Message from Technion President

Dear Members of the Technion Family:

The spring semester recently opened, and we were thrilled to welcome students, faculty, and staff to campus. After more than two years of disruptive pandemic, we’re reminded, yet again, that meaningful learning, teaching, researching, and social interaction, are at the heart of the Technion. Now that we’re about to celebrate Passover – the Jewish spring festival – our classrooms and laboratories are bustling with academic activity, and our lawns are as lively as ever.

But Passover is not only about celebrating the spring. The Passover story is one of overcoming hardship, finding hope and liberty; it’s a story of gathering the resilience to emerge from dire straits. As we’re experiencing tensions in our region, and great conflict in other parts of the world, we must believe that even in such difficult times, there is reason for hope – just like in the story of Passover.

Our hope leads the Technion to take immediate actions, such as allocating funds toward hosting undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctoral students, and faculty from the Ukraine and Russia, while our peaceful campus continues to be a beacon of tolerance and coexistence.

Hope also leads us to explore new frontiers, including the groundbreaking Technion experiment successfully completed in space earlier this week; and to keep inspiring youngsters. Israeli astronaut Eytan Stibbe recently took the Nano Bible – developed and produced at the Technion – to the International Space Station – and this journey of the world’s smallest bible perhaps symbolizes the perseverance of our people, on their journey from slavery to a flourishing country. Taken into space, the Nano Bible connects distance and time, the past and the future, and ancient human culture with modern technology.

When we read the Passover Haggadah this holiday, I hope it will inspire us to strive for peace and freedom for all.

I wish you and your families a happy, healthy, and peaceful Passover.

Hag Same’ach,

Prof. Uri Sivan

President of the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology