Dalia’s Story
Hi, I am Dalia, originally from Ashdod. Currently, I am a fourth-year student at the Technion, studying Information Systems Engineering.
I was drafted into the reserves from the beginning of the war to the Southern Command as an Operations Sergeant (“sambatzit”) in the Southern Command War Room. I served for a total of about two months, which were very intense and not easy, including long shifts and dealing with difficult events. But from this period, I also felt a sense of satisfaction. I had the opportunity to take part in large and important events during the fighting and to give support from my side.
During the reserve service, I was exposed to some amazing gestures of love and support from good people who had a real desire to help. From those civilians who brought us hot food during our night shifts to the students who hosted us in their apartments when there were not enough places to stay on the base.
From the beginning of the war, as I was recruited, I received a call from representatives of my faculty at the Technion, who wanted to know how I was doing, if I was OK, and if there was anything they could do to help in the academic field and in general.
As the semester started and we were called back to campus, the staff were on top of things, ensuring that the transition back to civilian life would be as smooth and comfortable as possible, given the circumstances. I was presented with options for relief in the various courses and invitations to various processing sessions depending on the nature of the service, allowing students who needed it to talk about their experiences.
Techelet’s Story
My name is Techelet , and I am a fourth-year mapping and geo-information engineering student at the Technion.
When the “Iron Swords” war broke out, I was away in Thailand. It was clear to me that I would return to Israel as soon as possible to serve my beloved country. First, I served in an intelligence unit, where we worked hard on providing intelligence to reach results that do not harm innocent civilians while protecting the forces in the field. The challenges were not easy at all, and the efforts required were enormous. However, the support I received from the Technion was exceptional.
First, I saw all my fellow students from other institutions being forced to return to the classroom even in the midst of the beginning of the war. In contrast, the Technion realised that starting a year did not make sense in this situation and postponed the studies for us repeatedly. The institution understood the importance of my contribution and gave me everything I needed to combine service with studies when the semester eventually had to open. Additionally, the Technion supported me financially and gave me and my fellow reservists a very respectable grant, which allowed me to focus on my role in the reserves without additional worries.
Recently, I was called to the reserves again in a unit where I am not allowed to disclose what I do, but I can say that it is the most important and valuable task at the moment ????️. The support from the Technion was critical and helped me to deal with the challenging period in the best possible way. I am happy and calm knowing that I am part of such a big, valuable, and enabling institution.