War Response
Setting the Record Straight
The Campaign for International Recognition of Hamas’ Sexual Crimes
Prof. Ruth Halperin-Kaddari of the Faculty of Law’s Ruth and Emanuel Rackman Center for the Advancement of Women’s Status ensured that Hamas’ weaponization of women’s bodies on October 7th can neither be denied nor downplayed in future accounts of the terror group’s one-day genocide.
The Burden—and Comfort—of Proof
Forensic Identification of October 7th Victims
As the only expert in Israel on the human body from brain-to-toe, anatomist Dr. Alon Barash has worked every day since October 7th to identify the bodies of the murdered and the missing, and offer closure to their families.
Hope in Sight
The Mobile Vision Clinic
Within days of October 7th, the School of Optometry and Vision Science was granting survivors and evacuees something they had lost in the slaughter: their ability to see. Thanks to the school’s one-of-a-kind mobile clinic, Bar-Ilan was able to replace hundreds of lost or broken glasses and place the focus on Israel’s resilient civic society.
Learning to Heal
The School for Wartime Evacuees
The Faculty of Education’s emphasis on social-emotional learning was put to the test in a school it co-created for evacuees of devastated Gaza-border communities. And according to both students and their parents, it passed with flying colors.
Help From Our (Furry) Friends
The Interdisciplinary Trauma-Intervention Initiative
Empowering children to care for “traumatized” teddy bears not only helped build their capacity to cope with the atrocities of October 7th. As a unique interdisciplinary pilot shows, the intervention also enhanced caregivers’ ability to help children heal.
Voices of Authority
Media Influence
Through interviews, editorials, and media citations, Bar-Ilan researchers helped inform and shape the discourse about Israel’s war, both at home and in countries around the world.
Campus Recruitment
Wartime Initiatives for Israeli Society
In the weeks and months following the October 7th attack, Bar-Ilan students, faculty, and staff harnessed their resources and expertise to help those affected by—and those fighting—Israel’s war for survival.