When the Lions Roar, We Rise: An Emergency Call to Protect Bar-Ilan University's Students, Strengthen National Resilience, and Secure Israel's Future. The image shows fighter jets in the sky and a man with his arm around a child, both looking towards the sky.

Sirens shatter the rhythm of campus life. Students run for shelter. Hundreds of Bar-Ilan students have left their studies to answer the call to reserve duty.

In moments like this, a university does not stop. It mobilizes.

Bar-Ilan University is home to more than 22,000 students, representing every corner of Israeli society. When the country is under threat, our campus becomes a center of resilience — supporting students serving in the military, caring for those living under constant stress, and ensuring education continues even in the shadow of war.

Your emergency gift will help us protect our students, strengthen resilience, and sustain the future of Israeli society through education.

Give Now. Double Your Impact.

Lori and Alan Zekelman (Chair, BIU Global Board of Trustees), together with Ruthy and Steven Rosenberg (Chair, AFBIU Board of Directors), will match every gift up to $75,000.

Emergency Lifeline for Medical Students in the North

Bar-Ilan University’s Azrieli Faculty of Medicine in Safed is training the next generation of physicians serving Israel’s North, a region facing severe doctor shortages and ongoing security threats. Many medical students are already volunteering in hospitals, emergency services, and military medical units while continuing their studies.

$18,000 supports one medical student serving and training in the Galilee

Total annual support needed for 30 students: $540,000

No student should have to choose between serving their country and completing their education.

Thousands of Bar-Ilan students have been mobilized for reserve service.

These students are defending Israel while trying to protect their future at the same time. Through the Efod Akademi (“Academic Armor”) program, Bar-Ilan ensures reservist students can continue their studies and return successfully when their service ends.

Your support helps provide:

  • Emergency scholarships for reservist students
  • Flexible academic accommodations and coursework adjustments
  • Alternative exam schedules and academic continuity
  • Reintegration support for students returning from service

Support for each student: $2,000

Overall need for approximately 3,000 students: $6,000,000

War takes a psychological toll that extends far beyond the battlefield.

Students are coping with trauma, anxiety, uncertainty, and the strain of living under constant threat. International students are far from home and family support.

Bar-Ilan’s Resilience Center is expanding services to meet these urgent needs.

Your support helps provide:

  • A confidential 24/7 mental health hotline
  • Trauma counseling and crisis intervention
  • Department-based resilience counselors across campus
  • Therapeutic support for students and families under stress
  • Ongoing care for individuals requiring longer-term treatment

These services help students remain strong during the crisis and in the months that follow.

Support to add hotline responders: $25,000 each

Overall need to add 40 hotline responders: $1,000,000

International students at Bar-Ilan are experiencing this crisis far from home.

Through the Adopt an International Student initiative, Israeli students are paired with international peers so that no one faces this moment alone.

Support for this program helps provide:

  • Emergency financial assistance
  • Peer support partnerships
  • Community connection and practical support during the crisis

This initiative reflects the spirit of the Bar-Ilan community, ensuring every student feels supported and safe.

Support to Adopt an International Student: $750 per student

Overall need to Adopt 100 students: $75,000

During times of national emergency, students and families need practical tools to manage stress and maintain stability.

Bar-Ilan brings leading experts to deliver webinars focused on maintaining routine during emergencies, managing anxiety, and supporting emotional resilience.

These online sessions reach large audiences of students, faculty, and community members who are navigating the psychological strain of ongoing conflict.

Support for Development and Delivery of the Webinar Program: $10,000

Students returning from reserve duty often face a difficult transition back into academic life.

Bar-Ilan offers specialized “Returning Home” courses designed to help reservist students reintegrate academically and emotionally after military service.

These courses provide structure, support, and guidance as students resume their studies while processing the experiences of war.

Support per course: $7,000

Overall Support for 4 courses Needed: $28,000

In times of crisis, needs evolve quickly.

Gifts to the Greatest Need fund allow Bar-Ilan’s leadership to respond immediately where support is most urgent. Whether it is assisting reservist students, expanding mental health services, or addressing emerging campus needs.

Flexible funding ensures the university can act quickly as circumstances change.

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