BIU’s International School hosted a webinar for the international academic community titled “We Are Running Out of Time. Your Voice Matters!” in December 2023. The purpose of the webinar, as mentioned by Yael Toledano, the International School’s Director of International Relations, in her introduction, was two-fold: firstly, to let participants know that their voices do matter and they can make a difference; and secondly, to give a strategic perspective of what’s going on and provide practical tools to balance public opinion.
The audience heard personal testimonials and stories of brave civilians who saved lives during the October 7 massacre while also listening to different academic insights from the various departments.
Prof. Rivka Tuval Mashiach, Academic Head of the International School, spoke about the tragic events, the current situation, and the psychological effects of collective, multiple trauma.
Prof. Eitan Shamir, Director of BIU’s Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies (BESA Center), and a professor in the Department of Political Studies covered the topic, “The Israel-Hamas War—Background and Implications.”
Prof. Eitan Okun a researcher in the Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences and Gonda Brain Center and a member of the emergency squad of Kibbutz Alumim in the Gaza Envelope area, told his story about Kibbutz Alumim and the civilians’ bravery and courage on October 7, which saved many lives.
Paz Margalit Toledano, a BIU student in the Department of Chemistry and a family member of Elya Toledano, who was abducted at the Nova Music Festival, was invited to speak about Elya’s abduction in her testimonial, “Bring Elya Home Now.” Sadly, the International School was informed about Elya’s death just before the webinar and Paz bravely spoke about her family’s tragic loss.
The final presentation was given by Dr. Barak Bouks from the School of Communication and Department of Political Studies, who spoke about “Israeli vs. Arab War-Time Media: Sources of Information and the Media’s Influential Role.”
A question-and-answer session was held at the end, which generated an interesting discussion. Listen to the full recording here.
