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Connecting International Researchers with Cutting-Edge Engineering Programs and Labs

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

TAU’s First Prospective Student Week for Engineers

At the end of May, the TAU Faculty of Engineering hosted its first Prospective Student Week, welcoming international participants eager to explore academic and research opportunities at TAU. With a focus on graduate and postgraduate programs, the event provided a comprehensive overview of the university.

Early career researchers hailing from Italy, the US, the UK, and China met with the dean and vice deans, talked to potential academic advisors from among the faculty, toured the campus, and also walked around Tel Aviv and Yafo to get the ultimate Tel Aviv experience.

At the Forefront of Innovation

Diverse in its scope and offerings, the Faculty of Engineering stands as the largest and foremost institution of its kind in Israel, housing five schools in key areas of engineering: electrical, mechanical, industrial, biomedical, and materials science. Over 120 globally renowned scientists and engineers lead pioneering research projects across a spectrum of fields, ranging from cyber and artificial intelligence to renewable energy and nanotechnology.

One of the engineering labs

International research students can join any of the departments since all master’s and PhD-level courses are taught fully in English, so proficiency in Hebrew is not a prerequisite for enrollment. This year, the Faculty is launching two new international MSc programs in Biomedical and Environmental Engineering, which are currently accepting applications from outstanding engineering majors worldwide.

Participants of the Prospective Students Week during their Tel Aviv tour

Notably, the Faculty of Engineering offers generous scholarships to international applicants which cover the tuition fees and provide a substantial stipend aligned with the cost of living in Tel Aviv. Additionally, international PhD students and postdocs have ample opportunities to find employment on campus, such as teaching assistant positions.

Where Innovation Happens

Central to the week’s agenda were immersive lab tours, offering participants firsthand insights into the cutting-edge research underway within the Faculty of Engineering.

Prof Tal Carmon talking about his research

Prof. Tal Carmon showcased his team’s work in the field of electrical engineering, building inexpensive and easy-to-use lasers that are indispensable for submarine navigation. He also emphasized international collaborations in optics with researchers from Japan and Germany.

For Xiaoxi Xu of Foshan University, the allure of pursuing a PhD in optical engineering at TAU stems from a recommendation by her current research advisor, who fondly recalls his own tenure as a post-doctoral fellow at the university. Likewise, Huiyuan Sun, an AI engineer from China, echoes the sentiment, citing positive reviews of TAU’s academic programs.

In the Environmental Materials and Processes Lab

In Prof Ines Zucker’s lab, the participants got to learn about designing and testing materials and processes for environmental applications, the main focus of the lab. Some of the lab’s projects address issues such as water treatment using innovative absorbent materials or advanced oxidation processes. Lab researchers are also actively investigating the potential environmental risks and implications of using various nanomaterials. 

Prof. Vladimir Popov talking detailing the 3D printing process 

Introducing international students to the 3D printing lab, Prof Vladimir Popov showed the equipment the team operates to create and test metal alloys that can then be used for various purposes, including repairing jet turbine blades or printing various objects.

Finally, Prof Brian Rosen took the participants to his two labs where researchers develop unique nano-materials that allow for easier and more efficient production and storage of energy in portable fuel cells. 

Prof. Brian Rosen explains how nano-materials are used in fuel cells

For Pietro Rosatti, who is currently finishing his PhD at the University of Trento, familiarity with TAU’s research output in his field of electromagnetics solidifies his decision to explore academic opportunities at the university: “I think there is a very strong community in my field”. 

Similarly, Joshua Feldman from the University of Illinois contemplates a future in Israel, drawn by the prospect of continuing his research in mechanical engineering at TAU.

From the Lab to the Market

Concluding the lab tours, Prof. Brian Rosen, Vice Dean for International Affairs, highlighted TAU’s robust ecosystem for technology transfer and entrepreneurship. TAU faculty enjoy comprehensive support by the TAU Ventures and the Israeli Innovation Authority. Moreover, there is easy access to leading tech companies based in Tel Aviv, empowering students and faculty members to translate research insights into real-world applications. 

TAU is consistently ranked highly for entrepreneurship and is the only non-US university to enter the top 10 for the number of startups and unicorns launched by university graduates. Engineering faculty members working closely with PhD students and postdocs have established many successful startups, which is a further testament to the quality and relevance of research conducted at the faculty.  

The Prospective Student Week at TAU Faculty of Engineering successfully showcased the university’s commitment to excellence in education and research. By fostering an environment of innovation and collaboration, TAU continues to attract top talent from around the globe. With its cutting-edge facilities, distinguished faculty, and vibrant academic community, TAU stands as a beacon of engineering excellence, poised to shape the future of technology and innovation.

Learn more about open research positions,  MSc and PhD options at the Faculty of Engineering

Grand Opening: TAU’s Innovative Nanotech Frontier

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

TAU Proudly Opens its New Nanotech Center

Tel Aviv University pioneered the Israeli nanoscience field with the establishment of The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology 

The inauguration of the Roman Abramovich Building for Nano and Quantum Science & Technology and the Jan Koum Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology took place during the events of the annual Board of Governors (BOG24). The new building has taken quite a route, but it was worth the wait. It is a marvel of architecture and science not just for our campus, not just for Israel, but also for the world.

From left:TAU President Prof. Ariel Porat, former TAU President Prof. Joseph Klafter, and Ms. Rola Brentlin cutting the ribbon of the Nano building entrance (photo: Israel Hadari)

“Although this journey has already gone on for ten years, today is really just the beginning. We are grateful for having played a role in seeing this center come to life, but we now look forward to seeing the progress, contributions and results that will come out of here.” – Rola Brentlin.

“Although this journey has already gone on for ten years, today is really just the beginning. We are grateful for having played a role in seeing this center come to life, but we now look forward to seeing the progress, contributions and results that will come out of here,” said Rola Brentlin, the representative of Roman Abramovich. .

TAU’s Koum Center is one of the top research institutions in Israel for nanotechnology. Its new location spans three floors and 8,000 square meters. This esteemed facility signals a new era for nanotechnology research both at TAU and generally in Israel.

“Everything here was designed for the next generation of researchers” – Prof. Tal Dvir, Director of the Jan Koum Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.

The entrance lobby of the Roman Abramovich Building for Nano and Quantum Science & Technology

“Everything here was designed for the next generation of researchers,” said Prof. Tal Dvir, Director of the Jan Koum Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. The Center comprises 126 research teams in diverse fields and is promoting fruitful academia-industry ties through extensive, long-term collaborative projects with over 35 industrial partners from Israel and worldwide.

A Journey of Innovation and Architecture

The Abramovich Building marks a new era in nanotechnology. Its ground floor, housing Israel’s largest clean room, is where nanomaterials and cutting-edge nanotechnologies are crafted and characterized, symbolizing the fusion of form and function at the forefront of scientific advancement.

“We thought about the future when we designed this building” –  Prof. Tal Dvir.

The project showcases a 1650 square meter basement housing an advanced sub-fab facility meeting stringent vibration standards for its electron microscopes.

“The building is also tied to multidisciplinary research and tech innovation while intensifying industry collaboration and forming new connections between the scientific world and society at large, and helping to maintain hand in hand israel’s standing forefront of scientific and technological progress” – Prof. Ariel Porat

From left: Prof. Tal Dvir, TAU VP Amos Elad, President of The Koun Family Foundation Yana Kalika, and Prof. Porat unveiling the sign for the Koum Center (photo Israel Hadari).

Advancing Research and Collaboration

The building will house thirty scientists working on nanotechnology solutions across various disciplines, including engineering, exact sciences, life sciences, and medical sciences. Exciting projects at Tel Aviv University include Professor Dan Peer’s nanobots that target and destroy cancer cells in the bloodstream and Professor Yael Hanein’s devices that integrate with the retina to restore vision for the blind.

The scientists at the Koum Center and Abramovich building are creating pioneering devices and drugs that will directly improve our lives by leading to better health care, faster and safer communications systems, a cleaner environment, enhanced national security, smarter products and more efficient energy use.

The exterior of the Roman Abramovich Building for Nano and Quantum Science & Technology

Global Coral Crisis: Deadly Sea Urchin Disease Discovered

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

TAU Researchers Found the Cause of Sea Urchin Deaths in the Red Sea, Potentially Threatening Coral Reefs Worldwide.

A continuing study from TAU found that the deadly epidemic discovered last year, which has essentially wiped out Eilat’s most abundant and ecologically significant sea urchins, has spread across the Red Sea and into the Indian Ocean. According to the researchers, what appeared to be a severe but local epidemic has quickly spread through the region and now threatens to become a global pandemic.

Sea urchin mortalities on Reunion Island. Photo credit: Jean-Pascal Quod.

The researchers estimate that since it broke out in December 2022, the epidemic has annihilated most of the sea urchin populations (of the species affected by the disease) in the Red Sea, as well as an unknown number of sea urchins, estimated at hundreds of thousands, worldwide. Sea urchins are considered the ‘gardeners’ of coral reefs, feeding on the algae that compete with the corals for sunshine – and their disappearance can severely impact the delicate balance on coral reefs globally. The researchers note that since the discovery of the epidemic in Eilat’s coral reefs, the two species of sea urchins previously most dominant in the Gulf of Eilat have vanished completely.

The Research Team. Photo credit: Tel Aviv University.

The study was led by Dr. Omri Bronstein from the School of Zoology and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History (SMNH), together with research students Lachan Roth, Gal Eviatar, Lisa Schmidt, and May Bonomo, as well as Dr. Tamar Feldstein-Farkash from the SMNH. Research partners throughout the region and Europe also took part in the study, which encompassed thousands of kilometers of coral reefs. The alarming results were published in the leading scientific journal Current Biology.

Deadly Urchin Pathogen Found

By using molecular-genetic tools, the research group at TAU was able to identify the pathogen responsible for the mass mortality of sea urchins of the species Diadema setosum in the Red Sea: a scuticociliate parasite most similar to Philaster apodigitiformis. The researchers explain that this unicellular organism was also responsible for the reoccurring mass mortality of Diadema antillarum in the Caribbeans about two years ago, following the notorious 1983 sea urchin population collapse there which led to a catastrophic phase shift of the coral reef.

Infected sea urchin on Reunion Island. Photo credit: Jean-Pascal Quod.

As noted, in December 2022, Dr. Bronstein was the first researcher to identify mass mortality of sea urchins of the species Diadema setosum – the long-spined black sea urchins that were very common in the northern Gulf of Eilat, Jordan, and Sinai. Dr. Bronstein and his team also found that the epidemic was lethal for other, closely related sea urchins from the genus Echinothrix. These results suggest that the once most abundant and significant seabed herbivores in the region are now practically gone. Thousands of sea urchins died a quick and violent death – within two days a healthy sea urchin turned into a bear skeleton with no tissues or spines, and most were devoured by predators as they were dying, unable to defend themselves. According to estimates, today only a few individuals of the affected sea urchin species remain throughout the coral reefs of the Gulf of Aqaba.

The sea urchin Diadema setosum before (left) and after (right) mortality. The white skeleton is exposed following tissue disintegration and loss of spines. Photo credit: Tel Aviv University.

Dr. Bronstein explains that sea urchins in general, and specifically diadematoids (the sea urchin family affected by the disease), are considered key species essential for the healthy functioning of coral reefs. Acting as the reef’s ‘gardeners’, the sea urchins feed on the algae that compete with the corals for sunshine, and prevent them from taking over and suffocating the corals.

According to Dr. Bronstein, the most significant and widely studied mass mortality of sea urchins to date occurred in 1983, when a mysterious disease spread through the Caribbeans, killing most sea urchins of the species Diadema antillarum – relatives of Eilat’s sea urchins. Consequently, the algae spread uncontrollably, blocking the sunlight from the corals, and the entire reef was transformed from a coral reef into an algae field. Moreover, even though the mass mortality event in the Caribbeans occurred 40 years ago, both the corals and the sea urchin populations never fully recovered, with repeated mortality events observed through the years.

The latest Caribbean outbreak in 2022 killed surviving populations and individuals from the former mortality events. This time, however, researchers had the scientific and technological tools to decipher the forensic evidence. A research group from Cornell University was able to identify the responsible pathogen, a scuticociliate parasite.

‘A Growing Ecological Crisis’

Dr. Bronstein emphasizes: “This is a growing ecological crisis, threatening the stability of coral reefs on an unprecedented scale. Apparently, the mass mortality we identified in Eilat back in 2023 has spread along the Red Sea and beyond – to Oman, and even as far as Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.

The deadly pathogen is carried by water and can affect vast areas in a very short time. Even sea urchins raised in seawater systems at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat, or at the Underwater Observatory, were infected and died, after the pathogen got in through the recirculating seawater system. As noted, death is quick and violent. For the first time, our research team was able to document all stages of the disease – from infection to the inevitable death – with a unique video system installed at the Interuniversity Institute for Marine Sciences in Eilat. 

Moreover, until recently, only one species of sea urchins was known to be impacted by this pathogen – the Caribbean species. Today we know that additional species are susceptible to the disease – all belonging to the same family of the most significant sea urchin herbivores on coral reefs”.

 Four healthy sea urchin species on Reunion Island. Photo credit: Jean-Pascal Quod.

Dr. Bronstein adds: “In our study we also demonstrated that the epidemic is spreading along routes of human transportation in the Red Sea. The best example is the wharf in Nueiba in Sinai, where the ferry from the Jordanian city of Aqaba docks. When we published our report last year, we already knew of sea urchin mortalities in Aqaba but had not yet identified signs of it in Sinai. The first spot in which we ultimately did identify mortality in Sinai was next to this wharf in Nueiba. Two weeks later the epidemic had already reached Dahab, about 70km further south. The scene underwater is almost surreal: seeing a species that was so dominant in a certain environment simply erased in a matter of days. Thousands of skeletons rolling on the sea bottom, crumbling and vanishing in a very short time so that even evidence for what has occurred is hard to find”.

Can We Stop the Sea Urchin Plague?

According to Dr. Bronstein, there is currently no way to help infected sea urchins or vaccinate them against the disease. We must, however, quickly establish broodstock populations of endangered species in cultivation systems disconnected from the sea – so that in the future we will be able to reintroduce them into the natural environment. 

“Unfortunately, we cannot repair nature, but we can certainly change our own behavior. First of all, we must understand what caused this outbreak at this time. Is the pathogen transported unknowingly by seacraft? Or has it always been here, erupting now due to a change in environmental conditions? These are precisely the questions we are working on now”.

 

Wake-Up Call: Global Warming and Deforestation Threaten Wildlife

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

A New TAU Study Shows that Global Warming and Deforestation Could Cause Mass Animal Extinctions.

A joint study by TAU and the University of Colorado (CU) states that the combination of global warming and extreme heat events, alongside the continued expansion of deforestation in the world, may be devastating for many species of animals, especially those that know how to climb trees. As part of the study, the researchers focused on lizards and showed that following the effects of climate change, they will seek refuge from the hot ground by spending a lot of time on trees. However, due to human-related activities, such as deforestation, urbanization and the expansion of agricultural lands at the expense of natural lands, the availability of trees in the areas where the lizards live will decrease, and this may lead to the collapse of many populations.

The research was conducted under the leadership of doctoral student Omer Zlotnick from the laboratory of Dr. Ofir Levy at the School of Zoology, the Wise Faculty of Life Sciences and the Steinhardt Museum of Natural History at TAU and in collaboration with Dr. Keith Musselman from CU. The study was published in the journal Nature Climate Change. 

Climate Crisis: Animals Seeking Comfort in Trees

The researchers explain that the climate crisis and global warming force animals to search for more comfortable places to stay to escape the extreme heat, just as we look for a shady area on a hot day. For climbing animals, trees can serve as a comfortable and pleasant refuge. One of the reasons for this is that the farther you get from the ground, the lower the air temperature gets, and the stronger the wind becomes. Therefore, on hot days, for example, animals can climb up trees to escape from the hot ground.

The importance of trees, then, is expected to increase as the climate warms. The problem is that in many places in the world, the density of trees is decreasing, mainly due to phenomena such as deforestation and the expansion of the use of trees for various purposes such as construction, etc. This phenomenon creates a situation where, on the one hand, due to climate change, animals will depend more on trees for their survival, while on the other hand, the destruction of habitats will lead to a decrease in the availability of trees.

Lizards’ Habitat Loss

Doctoral student Omer Zlotnik: “As part of the research, we wanted to examine how the combined effect of these two processes would be on animals. Specifically, we focused on lizards because they are very dependent on their environment to maintain a normal body temperature, and a lack of comfortable places to stay can affect them dramatically. In the study, we used a computer simulation to simulate where the lizard should be, in the sun, in the shade, or on the tree, every minute for 20 years, under the climate conditions that existed in the past and under those expected in the future. Using the simulation, we examined how populations of lizards would be affected by climate change when trees are available and how their situation would change following the felling of trees in their habitat”.

Left to right – Dr. Ofir Levy & Omer Zlotnick

The results showed that, in general terms, climate change is going to benefit many lizard populations. In most places, the expected warming will allow lizards to be active longer throughout the day and the year, as there will be fewer times when it is too cold to come out of their burrows. However, when climate change occurs at the same time as the felling of trees, the trend is likely to reverse, so that many lizard populations may collapse. In areas with a warm climate, climate change, even if no trees are cut down, is expected to harm lizard populations, and cutting down trees will make the situation even worse.

“What’s really interesting about lizards is that they just need to be able to move a short distance around the tree trunk to get to a very different climate and habitat environment”, said Keith Musselman, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography and CU Boulder’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research. 

Musselman: “These microhabitats are particularly important when we think about how we modify our natural environment and make conservation decisions”.

Dr. Ofir Levy concludes: “Our research focused on lizards, but it actually demonstrates a broader problem that is relevant to many species of animals. Our results demonstrate that trees are crucially important to the ability of animals to cope with climate change, and in many cases, their availability can be, for the animals, the difference between crawling and collapsing. Our research proves how important it is to preserve forested areas and trees in general, especially in light of the changing climate. As part of the research, we also provide more practical tools for decision-makers, such as the height or density of trees required in different areas. We hope that this research will be used to build more effective programs for the conservation and restoration of natural areas so that we can provide the animals with what they need to survive”.

Will Existing Drugs Stop Cancer’s Bone Spread?

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Existing Meds May Prevent Bone Spread in Breast Cancer Patients

Researchers at TAU developed a new therapeutic strategy based on existing medications to inhibit bone metastasis in breast cancer patients. Using both an animal model and tissue samples from patients in Israel and the US, they demonstrated that a combination of drugs already available on the market can hinder bone metastasis and improve survival. Based on their findings, the researchers predict that in the future, the treatment can apply to human patients with breast cancer, as well as other types of cancer.

The groundbreaking study was led by Prof. Neta Erez and Dr. Lea Monteran at Prof. Erez’s Laboratory for Tumor Biology at the Pathology Department, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, Tel Aviv University. The paper was published in Cancer Discovery. The researchers explain that over 75% of patients with metastatic breast cancer suffer from bone metastases, which destroy bone tissues, causing fractures and a great deal of pain. Moreover, with today’s technologies such as MRI or CT imaging, diagnosis of bone metastasis occurs, in most cases, when the disease cannot be cured.  In this study, the researchers looked for a novel way to inhibit the progression of bone metastasis. 

Cancer Cell Sabotage

Prof. Erez: “A tumor is more than a collection of cancer cells. Just like healthy tissues, a tumor is a whole ecosystem consisting of reciprocal interactions between different cell types, including cells of the immune system, connective tissues, blood vessels, etc. Moreover, cancer cells often ‘corrupt’ normal cells, causing them to ‘collaborate’ with the tumor and support the growth of cancer cells. Blocking the communication channels between cancer cells and healthy cells at an early stage can hinder the growth of cancer cells in the bones. To achieve this, the early stages of the process must be investigated”. To understand processes of bone metastasis the researchers compared three types of bones from model mice:  healthy, early-stage metastasis, and advanced metastasis. They found that when bone metastasis begins, T cells from the immune system arrive on the scene and penetrate the metastases but are unable to destroy them. 

Prof. Neta Erez

Next, the researchers discovered that the killing activity of T cells is inhibited by another type of immune cells and identified the proteins responsible for this effect. To neutralize these inhibitory proteins and reactivate the T-cells, they created a novel therapeutic combination that has never been tried before a drug that counters the activity of the immune-inhibiting cells, along with an antibody that activates T cells. This combination was administered to model mice, and the results were encouraging: the bone metastases were reduced, and survival was significantly improved compared to untreated model mice. 

At the final stage of the study, the TAU research team collaborated with the Sheba and Ichilov (Tel Aviv) Medical Centers and the Baylor College of Medicine in Texas. They examined tissue samples from bone metastases taken from patients with breast cancer, as well as other types of cancer, and found that the immune cells inhibiting T cells express the same proteins as those found in the animal model. Prof. Erez: “Our findings suggest that the combined treatment – attacking the cells that inhibit T cells while activating the T cells – can be effective for treating bone metastasis resulting from breast cancer as well as other types of cancer. The great advantage of our strategy is that both drugs are already available on the market and consequently, the process of obtaining permits to use them against bone metastasis in humans can be relatively short. At the same time, clinical trials need to verify the effectiveness of the new therapeutic strategy”.

The study was funded by the Israel Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), the Israel Science Foundation (ISF), Worldwide Cancer Research (WWCR), and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD).

How Do Lightning Storms Affect North Pole Sea Ice?

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TAU Research Shows that Lightning Storms are Causing Sea Ice to Melt Faster at the North Pole

A new international study with the participation of researchers from Tel Aviv University found that alongside the general warming of the globe, lightning storms have been directly hastening the ongoing process of sea ice retreat covering the Arctic Ocean. According to the researchers: “Until recently, lightning as a phenomenon was extremely rare in the Arctic region of the North Pole, due to the intense cold. However, due to the warming of the Earth, lightning storms have become more common there in the summers, and these storms further increase the melting process of the ice sheets – in a feedback loop”.

Prof. Colin Price and MSc student Tair Plotnik from the Department of Geophysics at TAU’s Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences participated in the study, alongside Dr. Anirban Guha and Dr. Joydeb Saha from Tripura University in India. The article was published in the journal Atmospheric Research.

Arctic’s Cold Reality: Understanding Rapid Ice Loss

Prof. Price explains: “The Arctic region is defined as the region located north of the 66.5° latitude. In the heart of this region, around the North Pole, there is no land, and due to the extreme cold conditions, the sea is covered with a thick layer of sea ice, which currently extends over about 8 million square kilometers. The white ice reflects the sun’s rays and thus contributes to the cooling of the Earth. But in recent decades, with the warming of the Earth, the ice cover has retreated at a rate of about 70,000 square kilometers per year, or 6.5% per decade (In this context, it is important to note that the temperature at the North Pole has been rising at an accelerating pace – about 4° until today, in contrast to about 1° on Earth as a whole).

Prof. Colin Price

The retreat of the ice increases the warming even further, because the dark areas of the ocean under the ice, which are getting bigger and bigger, absorb the sun’s rays that would normally be reflected in space. This is how a feedback loop is created: the retreat of the ice increases the warming, which in turn increases the melting of the ice, and the cycle repeats”.

Lightning’s Role in Polar Ice Melt

According to the researchers, the phenomenon of melting ice sheets at both poles is firstly attributed to the result of human activity due to the increase in the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, creating a kind of ‘blanket’ that preserves the heat and does not allow it to disperse into space. However, studies have not found a direct match between the greenhouse gas changes, which increase at a more or less constant rate every year, and the rate of sea ice melting, which varies immensely from year to year. This study sought to examine the possible effect of another factor – lightning storms – on the melting of the sea ice in the Arctic region.

The researchers explain that lightning, as a phenomenon, was extremely rare in the Arctic region until recently, due to the intense cold that prevails there. But in recent decades, apparently, due to global warming, lightning storms have been observed there in the summertime, when the sun does not set at all, heating the surface (Lightning storms form when the surface of the ground heats up, and pockets of air rise in the atmosphere, where they cool, condense, and become clouds that sometimes develop into thunderstorms).

To test their hypothesis that lightning storms contribute to the melting of the ice around the North Pole, the researchers compared two sets of data: images from NASA satellites that have been documenting the retreat of the ice in the Arctic Sea for more than 40 years, and lightning data collected by the global network WWLLN (wwlln.net) – which includes around 70 lightning detection stations, deployed in research institutions all over the world – one of which stands on the roof of the Faculty of Exact Sciences building at TAU. Prof. Price explains: “Lightning is the result of a massive electric field that is discharged at once and transmits radio waves that can be received even thousands of kilometers away from the lightning. The global network’s sensors detect and map thunderstorms anywhere on the planet, in real-time and non-stop. Cross-referencing the information from the various stations allows for an accurate determination of the location and time of each lightning strike detected, and thus, a global map of lightning over time is obtained. For this study, we collected data on lightning in the Arctic region during the summer months of June, July and August every year since 2010″.

Lightning Storms: Catalysts for Polar Ice Melt

A statistical analysis of the ice sheet retreat crossed with the number of lightning storms revealed a correlation: as the number of storms increased in a certain year, so did the melting of the sea ice increase that year. The researchers explain this by comparing thunderstorms to a giant vacuum cleaner, sucking water vapor up from the surface layer to the upper atmosphere (5-10km altitude), where it accumulates and acts like an additional blanket, trapping the surface heat from leaving, and increasing the surface temperature – just like man-made greenhouse gases. Another possibility observed in a previous study is that these same lightning storms lead to an increase in the formation of high cirrus clouds in the upper layers of the atmosphere – which also form a similar ‘blanket’.

Prof. Price concludes: “In our research, we found a clear statistical relationship between the number of lightning storms in the Arctic region in a certain year and the rate of sea ice melting that year. This means that the storms are another factor that increases the melting of the polar ice, producing a feedback loop: the initial melting of the ice increases the dark surface areas of the sea, which absorb more of the sun’s rays, warming up the waters, causing more melting, accelerating the rate of warming, which in turn increases the number of lightning storms, and the cycle repeats itself. As a result of this, and of the warming of the Earth in general, we expect that the frequency of lightning storms in the Arctic region will increase in the coming years, and with it, the rate of sea ice retreat in the Arctic Sea will accelerate”.

TAU Trip to the Gaza Envelope: Solemn, Yet Essential Experience

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Lowy International graduate students witness firsthand the aftermath of October 7th.

In early May, Conflict Resolution & Mediation and Security & Diplomacy MA students embarked on a visit to the Gaza Envelope, including the Nova festival site and the now-infamous “car cemetery,” to witness firsthand the aftermath of October 7th. 

For Dalia Gabay, who is studying Conflict Resolution & Mediation, it was a solemn yet essential experience that brought the reality of this conflict to light. Gabay has shared her account of the trip:

However close or involved one has felt to that day’s horrific events and ensuing war by merely being in Israel or through media coverage and seminars, this trip offered a stark reminder of the profound devastation and ongoing heartbreak experienced by Israel’s southern communities and families. 

“Our tour guide, Colonel Grisha Yakubovich, who served in the IDF, concluding his military service in 2016 as the head of C.O.G.A.T. (Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories), met us at the Yad Mordechai intersection. He continues to facilitate cooperative enterprises between Israelis and Palestinians and his wealth of knowledge, expertise and personal anecdotes, offered us a realistic insight into the complexities of life and relations across the region for both communities.

Colonel Grisha Yakubovich, the tour guide

Yair, born and raised at Kibbutz Yad Mordechai (aptly named after Mordechai Anielewicz, commander of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising) and now a father of four, showed us around Moshav Netiv HaAsara, just 400 meters away from the Gaza Strip.

Yair talking about Moshav Netiv HaAsara

Inevitably, the moshav was severely hit on October 7, with some 24 residents massacred. The moshav has been deserted but the bullet-ridden walls, trees and disheveled remnants of the attack were enough to communicate the sheer terror of that fateful day; the fear was palpable.

Yair shared tales of unimaginable tragedy and bravery from these close-knit communities, including his own. His kibbutz had prepared for such an event and quickly mobilized as soon as the red alert sirens sounded at around 6:30 AM. “It felt different that day,” he recounted.

While he sat armed in his living room, ready to defend his family locked in the adjoining safe room, the kibbutz security team repelled the terrorist attack at the gate and successfully chased the perpetrators away. 

At Netiv HaAsara, he showed us the shelter where a father sacrificed his own life to shield his two sons from the impact of a hand grenade. The boys narrowly escaped being kidnapped and survived the harrowing ordeal.

This is the stuff of legends: October 7th bestowed heroism upon individuals who will forever remain ingrained in Israel’s collective memory. 

Yair’s poignant account of life for Israeli residents in the Gazan Envelope, where enduring PTSD from relentless rocket attacks over 16 years is commonplace, will stay with me forever. Their remarkable resilience shines through, yet it’s disheartening to hear how these communities have endured such extreme and volatile conditions for so long, while the government and wider Israeli society appear to observe with almost complacent indifference.

I sincerely hope that the end of this war will bring them much needed solace and pave the way for a return to the peaceful, idyllic life that Yair fondly remembers from his childhood in the region.

Israel’s own “ground zero” where Sderot’s police station once stood, was completely destroyed in the aftermath of Hamas’ invasion and murderous rampage.

Sderot’s police station

Plans are underway for a memorial to honor the lives lost and serve as a lasting reminder of October 7th. 

A playground in Sderot

In Sderot, we also visited a children’s playground that’s been adapted to train, and protect youngsters from barrages of rocket attacks. This is the sad reality of Israel’s southern citizens. 

A shelter in Sderot

A nearby shelter ended up the final resting place of fleeing Nova festival goers, including Shani Gabay, who happens to share my surname. May her memory forever be a blessing.

The car cemetery

 The scene at the “car cemetery,” where burnt and damaged vehicles lay, many with occupants inside, was haunting.

The images captured the terror inflicted upon innocent civilians during this unprecedented attack.

Our journey concluded at Re’im, the Nova festival site, where makeshift memorials were tended to by grieving parents and friends.

Memorials at the Nova festival site

It left many of us in tears as we headed home, somberly reflecting on all that we had witnessed throughout the day.”  

“Personally, I needed to go on this trip. The trip reinforced my commitment to my studies in the hope that I’ll be able to contribute in some way towards a peaceful future for all Israelis and Palestinians in our shared land.”

 Text and pictures by Dalia Gabay

“If Then There Was a Rebuilding of Personal and National Lives, So Shall It Happen Again”

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

Professor Dina Porat’s Remarks at the Holocaust Remembrance Day Ceremony at TAU

The Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony, honoring the survivors of the Holocaust and commemorating its victims, took place on the Tel Aviv University campus, attended by a large audience of students, faculty, administrative staff, and other guests. The sentiment was that this year, more than ever, it is crucial to recount and commemorate what happened to our brothers and sisters. Alongside this, to illustrate the extensive number of those abducted and remaining captive in Gaza, the audience stood up and counted together up to 132. There wasn’t a dry eye in the house.

“We have no right to forget, no authority to forgive, and we are committed to testify and document”

Prof. Eyal Zisser, the University’s Vice Rector, delivered opening remarks: “Every year at this time, and especially this year, once again we find that the modesty of words fail to convey the magnitude of horror and the extent of loss. There are no words capable of explaining and no language capable of containing. It happened! For millions, millions of real people, Jews like you and me, like us, whose only sin was being Jewish. In our distress, we find solace in the elevation of stories of bravery and humanity who were like scattered beacons in the fields of darkness and death. Even today, we continue to draw strength from these stories and learn about the sanctity of life, determination, and resilience – qualities that human beings are capable of even in the face of the most horrific circumstances”.

“This year, an additional dimension of pain is added to this day, under the shadow of the war we have been in since the terror attack on October 7, in which Jews were slaughtered in a manner and scale we had not known since the Holocaust. The call ‘Never again’ reverberates as a cornerstone of our existence here, on this land, uniting us in a shared destiny that will not be erased. Here we are, hurting, sad, longing, but still standing tall and proud, continuing to say ‘Never again.’ However, we cannot define ourselves solely as the Jewish phoenix, rising and falling, rising from the ashes. As we face the challenges at the forefront of Israel’s development, we must continue to build and establish a democratic society and a rich culture here. Thus, we will ensure that here, in the flourishing enterprise in the land of our forefathers, the Jewish people will merit defense and security, and will continue to grow, develop, and be an example for the nations of the world”.

 

פרופ' אייל זיסר ואיריס בן משה

Prof. Eyal Zisser and Iris Ben-Moshe

“In their deaths, they commanded us to have hope”

Danielle Zilber, Chair of the Student Union, urged the student body to remember their role as the future of the State of Israel.

Part of the significance of remembering the fallen is to carry their lost hopes… We must not only remember but remind, remind the world of the horrors that occurred and not let them forget no matter how much time has passed since the Holocaust. In the name of the fallen, we sit here today, with the lost hope of 6 million of our brothers and sisters. In their name we say never again, and in their name, we have to remember.

A Lighthouse in the Darkness of the Holocaust

David Gur, an activist in the underground Zionist movements in Hungary and currently chairman of the Association for the Study of Zionist Youth Movements in Hungary, took the stage with his granddaughter.

.I am 98 years old. During the war, I was 18, younger than all of you. Today, I came to speak about hope and heroism, not about victims, pain, and loss

Thanks to the activity of the underground in which he participated, the lives of thousands of Jews were saved, as they provided documents and ensured food and shelter for many orphaned children. ‘I am grateful that I was part of the unique and immense rescue operation of the Zionist Youth Movement underground in Hungary. The existence of the underground, the bravery of young Jews facing terrifying forces, deserves to be heard and remembered as part of the sources of the Jewish people, and to pass on their story as an example of resistance, a struggle to save Jews, and unity in rescue actions and unity of hope, inspiration, and lessons for generations to come’.

 

דוד גור ונכדתו

David Gur and granddaughter 

The Bigger the Crime, the Deeper the Denial

Professor Dina Porat, the leading historian of ‘Yad Vashem’ and professor emeritus in the Jewish History Department at Tel Aviv University’s Stephen Roth Institute., shared the personal tragedy that happened to her family residing in communities surrounding Israel and asked three questions about which every one of us will need to think about how to answer.

“This Holocaust Remembrance Day, it seems that all of us feel very differently from the previous ones. The events of October 7th immediately raised a series of associations and memories of realities and testimonies that had long become a collective memory. The word ‘Holocaust’ to describe the murder of Jews by the Nazis and their helpers was not chosen by a committee or an academic institution. Its use arose spontaneously from the public, and not by chance: it is a biblical expression, describing a natural force that suddenly appears, unexpectedly, without prior knowledge, without preparation. Not only did the word ‘Holocaust’ and not only did the associations arise immediately, but also questions that have accompanied us since the Holocaust, and perhaps we can draw on the experience accumulated since then.

“The first question: How did they approach the work of memory and commemoration? How did they collect tens of thousands of testimonies from dozens of countries in different languages, and consolidate them to one place- at Yad Vashem? Now, the sharp question arises, given the vast proliferation of communication and photography tools, documentation, and broadcasting – if an effort is not made to collect at least copies of all the testimonies that are heard and broadcast in the media in Israel and around the world, why what happened on October 7th, in one place, there will not be a complete picture in the future.

“The second question: Since the Holocaust ended, denial began immediately, and in fact, the Germans began to hide evidence while it was happening. The attempt teaches that the size of the crime is indeed the depth of the denial, and so is the immediacy of the denial. Not only the Holocaust but many other crimes were being denied, because denial aids forgetfulness, both stem from the same root, and it helps escape punishment. The first book to deny the Holocaust was published as early as 1945, and after October 7th, we didn’t have time to turn around and already began talking about the fact that there is no evidence and it is not possible.

“The third question: Is it appropriate to celebrate during and after a disaster? In March 1943, 80 years ago, the students at the Hebrew University debated whether to hold the traditional Purim carnival and just a few months after became known that the killing of Jews was systematic. Also, in Dalia Kibbutz, they asked what should happen to the dance festival. Today we also debated what to do on Purim and Passover, and next week on Independence Day. So, both then and today, two parallel paths were created, with anger and sorrow on the side, the ongoing life, and the marking of holidays and festivals, maybe as a matter of fact, especially life.

“Since that terrible day, so many young flowers have been buried, too many young ones, and therefore, with all the sorrow, it was decided to continue forward, to look ahead, to volunteer. Close to two thousand survivors left their homes on October 7th, over five hundred of them from the surrounding area. There is no uniform response among the survivors to the events, each one responds to you in their own way, but some of them say: there is no doubt that it was a terrible day, with severe consequences in every aspect of our lives, but the comparison to the Holocaust is not one to one, and the comparers know this, because with all the pain and the associations, it is clear even to those who use the word Holocaust that this is a completely different event in its scope. And if then there was a renewal of life and a rebuilding of personal and national lives after the Holocaust, there will also be this time. Not tomorrow and not even the day after tomorrow, but there will be.”

Israel at the Movies

Written by AUFTAU on . Posted in Newsroom.

Film critic Prof. Shmulik Duvdevani speaks on how Israeli cinema gets to the heart of Jewish history, identity and trauma

To start, can you describe your background and your role at TAU?

 

I teach Israeli cinema and documentary cinema at the TAU Steve Tisch School of Film and Television. I did all three of my degrees here at the University and have been teaching here for 30 years. It’s really been my second home, and I love the fresh perspectives my students bring in all of our discussions. Some have gone on to become film critics like me, and some are now filmmakers including an Ophir Award winner (Erez Tadmor) and an Oscar winner (Guy Nativ)!

 

In my time at TAU I’ve published two books: First Person Camera about personal documentaries between the two intifadas; and very recently The First Modernists about Israeli documentaries of the 1960s-70s. Additionally, I’ve written film reviews for the newspaper YNet for the past 24 years, which I believe makes my column the longest-running film column in Israel.

 

Can you talk a bit about the Israeli film industry?

 

One thing I am very excited about is how many newcomers there are in the industry since the early 2000s. In the last 20 years Israeli cinema has given stronger voices to the many different communities that make up our society. Just in recent years we had Late Marriage that was in Georgian, we had Yana’s Friends in Russian, we had Baba Joon in Persian, and we had Sandstorm in Arabic. There are ultra-Orthodox filmmakers including women like Rama Burshtein and even Palestinian directors such as Taufik Abu Wael (a TAU alum himself).

 

“Since the beginning, our cinema has dealt with what defines Israeli identity, or with the difficulty of defining it.”

 

Since the beginning, our cinema has dealt with what defines Israeli identity, or with the difficulty of defining it. We have so many populations and viewpoints which are foreign or even diametrically opposed to each other, especially in the last year. We cannot even agree on our physical borders. I think Israeli cinema gives form and shape to these myriad stories by exploring the often-conflicting histories and traumas of different Israeli groups.

Dir. Avi Nesher’s “Image of Victory” highlights the opposing narratives inherent to the story of Israel’s beginning. (Screenshot: Amit Yasur)

 

What are some specifics of Israeli trauma in film?

 

One of the biggest themes we grapple with is the line between victim and perpetrator. Jews have been victims for so many years that conceiving of ourselves as aggressors creates cognitive dissonance. One common way we see this is through the Israeli soldier on screen. For example, right around the second Intifada (2000-2005) was the first time Israeli soldiers were being accused of war crimes in real time. In those few years three Lebanon War films were made in which Israeli soldiers are invading another country—but their perspectives remain those of traumatized victims. They can only see part of the reality. These films had widespread impact both in Israel and abroad; two were nominated for Oscars.

 

We also see how each time we experience a collective trauma, it is reflected implicitly in much of our cinema. After the Rabin assassination, there wasn’t a narrative piece about the event for 20 years. But for all of those 20 years, films repeatedly featured themes of missing or dead fathers and the effect of that absence on families. We saw symbolically how Rabin was a father figure for the country and how profoundly we all felt his loss.

“Waltz With Bashir” is one of three films that deal with trauma and guilt from the Lebanon War. (Art: Bridgit Folman Film Gang)

 

What are some films that you feel exemplify the Israeli trauma experience?

 

Take a film like Waltz With Bashir. This is a film that could only be made in Israel. It’s a filmmaker looking back at the trauma of his military service and using his artistic tools to both explore it and go through a therapeutic process while dealing with perspectives that the Israeli film industry is uniquely concerned by: memory, guilt, accountability, national narratives and private narratives.

 

Another is Legend of Destruction about the destruction of the Second Temple and the exile of the Jewish People from the Land of Israel. Put into the context of the political turmoil we were experiencing up until October 7th, I think we can see how we are in certain ways right back where we were 2000 years ago. October 7th was something like the destruction of the temple in that it was a disaster that tapped into our most basic collective trauma.

 

Finally, Image of Victory about the War of Independence depicts how the Israeli and Palestinian narratives cannot really be separated. Its message is that you can’t tell one without the other, even though we have tried many times.

The Second Temple burns in Dir. Gidi Dar’s “Legend of Destruction”. (Art: David Polonsky and Michael Faust)

 

Do you expect the current war to be portrayed differently on film from previous wars? Do you think it will affect the way the Israeli experience is shown on film going forward?


Of course I am not a prophet, but yes, I think Israeli cinema is going to change, drastically. This trauma was like nothing we have ever witnessed—we cannot go back to telling the same old stories and dealing with the same old conflicts. I think it will continue to resonate for a long time because it sparks our oldest existential fears as Jews and Israelis. In 50 years, my son is going to tell his grandchildren exactly where he was on October 7th.

 

And since this situation is ongoing, we’re experiencing a national trauma that is perhaps entirely unique to our state—we’re all experiencing the losses from both the attack and the war, we’re all experiencing the helplessness of the hostage situation, and most of us have had to run to shelters in the last months. So Israeli filmmakers will have to completely rethink how they deal with the aesthetics, ethics, and narratives of trauma. I think, unlike with the Rabin assassination, they will have to deal with the event very, very explicitly and directly. I don’t think it will be many years before we start seeing narrative films about it.

Future films may deal with the current violence very explicitly. (Screenshot: “Image of Victory”, Amit Yasur)

 

What are your thoughts on the documentaries being made about the Oct. 7 tragedies?

 

I’ve actually already started teaching one of them in my Current Israeli Documentary class, Nova. That one came out vey quickly, but I know for a fact that there are many, many more on the way.

 

“I believe that whether people want to see it or not, the imagery both in documentaries and narrative cinema is going to be extremely graphic going forward.”

 

What is unique about Nova is the way it actually uses found footage that was shot by survivors and victims—and the terrorists themselves on GoPros attached to their bodies. So in some cases you are “in the body” of a terrorist! In other scenes you are running or huddled in hiding with other people. One striking phenomenon is that even while hiding, people are speaking quietly to their phones as if they understand that they must provide this type of live coverage of their own survival attempt; or as they run they take out their phones and film the carnage around them. As a viewer you start to ask yourself, why do we have the impulse to use technology this way?

 

So I think this type of technology is going to be a major part of the aesthetics of upcoming documentaries. We have so much footage especially from GoPros, I think this new experience of being “attached to a body” will be a main feature of these films. I also believe that whether people want to see it or not, the imagery both in documentaries and narrative cinema is going to be extremely graphic going forward.

For “Nova”, Dir. Dan Pe’er collected chilling first-person and selfie videos recovered from victims, survivors and terrorists at the music festival.

 

Have you changed your film classes to focus more around the war?

 

After October 7th I changed around my whole curriculum to focus on more current Israeli society, and after some debate I decided to begin with this documentary of the events at the Nova music festival. It turned out to spark a very meaningful class discussion. But I did need to consider how my students would react to certain images in ways I haven’t before. There are scenes that wouldn’t have had a negative impact a year ago that are now received very differently.

 

Do you think the drive to create documentaries stems from a desire for the world to see what we went through or from a need to work through it ourselves?

 

The answer is, of course, both. I imagine that people will want to make films about their own experiences. However I also think it is essential that people abroad see these films. Seeing how deeply anti-Zionism and antisemitism have taken root around the world and most strongly at elite academic institutions was a trauma in itself. Every single Harvard student and faculty member who has repeated violent chants and allowed hatred to go unchallenged should have to watch every film that comes out about the atrocities. They need to be shown that there is something rotten in the way they think that caused them to react the way they did. They should have to face head-on exactly what it is they are supporting.

 

“Every single Harvard student and faculty member who has repeated violent chants and allowed hatred to go unchallenged should have to watch every film that comes out about the atrocities. They should have to face head-on exactly what they are supporting.”

 

For us here in Israel, though, we are all traumatized by the attacks. There is no doubt in my mind that the documentaries now and whatever cinema comes out in two or three years will have a profound effect on Israeli viewers and on Jewish viewers the world over.

 

Antisemitism Worldwide Report for 2023

Written by Hilary on . Posted in Newsroom.

Concern for the Future of Jewish Life in the West

The Annual Antisemitism Worldwide Report, published by Tel Aviv University and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), reveals that 2023 saw an increase of dozens of percentage points in the number of antisemitic incidents in Western countries in comparison to 2022. A particularly steep increase was recorded following the October 7 attacks, but the first nine months of 2023, before the war started, also witnessed a relative increase in the number of incidents in most countries with large Jewish minorities, including the United States, France, the UK, Australia, Italy, Brazil, and Mexico. 

“October 7th helped spread a fire that was already out of control,” states the Report.

Link to the full report

Countries recording steep increases

According to the Report, in New York, the city with the largest Jewish population in the world, NYPD recorded 325 anti-Jewish hate crimes in 2023 in comparison to the 261 it recorded in 2022, LAPD recorded 165 in comparison to 86, and CPD 50 in comparison to 39. The ADL recorded 7,523 incidents in 2023 compared to 3,697 in 2022 (and according to a broader definition applied, it recorded 8,873); the number of assaults increased from 111 in 2022 to 161 in 2023 and of vandalism from 1,288 to 2,106. 

Other countries also saw dramatic increases in the number of antisemitic attacks, according to data collected by the Report from governmental agencies, law enforcement authorities, Jewish organizations, media, and fieldwork. 

In France, the number of incidents increased from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023 (the number of physical assaults increased from 43 to 85); in the UK from 1, 662 to 4,103 (physical assaults from 136 to 266); in Argentina from 427 to 598; in Germany from 2,639 to 3,614; in Brazil from 432 to 1,774; in South Africa from 68 to 207; in Mexico from 21 to 78; in the Netherlands from 69 to 154; in Italy from 241 to 454; and in Austria from 719 to 1,147. Australia recorded 622 antisemitic incidents in October and November 2023, in comparison to 79 during the same period in 2022.

 

Antisemitic incidents increased also before October 7th

While the dramatic increases in comparison to 2022 largely followed October 7, the Report emphasizes that most countries with large Jewish minorities saw relative increases also in the first nine months of 2023, before the war started. For example, in the United States, ADL data (based on the narrower definition for antisemitic incidents) point to an increase from 1,000 incidents in October-December 2022 to 3,976 in the same period in 2023, but also to an increase from 2,697 incidents between January-September 2022 to 3,547 in the same period in 2023 (NYPD registered a decrease in that period, while LAPD an increase). 

In France, the number of incidents during January-September 2023 increased to 434 from 329 during the same period in 2022; in Britain – from 1,270 to 1,404. In Australia, 371 incidents were recorded between January and September 2023, compared to 363 in the same period in 2022. On the other hand, Germany and Austria, where national programs for fighting antisemitism are applied, saw decreases.

Prof. Shavit: “Concern that the curtain will descend on Jewish life in the West”

According to Prof. Uriya Shavit, Head of The Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and the Irwin Cotler Institute, “The year is not 1938, not even 1933. Yet if current trends continue, the curtain will descend on the ability to lead Jewish lives in the West – to wear a Star of David, attend synagogues and community centers, send kids to Jewish schools, frequent a Jewish club on campus, or speak Hebrew”.

Shavit said: “With bomb threats against synagogues becoming a daily occurrence, Jewish existence in the West is forced to fortify itself, and the more it does so, the more the sense of security and normalcy is undermined. What the fight against antisemitism needs now is efforts focused on the hubs of poison, and the presentation of measurable and attainable goals. Foremost, the reality in which big companies make big money by spreading big hate has to end”.

Prof. Shavit added: “The reality is that Israel, as a state, is limited in what it can do for Jewish communities. But even the little that can be done is not done. Israel does not have a meaningful strategic plan for combatting antisemitism that is based on the needs of Jewish communities. The main contributions of the government are pompous statements and sporadic initiatives. Responsibility for combatting antisemitism should be delegated to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, whose officials are professionals who know the Jewish communities firsthand. The Ministry for Diaspora Affairs and Combatting Antisemitism is redundant. A small example of just how much so: A few months ago, we noted in another report that the link provided on their website in English for reporting antisemitic incidents leads to an empty page. It made headlines in the media. And what happened? Nothing. No one bothered to fix it. It still leads to an empty page. There are no limits to the negligence and lack of professionalism”.

According to Prof. Shavit, “one of the biggest challenges of our time is how to mobilize support for the fight against antisemitism without making it the definer of Jewish identity”. 

 

Prof. Uriya Shavit.

ADL Head Greenblatt: “A Tsunami of Hate”

ADL’s CEO and National Director, Jonathan Greenblatt, said: “The aftermath of Hamas’s horrific attack on Israel on October 7th was followed by a tsunami of hate against Jewish communities worldwide. Unprecedented levels of antisemitism have surged globally in the streets of London, New York, Paris, Santiago, Johannesburg and beyond. This year’s report is incredibly alarming, with documented unprecedented levels of antisemitism, including in the US, where 2023 saw the highest number of antisemitic incidents in the US ever recorded by ADL. We are proud to partner with Tel Aviv University on this important annual report which will be used to inform governments and civil society and help push back against antisemitic trends”.

In a special essay for the Report, Greenblatt wrote: “Antisemitism isn’t just an abstract issue. It is a real-life threat to Jewish life in America and Jews around the world, and our history teaches us that we do not have the luxury to be indifferent when moments like these occur. That means we need to be clear-eyed about the threats we face and have the determination to confront them”.

An Emergency Plan by former Canadian Justice Minister

Former Canadian Justice Minister and Attorney General Irwin Cotler offers in the Report a historical and political analysis of the development of present-day antisemitism and a detailed 11-point plan for globally combatting the phenomenon. Cotler warns that “the explosion of antisemitism is a threat not only to Jews, but is toxic to our democracies, an assault on our common humanity, and a standing threat to human security – in a word, the bloodied canary in the mineshaft of global evil. Jews alone cannot combat it, let alone defeat it. What is required is a constituency of conscience – a whole of government, whole of society commitment and action to fight this oldest and most lethal of hatreds”. 

The 150-page Report includes in-depth essays on different countries, as well as a study on the profiles of the spreaders of antisemitic content on X (formally Twitter). The essays examine, among other issues, the proliferation of antisemitic discourses in the Arab world, Turkey, and Iran following October 7 and trace their roots. The Report argues that “any future diplomatic negotiations must prioritize the uprooting of antisemitism from Arab societies”.

“The fringes encroach on the political center”

The Report notes that hate speech was articulated already before Israel launched its campaign in Gaza, including on leading university campuses, and thus urged against seeing the recent wave of antisemitism as an emotional response to the war. “Some antisemitic attackers emphasize their problem is with Israel, not with Jews, and then attack Jews and Jewish institutions.” 

Dr. Carl Yonker, Senior Researcher and Project Manager at the “Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry,” TAU, who wrote a study for the Report on antisemitism in the United States, said: “Contrary to the conventional wisdom, post-October 7 incidents were also led from the far right in America. Neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and others glorified Hamas and used the war to spread antisemitic propaganda along with conspiracy theories, according to which the crisis will advance the replacement of the white majority in the West by migrants from the Middle East. The fringes in the United States are encroaching on the political center from both right and left, making combatting antisemitism much trickier”.

Scapegoating Jews in Russia

The Report notes the impossibility of reliably tracking antisemitic incidents in Russia at the present. An extensive essay in the Report examines the antisemitic rhetoric of the Russian dictator Putin and members of his regime. The Report notes that “At the beginning of 2023, the Chief Rabbi of Moscow in exile, Pinchas Goldschmidt, warned that Jews should leave Russia before they are scapegoated. Sadly, 2023 did not disprove the words of this wise and courageous religious leader.”

On the part of Tel Aviv University, the Report was researched by the Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry with the support of The Adam and Gila Milstein Family Foundation and the Irwin Cotler Institute for Democracy, Human Rights and Justice with the support of Richard and Elaine Dubrovsky and Sara Vered. 

See full Report here

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