In January 2024, 29 Penn faculty traveled to Israel
with the goals of connection, bearing witness, and gaining an understanding of the ongoing Middle East conflict through direct encounters.
We met with colleagues at Israeli universities, who have felt isolated since October 7th.
We visited sites in Southern Israel that were devastated by Hamas’ October 7th terrorist attacks.
We also reached out to Penn’s many alumni in Israel who have been working to support displaced families, survivors, and other victims of the October 7th attacks.
The following videos share glimpses of the impactful and deeply moving experiences from our journey.
At Sheba Hospital we heard a moving and detailed firsthand account of October 7th from Be’eri survivor Avidah Bachar.
At Hebrew University we met with leadership, faculty, and students and heard about the isolation they have felt from international colleagues since October 7th.
Hostage Hersh’s mother Rachel Goldberg Polin has been one of the most powerful voices since October 7th. She shared her raw feelings with her usual eloquence and force.
The day we visited Kfar Aza was the birthday of Alon Shamriz, one of the hostages tragically shot by IDF soldiers while escaping from Hamas. His brother was at his house to mark the occasion.
We had the opportunity to hear from Yossi Landau, the head of operations for the southern region of Zaka, Israel’s volunteer civilian emergency service organization.
At Kfar Aza we said kaddish, a traditional Jewish prayer recited in memory of the dead.