{"id":309,"date":"2024-04-14T08:42:19","date_gmt":"2024-04-14T08:42:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/presidentreport.biu.ac.il\/?p=309"},"modified":"2024-05-26T13:43:34","modified_gmt":"2024-05-26T13:43:34","slug":"stronger-together","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/presidentreport.biu.ac.il\/index.php\/2024\/04\/14\/stronger-together\/","title":{"rendered":"Stronger Together"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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A member of the Bar-Ilan Student Union shows her national pride at the event for the start of the academic year.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n

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The Bar-Ilan Student Union<\/h5>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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Stronger Together<\/strong><\/h3>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n
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In the wake of October 7th, Bar-Ilan\u2019s Student Union demonstrates that coming together to help those in need and contribute to national solidarity is one of the best ways to create a strong and inclusive community. <\/h6>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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Changing Tacks<\/h3>
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When master\u2019s student Hadas Kurmesh Belisha became the first woman in the University\u2019s history to be elected chairwoman of the Student Union, she determined that her primary goal would be creating a sense of community. At first, that meant reaching out to audiences that are traditionally less involved, such as English-speaking olim\u00a0<\/em>(immigrants) and other students from overseas. (\u201cOurs was undoubtedly the largest Chinese New Year celebration in the Jewish state,\u201d says Kurmesh Belisha.) She also appointed the union\u2019s first coordinator for Arab-speaking students and began planning the first-ever Accessibility Day event to raise awareness of disabled members of the student body. But when war broke out in response to Hamas\u2019 attack on October 7th, Kurmesh Belisha and her team shifted to a new strategy for encouraging student engagement.<\/p> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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\n Hadas Kurmesh Belisha, chairwoman of the Student Union <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n \n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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To mark 100 days of captivity for Israel\u2019s hostages in Gaza, Bar-Ilan\u2019s Marketing and Business-Development Division organized a campus-wide event for students, faculty, and University staff. Beginning with 100 seconds of silence, the event continued with the recitation of a prayer for the return of captives by Rector Prof. Amnon Albeck; the performance of a song by well-known singer Eliraz Sadeh; and a poem reading by Anadad Eldan, a survivor of the attack on Kibbutz Be\u2019eri. Later that afternoon, the Student Union led a march across campus together with hostages\u2019 relatives and heard from law student Noam Safir, whose grandfather, 86-year-old Shlomo Mansour, is Hamas\u2019 oldest hostage. The march concluded with the release of one balloon for each remaining hostage.<\/span><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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