Organization, who shared with the participants the organization's work during the war, one of which, was the initiative to raise scholarships for students serving in the IDF reserves.

Left to Right: Brig.-Gen. Yael Grossman, Yorai Fainmesser, Galit Hemi, Inbar Shashua Bar-Nir, Sigalit Ben Hayoun and Daniel Zilber

The alumni were moved by the words of one of the scholarship fund recipients, a student from the Faculty of Medicine, Alex Yusupov.

Alex Yusupov

In the event panel participated:

• Brig.-Gen. Yael Grossman - Commander of the Lotem Technological Unit, and an alumna of both the Exact Sciences and Management faculties and the School of Education at Tel Aviv University.

• Yorai Fainmesser - Co-Founder of the venture capital fund Disruptive AI, and an alumnus of Tel Aviv University Faculty of Engineering. 

• Inbar Shashua Bar-Nir - Chairwoman of the Shashua Family Foundation, co-CEO of The Social Solidarity Foundation, and an initial core member of Tel Aviv University Next Generation Leadership Community.

• Daniel Zilber - Chair of Tel Aviv University Student Union, and a student of both the Humanities and Social Sciences faculties at Tel Aviv University.

The panel moderator:

• Galit Hemi - Calcalist (an Israeli daily business newspaper and website) Editor-in-Chief, and an alumna of the Arts, Social Sciences, and Management faculties at Tel Aviv University.

Brig.-Gen. Grossman shared that:

"Lotem is the digital and data unit of the IDF - an elite technological-operational unit. During the war, the unit is working on communication networks such as cellular and satellite, cloud platforms, and more, to ensure their security and data-richness. The unit also developed A variety of information systems for organizing in an emergency for such purposes as identifying casualties and recruiting reserves. Significant work has been done in all areas thanks to the unit staff, both active and reserves. For the past 114 days of the war, we have proven and continue to prove that together we can do wonders."

Brig.-Gen. Grossman

Yorai Fainmesser had this to say:

"On October 7th we were called to serve and the impact on Israeli high-tech was direct: entrepreneurs, investors, and employees were recruited for reserve duty and companies faced financing challenges. But from this, a stronger industry will emerge. The entrepreneurs are going through an accelerated maturing process and Israeli startups are proving and will continue to prove durability and determination, showing that there is who to rely on. Our uniqueness is not in technology only, which has been challenged in recent years in the global space, but rather in our ability to execute and create value. Here, Israeli entrepreneurship has a comparative advantage that only gets stronger and stands out these days. We are at the beginning of a startup baby boom."

Yorai Fainmesser

Daniel Zilber stated that:

"The war took and is continuing to take a lot from the students. We are sacrificing our lives, our bodies, our souls; our future, and the quality of our education. We do this wholeheartedly. We only have one country, and we're not going anywhere. We will fight, we will win, and we will face the consequences together."

Daniel Zilber

Inbar Shashua Bar-Nir said that:

"Since the outbreak of war, the philanthropic field has mobilized to strengthen the resilience of Israel society. Emergency work is divided into two - immediate aid that is needed in the here and now and long-term aid that includes support for organizations that are facing challenges that will continue for quite some time. These are trying times, however, ones that are characterized by collaborations. The philanthropic field realized that together it is stronger, in terms of resources, but mainly in the sharing of knowledge, initiatives, and organizing. I am sure that this will continue in the days after the war."

Inbar Shashua Bar-Nir

The event concluded with the singing of Hatikvah ('The Hope' in Hebrew, Israel's national anthem) by 2 students from the School of Music at Tel Aviv University.

Left to Right: Itay Keinan and Lauren Mimouni

Tel Aviv University Alumni Organization - A World-Changing Community