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January 3, 2024

Dear Technion Family,

The academic year 5784 will commence soon and it will be a different and sorrowful year. The three months that have passed since October 7 have been painful and challenging for the State of Israel and the Technion family. Dozens of our friends’ family members were murdered, and others were abducted. Many have been injured or killed in the war, and our hearts are filled with pain and worry.

Approximately 2,500 students, faculty members, and administrative staff were called up for reserve duty, and many of them are still serving. In the spirit of Technion tradition, we postponed the opening of the academic year to await their return. As the expected release is delayed, we responded to the IDF’s request and delayed the opening of the year to January 14, 2024.

The upcoming academic year marks a historic milestone for us. Exactly one hundred years have passed since the Technion opened its doors in the historical building in Hadar HaCarmel with 16 male students and one female student. Who could have then foreseen that from that humble beginning would grow a top-tier research university, graduating one hundred thousand alumni, who have shouldered the security and prosperity of the State of Israel? Who could have imagined that our researchers would be awarded Nobel Prizes, and our influence on humanity would be so significant?

We did it all in our humble and persistent way, year after year. This has been our response to all the events, wars, and acts of terror that have afflicted us before the founding of the State and afterwards. This will also be our response to the appalling terrorist acts of Hamas, intended to undermine our determination, sow fear, create conflict within Israeli society, and drag us into the moral abyss in which they operate.

Nobody can divert us from our path. We will conquer the anger and the pain and immerse ourselves in achieving our goals with the spirit of our constitution: ‘To disseminate knowledge through education and promote knowledge through pure and applied research.’ We will continue to educate for the values that have guided us through the past tumultuous one hundred years: tolerance, inclusivity, the pursuit of truth and justice, and deep social responsibility towards all people. We will continue to support the security and economy of the State of Israel, and just as importantly, we will continue to embrace the entire Israeli society.

If we needed proof of our solidarity as a committed community, we received it in the last few months in the inspiring voluntary efforts of the Technion community. Alongside the enlistment of thousands in the reserves, the student union, academic and administrative staff rallied for a vast array of activities to support those whose lives were put on hold. We hosted hundreds of families who were evacuated from the south and north on campus, supported thousands of our own recruits, and addressed the diverse needs of the security forces.

This is the finest hour of the Technion family, and now we must channel these tremendous forces also to confront the additional challenges ahead of us. We must return to the routine of studies and research as in every year, and at the same time continue to support those among us whose lives have changed forever. We all must strive to heal the rifts in Israeli society, and we must continue to assist the thousands of women and men among us who left everything behind and enlisted to defend the country. We face enormous challenges, but from my acquaintance with this remarkable institution, its resilience, and the solidarity of the Technion family, I have no doubt that we will succeed.

Finally, I would like to remind you all, that my door and the doors of the entire administration are always open, especially during these challenging times. Please, do not hesitate to reach out with any problem or suggestion.

Wishing you all success and a fruitful academic year!

Prof. Uri Sivan

President

ACCESS PDF HERE:

Letter to Technion Family 3.1.24

Dental implants, made of titanium or titanium alloys, are widely used to provide a durable solution to missing teeth and restore functionality.

Unfortunately, after a variable number of months, about 30% of the patients may experience peri-implantitis, a disease that manifests itself by jawbone regression around the implant and gradual exposure of the implant’s threads. As of today, there is no clinical solution to delay or stop the progression of the disease that may ultimately lead to implant’s extraction.

Moreover, the reasons for the development of peri-implantitis are not well understood and various factors have been invoked when the studies focused only on the inflamed tissue.

A recent work, published in the prestigious Advanced Surface Science Advances by A.E. Shavit (M.Sc.), co supervised by Dr. K. Shemtov Yona (Mech. Eng. Technion and TAU School of Dentistry) and Prof. D. Rittel (Mech. Eng. Technion), takes a radically different approach at the problem by examining retrieved implants’ surface at the nano scale, instead of the surrounding tissue.

This breakthrough study reveals for the first time that the native protective titanium oxide layer gets severely damaged with time, rendering the implant more prone to biodegradation. In other words, the implant that is traditionally considered as biocompatible, loses this property, and becomes a bio-reject.

While centered on dental implants, the study has more general implications to the field of metallic medical implants, with the hope that if the surface layer of implants can be made more resistant to their environment, part of the pathology may be solved.

Link to the article: https://authors.elsevier.com/sd/article/S2666-5239(23)00187-3

January 2, 2024

To the Members of the Governing Boards

Harvard University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
University of Pennsylvania

Dear Members of the Governing Board:

We are deeply concerned by the restrained reactions of the leaders of your institutions to
overtly antisemitic activities on your campuses. We were dismayed by the Congressional
testimonies of Presidents Gay, Kornbluth, and Magill, who refused to condemn calls for
genocide unconditionally.

Freedom of expression is unacceptable when it supports hate, genocide, rape,
mutilation, and kidnapping—as in the premeditated, unprovoked, unprecedented,
barbaric, and perverse terror attack by Hamas against citizens, children, and women in
Israel on October 7, 2023. This attack was part of a proclaimed effort by Hamas in
Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Iran to annihilate Israel, which they deny the right to
exist, despite the fact that the State of Israel has continued to pursue peace with its
neighbors. For them, there are 56 Islamic states, but a single Jewish state is one too
many.

Expressing support for the deadliest attack against Jewish people since the Holocaust
is despicable and abhorrent. University leaders should condemn any expression of
support for such actions. Calls for murder should be deemed unacceptable and
penalized without any qualifications. Incitement to violence or hate speech based on
race, ethnicity, or religion is wrong, irrespective of “context.” Allowing these
provocations at your institutions is a moral failure that violates your codes of conduct,
may expose you to legal action, and significantly threatens academic performance.
Tolerating vehement demonstrations at your campuses in support of the worst crimes
against humanity undermines the fundamental purpose of your institutions of education
and research. Tolerating support for violence contravenes a critical element in a climate
necessary for learning and exploring: psychological safety [1, 2].

This concept, studied by prominent scholars—some from your own institutions [2-4] is becoming increasingly recognized as a key factor for individual and team growth in many settings, including in
education organizations [1, 5, 6].

A sense of security is critical for academic performance, respectful debate, and trustful
collaboration—nurturing research and scientific progress. Fear in the workplace [2] adversely impacts performance. An eminent scholar in quality improvement, Edwards
Deming, once advised, “Drive out fear of the organization so that everyone may work
effectively for the company.” Sooner or later, allowing fear on your campuses will
significantly compromise your academic excellence.

History teaches us that allowing antisemitism to grow can have severe consequences
for academic institutions. This was the case in 1938 at a prestigious medical school in
Vienna, from which it has yet to fully recover [7] (as discussed in an accompanying
editorial [8]).

“These events left the faculty, once home to numerous Nobel Laureates,
depleted of outstanding researchers and teachers—a situation that persisted for years
after the war.” If Jewish students and faculty feel unsafe at your campuses and opt to
leave, just as any other talented minority or individual would if they perceived threats to
themselves, your institutions will suffer a loss. Allowing hate to flourish gives rise to
profound apprehensions about the future caliber of your universities.

According to a recent Harvard-Harris poll, 51% of Americans aged 18 to 24 support
solving the Israel-Palestinian conflict by ending the Jewish state and handing it over to
Hamas. Interestingly, only 4% of Americans aged 65+ thought so, possibly because
they were raised on a Holocaust perspective of the right for Israel to exist, not on
biased, misleading messages in social media. Higher education has an important
mission to correct blatant ignorance of the past.

Besides unequivocal condemnation and disciplinary action in response to antisemitic
provocations, we suggest organizing educational activities, seminars, invited lectures,
courses, and workshops about psychological safety and listening to the Other across all
departments and facilities [9-12], as well as discussing the moral lessons of the
Holocaust [13-16].

The evidence is that listening reduces extremism, develops humility,
and promotes psychological safety [9-12]. A central message from the history of the
Holocaust to teach in higher education is to prevent crimes against humanity and
genocide, with the hope of one day achieving a world free of terrorism, antisemitism,
racism, and all forms of discrimination [13-16].

Leading universities, such as yours, should set an example by disseminating these
important messages.

Thank you for your consideration.

Sincerely,

This letter is signed by Nobel laureates whose names appear below.

Professor Aaron Ciechanover, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2004

Professor Avram Hershko, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2004

Professor Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 2002

Professor Roger D. Kornberg, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2006

Professor Michael Levitt, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2012

Professor Dan Shechtman, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2011

Professor Ada Yonat, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, 2009

References
1. Edmondson AC, Higgins M, Singer S and Weiner J. Understanding psychological safety in
health care and education organizations: a comparative perspective. Research in Human Development.
2016; 13: 65-83.

2. Edmondson AC and Lei Z. Psychological safety: The history, renaissance, and future of an
interpersonal construct. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior.
2014; 1: 23-43. [Harvard]

3. Schein EH. Kurt Lewin’s change theory in the field and in the classroom: Notes toward a model
of managed learning. Systems Practice. 1996; 9: 27-47. [MIT]

4. Schulte M, Cohen NA and Klein KJ. The coevolution of network ties and perceptions of team
psychological safety. Organization Science. 2012; 23: 564-81. [Wharton, U Penn]

5. Lateef F. Maximizing learning and creativity: understanding psychological safety in simulation-based learning. Journal of Emergencies, Trauma, and Shock. 2020; 13: 5.

6. Mustafa MB, Rani NHM, Bistaman MN, et al. The relationship between psychological well-being
and university students academic achievement. The International Journal of Academic Research in
Business and Social Sciences. 2020; 10.

7. Ernst E. A leading medical school seriously damaged: Vienna 1938. Annals of Internal Medicine.
1995; 122: 789-92.

8. Lerner BH and Rothman DJ. Medicine and the Holocaust: learning more of the lessons. Annals
of Internal Medicine. 1995; 122: 793-4.

9. Itzchakov G, Kluger AN and Castro DR. I am aware of my inconsistencies but can tolerate them:
The effect of high quality listening on speakers’ attitude ambivalence. Personality and Social Psychology
Bulletin. 2017; 43: 105-20.

10. Itzchakov G, Weinstein N, Leary M, Saluk D and Amar M. Listening to understand: The role of
high-quality listening on speakers’ attitude depolarization during disagreements. Journal of Personality
and Social Psychology. 2023.

11. Kluger AN and Itzchakov G. The power of listening at work. Annual Review of Organizational
Psychology and Organizational Behavior. 2022; 9: 121-46.

12. Lehmann M, Kluger AN and Van Tongeren DR. Am I arrogant? Listen to me and we will both
become more humble. The Journal of Positive Psychology. 2023; 18: 350-62.

13. Chelouche T, Czech H, Fox MA, et al. Statement on the Lancet Commission on Medicine,
Nazism, and the Holocaust. The Lancet. 2023; 402: 1816-7.

14. Czech H, Hildebrandt S, Reis SP, et al. The Lancet Commission on medicine, Nazism, and the
Holocaust: historical evidence, implications for today, teaching for tomorrow. The Lancet. 2023; 402:
1867-940.

15. Horton R. Offline: Universal lessons for humanity. The Lancet. 2023; 402: 1818.

16. Levany S, Arsyaf MA, Roma CB, et al. Why health-care learners and professionals should want
to learn about medicine, Nazism, and the Holocaust. The Lancet. 2023; 402: 1814-6.

ACCESS THE PDF OF THE LETTER HERE:

Nobel Laureates Write To Members of Governing Boards.

The Center for the Acquisition of Clinical Skills at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion has been holding trauma courses since the beginning of the war that train the participants in life-saving skills

Since the beginning of the war, the Center for the Acquisition of Clinical Skills at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine has been holding a course for treating the wounded (trauma) for a number of officials at the Technion and outside.

According to the director of the center, Ira Baskin, it all started with the initiative of medical students in the faculty (sixth year) who wanted to improve their skills in providing care to trauma victims. According to her, “The students were looking for a place for professional practice and for this purpose they recruited paramedics, most of whom are also students at the faculty. The initiative really moved me and of course, I made the center available to them.”

The Center for the Acquisition of Clinical Skills at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine is a simulation center that enables the practice of professional-technical skills (hands-on), as well as soft skills such as communication and teamwork. The center is under construction and is not fully equipped yet. For the purpose of the practice, the course was quickly organized with partial equipment already at the faculty, as well as equipment brought by the students and equipment borrowed from the Rambam Medical Center. Rambam doctors also got involved and gave lectures to the participants before the exercises.

About 50 students came to the first course, some of them in uniform on their way to reserve service. Since then, many inquiries have also come from parties outside the Technion who want to conduct similar courses at the center in view of the situation. “Unfortunately, only in such difficult times, such as a war or an epidemic, does the awareness of the importance of simulation and life-saving practice arise. This is exactly the purpose for which our center was established, to equip the students in the faculty, as well as professionals and experts, with the tools to provide professional and safe medical care.

This is an impressive center in terms of its dimensions and potential. It can provide practice and training of clinical skills to hundreds of trainees a day. I hope that in the near future, we will be able to purchase the missing equipment and provide practical training and simulations at the highest professional level to our students as well as to the health professionals in the region and the general public, certainly in times of emergency.”

The Technion and the Robophysics Excellence Program were harnessed for students from the north and south, evacuated from their homes. Since the beginning of the war, 120 students have participated in the program

120 high school students from communities in the Gaza Envelope and from the north who were forced to evacuate their homes completed the “Robophysics” program of the Atidim association in the last couple of months at the Technion. The students were divided into four one-week cohorts, and additional cohorts with new students will be held in the coming weeks.

The program held at the Technion was adapted to the current reality and is attended by 11th-12th grade students who were evacuated from their homes. They spend a week at the Technion studying at an academic level and social and enrichment activities with full hospitality on campus.

The “Robophysics” program was founded about a decade ago by the entrepreneur Ofer Danino, a graduate with two degrees from the Technion (electrical and computer engineering, science and technology education), and is held under the auspices of the Viterbi Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Following the outbreak of the “Iron Swords” War, the management of the program decided to make it accessible in a targeted manner to students who had to evacuate their homes.

The “Atidim” association, which works to exploit the potential of human capital in the geographical and social periphery, was roped in to lead the project. The President of the Technion, Prof. Uri Sivan, thanked the organizers and said that it was a “goal that is very important”. I have no doubt that you brightened the days of the boys and girls of the youth from the Gaza Envelope and the northern border, and I am sure that the week you are giving them will be etched in their hearts and will influence their path now and in the future. Well done!”

Prof. Idit Keidar, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Viterbi , told the students: “These are not the ideal circumstances for learning, and it is difficult for all of us to concentrate, but I hope that the program will provide you with an opportunity to disconnect a little from the news and acquire significant knowledge in an experiential and enriching way. This program gives the graduates an academic merit point, and we will of course be happy if, following this taste, you decide to continue studying with us at the faculty.”

The program includes full accommodation at the Technion, 45 hours of study through classes and practical workshops and various enrichment activities. The program entitles the participants (with a score exceeding 85) with a valid academic credit point for further studies at the faculty and with a score of 45%, of the matriculation grade in physics. After a week at the Technion, the participants receive extended personal guidance and a subsidy for a psychometric course until matriculation and enlistment in the IDF. In this special format, the program takes place at t:hub, the entrepreneurship and innovation center at the Technion, for six days for each cohort of students.

According to Meital Shaked, director of the ‘Future Youth’ programs : “The Atidim association and the Technion together built an emergency plan in four days. The program touches on an immediate need that exists in the field and in front of a population that the Atidim association has been working with for over 20 years. The overarching goal of the emergency program is to exhaust the potential of the outstanding students from the evacuated communities despite the great crisis and the difficult situation we are all in, facing the task of graduation and being drafted into the IDF. The Technion has opened its heart and campus to allow the participants of the program to enjoy all the goodness and quality that the leading institution the Technion has to offer. We are very grateful and appreciate this partnership. I have no doubt that this is a collaboration that will continue in the future.”

A delegation of senior officials from the Ministry of Economy and Industry led by the director general of the ministry visited the Technion

Last week, a delegation of senior officials from the Ministry of Economy and Industry, headed by the Director General of the ministry, Adv. Amnon Merhav, visited the Technion. The meeting was intended to strengthen the relationship between the Technion and Israeli industry, and both parties agreed that the Technion’s management fully understands the importance of this relationship, and that the industry understands the magnitude of the potential inherent in joining forces with the Technion. “The Ministry of Economy promotes joint initiatives with the business sector, academia and the public sector, ” said Adv . Our goal is to integrate into the 2024 budget a significant growth plan for the economy.”

Senior officials from the Ministry of Economy and the Technion

The visit began with a meeting at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering with the Vice President for Innovation and Industrial Relations, Prof. Lihi Zelnik-Manor and members of the faculty, including the Dean of the Faculty, Prof. Sima Yaron. The delegation then visited the PTC headquarters at the Technion and the National Institute for Construction Research.

At the conclusion of the visit, the Vice President for Research, Prof. Noam Adir joined and heard from the members of the delegation about their assessment of the high level of the research presented to them during the visit and its suitability for the ministry’s goals. Prof. Adir said, “The Technion is currently working to improve the relationship between academic and applied research, which is an essential link for the strength of the Technion and for the advancement of the State of Israel. Academic research sometimes operates on different schedules than those of industry, but through cooperation with the various parties, it is possible to provide our researchers with tools to promote applied research, while maintaining the academic goals of the researchers and students.”

Oz Katz, Director of the Industries Administration at the Ministry of Economy, said that “the war is a crisis, but also an opportunity. First, it clarifies the importance of industry, construction and agriculture to the Israeli economy. These are areas that routinely suffer from low productivity relative to the OECD countries, and during the war, also from a severe shortage of manpower. The solution to these two problems lies in assimilating innovation – a step that will also lead to reducing gaps and strengthening the periphery. In this process, the Technion has an important role. The management of the Technion understands very well the importance of the relationship with industry, and it is clear to industry that the Technion is a very significant resource .”

David Shem Tov, Head of Innovation and Applied Research at the Research Authority at the Technion Institute, noted that a few months ago, the Technion and the Ministry of Economy and Industry signed the “Technion 360” project with an investment of NIS 4 million, and that the current meeting was aimed at expanding this activity. As part of the project, the Technion and the Ministry will lead a combination of innovation, training and entrepreneurship in dozens of manufacturing plants, in order to improve the productivity and competitiveness of Israeli industry

In preparation for the opening of the academic school year on January 14, 2024, a special program was launched this week at the Technion that will facilitate and assist all students, and especially the reserve officers, to return to routine as easily as possible

Mindfulness as a tool to reduce stress and tension, a shared singing space, laughter and movement therapy, playing the drums. These are some of the activities initiated by the Dean of Students Office and the Technion Student Association (AST) as part of the “Back on Track” program. This program is one of the unique initiatives inorganizing academic year and its purpose is to make it easier for all students to return to campus. Other workshops to be held as part of the program are storytelling for the world of work, art workshops and guided imagination, learning strategies and time management, building a career in a changing world and experiences from a trip to Everest

Students in a workshop for making decorative inspirational signs

“We are in the midst of a war for our existence,” said Dean of Students Prof. Ayelet Fishman. “Many of our students are still serving in the reserves and I send them all our support and hugs from here. It is important for me to emphasize that we will do everything to help all of you to integrate back into your studies upon your return to campus. The Technion wishes you a soft landing and a fruitful academic year to all students and especially to all students from the reserve services. We are waiting for you all on campus.”

Students in a common poetry space

In the months since the outbreak of the war, thousands of Technion students have served in the reserves, called up by order 8, in addition to many members of the academic and administrative and teaching staff. Since the outbreak of the war, the Technion has done everything it can to support them. With the help of friends of the Technion in Israel and around the world, a special aid fund was established, which enabled the Technion to grant each of these students 6,000 shekels to help them with the various payments related to the Technion. In addition, a series of academic and other adjustments were established, including extended adjustments .for those recruited in Order 8 for the “Iron Swords” War

Students in a yoga session

The “Back on Track” program takes place from December 24th to January 11th under the leadership of the Dean of Students Office. It will help the students, and especially the reservists, to return to routine as smoothly as possible, to refresh and to fill the gaps. Every day, workshops and activities will be held on campus between 10:30 and 15:00, and in the afternoon, Zoom lectures by experts from various fields will be held. Participation is based on available space and there is no pre-registration.

Students in a workshop for learning time management strategies



For the full program of activities click here.

Daniel Widerker, company commander in the engineering brigade and doctoral student at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology.

Widerker, who leads his company in the fight in Gaza, received notice there that his article had been accepted to the prestigious science magazine, Advanced Materials Technologies.

Major Daniel Widerker

This is… after sending from Gaza (!) the latest changes he made the old way – pen on paper – and sent to his two moderators, Prof. Moran Berkovich of the Technion and Prof. Govind Kaigla of the University of British Columbia.

Daniel’s Article Corrections on Paper

In his letter to both of them, he states that “your support over the years, and especially during this crazy period, has not only given me strength in my professional career, but also provides me comfort and peace of mind. “

And Daniel’s message is “40 days since I went into battle. 40 days that the power of our people and the support of the front gives us strength every day to carry out the most important mission of all: to protect our homeland and to bring our people home.”

We all send you blessings for success in your twin missions from back home at the Technion.

The Technion awarded Aviv Heine a scholarship in memory of her partner, the late Sergeant Yonatan Maimon, 
who fell in Gaza. The two met in the "Desert Eagles" group of the Technion's FIRST robotics program

The dream of Aviv Heine and her partner Yonatan Maimon was to study engineering together at the Technion. 
Yonatan and Aviv, residents of Ofakim, were introduced to FIRST, an educational program led by the Technion, designed to arouse 
technological curiosity in children and teenagers and cultivate them as science and technology leaders.

Sergeant Yonatan Maimon, Z”L

The late Yonatan was born in Bnei Brak to an ultra-Orthodox family of 12. When he was in eighth grade, the family moved to Ofakim. Jonathan gradually abandoned the orthodox way of life. His mother tried to help him integrate into the secular education system, but he moved from one setting to another and was unable to integrate.

The Yeshiva High School in Ofakim accepted him even though he did not meet the threshold conditions. Yeshiva director Sigalit Hadad, who believed in his abilities, worked to integrate him into one of the FIRST robotics groups in Ofakim, “Desert Eagles FRC #6104” – a unique group that combines Yeshiva students, Ulpan girls and high school students.

Yonatan and Aviv

“Yonatan was received by the members of the group with love and a huge hug,” says the group’s mentor Ruth Naamani. “Yonatan told me that his knowledge of arithmetic is very limited and he does not know the letters in English. I asked who in the group was willing to help him with these issues, and the group captain Aviv Heine – an excellent student in the scientific excellence class – answered immediately.”
Aviv helped and mentored Yonatan for an entire summer, which allowed him to return to the education system, and what’s more, to finish high school with a full matriculation in physics (5 units), English (5) and mathematics (4). Yonatan was also involved in the “Desert Eagles” group as a team leader and as a kashrut leader.

The friendship between Aviv and Jonathan turned into a great love, but it was cut short on November 4 with the tragic death of the late Yonatan, a fighter in the Nahal Brigade, who fell in the northern Gaza Strip.

FIRST CEO Ido Mazursky, who met Aviv during the traditional seven mourning days for Yonatan, turned to Prof. Menachem Katopori, who previously led FIRST activities at the Technion, and Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan. This is how the idea for the special scholarship for Aviv Heine was born.

“I share in my deep sorrow for the death of your spouse, the late Yonatan Maimon, who fell in the war to defend the State of Israel,” Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan wrote to Aviv. “I learned that your dream and Yonatan’s dream was to study engineering, and in this way influence all of humanity. Out of deep appreciation for your work and your leadership and in order to help you realize your dream, the Technion has decided to grant you a tuition scholarship for two years. I hope that the scholarship will brighten your day a little in these difficult times, and will serve as a token in memory of the late Yonatan.”

Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan’s letter to Aviv Heine

Last week, on the thirtieth day after Jonathan’s passing, Aviv received the Technion scholarship letter from their mentor, Ruth Naamani.

*Photos courtesy of Aviv Heine

Naor Iluz, a student in the Faculty of Aeronautics and Space Engineering at the Technion, was injured in the fighting in Gaza, faces the reconstruction process with optimism and dreams of a thriving space industry in the Negev

Thousands of soldiers have been injured since Shabbat in October, including students at the Technion. One of them, Naor Iluz, a student at the Faculty of Aeronautics and Space Engineering, was born in the center of the country and grew up in Mitzpe Ramon – “I spent my entire childhood there. I was a naughty boy. In middle school I attended an ultra-orthodox school that I now know operated without a license, and I really did not get a good educational foundation.” In high school he studied at the ‘Or Etzion’ high school yeshiva and two years at a military boarding school. “In the 10th grade, I was transferred to the ‘Aspiring’ group, where they studied for 3 units in mathematics. I got really upset and decided that I would just sit in on a 5-unit class. They tried to get me out. Called the manager. They even caught me copying on the first test, but they gave me a chance and on the second test, I scored the highest. In the twelfth grade, I completed physics at an external school, and thanks to the investment in the last two years of high school, today I am studying at the Technion, in the Faculty of Aeronautics and Space Engineering.”

Naor Iluz with Prof. Tal Shima, Dean of the Faculty of Aeronautics and Space at the hospital

Fast forward to the War of the Iron Swords. Iluz, who served previously as a combat medic in the Engineering Corps, was drafted into the reserves by Order 8 as a medic in the patrol division of Auxiliary Company 198. On the morning of November 8, a month and a day after the Hamas attack on Israel began, a surprise IDF raid was launched on outpost 17 of Hamas. The raid, which was based on intelligence information that included tunnels and dozens of Hamas operatives in the target area, combined attacks from the air, engineering tools, tanks and several infantry battalions and other forces.

“The auxiliary gained confidence in the field during many days of fighting,” says Iluz, “and that’s why we got the right to lead the foot forces in this raid. At around 9:45, we arrived at the first structure and cleared it to cover a central axis in that location.”

The building had three floors. Iluz’s unit was placed on the third floor and another unit on the second floor. The stay there was planned to be short, but every plan is subject to change.

In a short time, A., one of the soldiers, was injured, and Iluz, the medical authority in the field, ordered him to be moved to an inner room and joined him. At 10:10, a long burst of gunfire was heard from inside the house and one of the soldiers shouted that he recognized a terrorist with an RPG. Two minutes later, shooting began at the soldier guarding the entrance to the building. The commanders made a situation assessment and it was decided that Iluz’s department would launch a counterattack on the terrorists’ house.

“Since A. was still dizzy and unbalanced, it was decided that only he and I would stay on the third floor in the same inner room. The platoon went to attack the house, the terrorist was waiting for them in the staircase and threw grenades at them. The first one did not explode but the second one did and several soldiers were injured to varying degrees. They were concentrated in a nearby warehouse.”

Naor in the reserve service

In the meantime, the first building was also hit by an RPG, and the entire floor where Iluz and A were staying was surrounded by smoke. “I heard the shouts from the building next door and I hoped they weren’t injured, but 10 seconds later I heard shouts ‘Iluz, Iluz, there are wounded and the MP was also injured.” Iluz joined M., his close mate, and immediately shots began to be fired at them. “Lots of bullets hit us millimeters from our shoes and legs, and I tell him ‘we are being shot at.’ When I assessed that they were changing cartridges, I asked M. to give a shot and I entered the narrow alley between the two houses. M. gave a burst of fire and I ran close to the right wall of the alley, but immediately a bundle of Kalashnikovs was fired at me.” One of the bullets hit Iluz’s shoulder and many shrapnel flew in front of him from the block wall next to him. Two other bullets were aimed at him and stopped – one in the vest and the other in the grenade that was in the pouch. “When I got to the door of the warehouse where the wounded were, I grabbed another bundle of Kalashnikovs.” One of the bullets entered the right side of the right thigh, breaking the bone and tearing the femoral artery and the main vein in the thigh. Everything happened in slow motion.

Iluz opened his emergency bag and tried to place a tourniquet on himself, without success. “I called A.M. and he put the blocker on me. While doing so, I look at the condition of the wounded and see to my left the MP sitting quietly with a broken leg from shrapnel from the grenade, see T shirtless at the end of the warehouse smoking a cigarette, look to the right and see C. with a sullen look and bleeding in the armpit area. At this point I realize that I am the worst injured and that I need a moment to take care of myself. A.M. Another tourniquet is placed on me. I lost a lot of blood and my consciousness was on and off. I said no, took my medic’s scissors from the vest and tore off my uniform and saw more bleeding, then stripped the rest of the wound.”

And all the while the fighting continues, the support covers the wounded and another wounded man joins his comrades in the warehouse – a wounded man who was shot in the hand. “Every 20 seconds someone else shakes me and shouts at me so that I continue to remain conscious, and everyone looks at me helplessly, after all, I’m the only medic here – and the most seriously injured.”

In the end, Iluz was laid on a stretcher and turned under fire to one of the tanks that arrived on the scene. The back corridor of the tank was opened, but the stretcher was too big and he was carried through it. ” At that moment, the most difficult psychological war of my life began. Excruciating pain, weak on the verge of losing consciousness, naked and frozen. I felt like a sardine in a can. I asked the tanker to bring me water and turn on the air conditioner so that it would be easier for me to breathe. To keep myself awake, I sang Eyal Golan’s ‘We went for a walk, we picked an anemone’ and ‘Buy you a diamond’. I repeated over and over the names of my nuclear family, including the dogs. Just stay awake.”

Dreaming of establishing a space industry in the Negev

About an hour after the incident, the tank arrived at a safe area where it connected with an Eitan (a new IDF APC) and where he met a paramedic for the first time. “Out of strength, I grabbed him, shook him and screamed: ‘Ketamine, Ketamine, Ketamine!’ And why does it take him so long to open a vein for me? But in retrospect I know that I quickly received the anesthetic. I don’t know what dose, but I started having hallucinations of life. I saw long corridors, destroyed houses of Gaza that shrunk and turned into a virtual game on the computer, I saw a screen of smoke and then total darkness descended, and immediately after that the black became a condensed black – what I felt at that moment was like death.”

When they reached the border, Iluz was transferred to a military ambulance. “I woke up from the sunlight and saw an Israeli electricity pole, which gave me a lot of hope for life because I knew I was close to a hospital.” He remembers how the mobile door opened when they arrived at Barzilai Hospital. “They put me in an operating room and I saw dozens of people in gowns and I shouted to them ‘put me to sleep put me to sleep’. And that’s what they did.”

That evening Iluz woke up at seven o’clock, and to this day he has a hard time digesting what happened to him in Gaza. Since the interview with him, he has moved from the Barzilai hospital to the rehabilitation department in Tel Hashomer. He maintains optimism and believes that he was not injured for nothing, because “it is a privilege.” We were called to protect the house.” The future is clear to him, at least at the national level: “My dream is to establish an aviation and space industry in the Negev, so that the State of Israel will not be dependent on external factors and that Israel’s air superiority in the Middle East will be maintained.”