Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University
Supporting the world's largest Jewish University
What do we do exactly?
The Canadian Friends seek to increase local awareness of Tel Aviv University's excellence in academic and research programs and to provide financial support through fundraising. It also encourages exchanges between professors in Canada and Israel and facilitates a student program for Canadians wishing to study in Israel.
Pikuach Nefesh.
Keeping terrorism from stealing Israel's future
Three years of almost daily violence have put an enormous burden on Israel's defense budget, resulting in cuts to everything else, including, most tragically, education.
Israel's government has been forced to spend more combating terrorism; it has less — much less — to spend on education. TAU's funding has been slashed nearly 20%, which has meant less money for breakthrough research and scholarships to Israel's next generation of leaders.
Over the last three years of brutal intifada, the burden of defending the State of Israel has fallen on the shoulders of the young men and women serving in combat units, both in regular service and in the reserves. In terror attacks alone, 274 members of the Israeli security forces have been killed, and another 1,800 wounded. The physical and psychological toll on Israel's combat soldiers has been and continues to be immense.
Tel Aviv University is making every effort to embrace and nurture these deserving young people as they meet their reserve duty commitments and pursue university studies, The Scholarships for Reserve Combat Soldiers is wholly dedicated to giving reserve combat soldiers preferential treatment in the form of financial, academic and psychological assistance.
Specifically, the Scholarships will provide combat soldiers with:
- Financial assistance: scholarships for tuition and books.
- Academic assistance: individual tutoring, videotaped lectures, and photocopying.
- Psychological assistance: short and long-term therapy, support groups, a hotline and career counseling.
The cost of each such scholarship is $4,000: $2,500 for tuition and books, and $1,500 to cover assorted services. Every additional $4,000 will support one more soldier-student per academic year. The cost of each such scholarship is $4,000.
Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University can assist donors in making a meaningful contribution and matching the funds with worthy recipients. Erez and Yinon are examples of the many deserving candidates.
Erez, is the youngest of 5 from a struggling kibbutz family, is studying psychology and has managed an 85 average in spite of working over 100 hours a month to help pay his education costs. He served in the army as a sergeant in the Magalan Brigade, an elite unit in the infantry. He was awarded a scholarship which not only allowed him to finish his B.A. but also to maintain the grades required for admission into a M.A. program in psychology. He expressed his appreciation in a letter to the Canadian Friends of Tel Aviv University: 'My long term goal is to become a psychotherapist and I will always remember that you helped fulfill that dream.'
Yinon is the third child of a family of seven who hadn't planned on attending University. As Holocaust survivors, his parents did not have the opportunity to pursue higher education and could not afford Yinon's tuition. Yet his teachers recognized his potential and with their encouragement and that of his friends, he began attending Tel Aviv University. He has worked hard to scrape together the funds to support his studies in film and maintain an 89 average. During the Lebanon war of 2006 he was called to serve in the armored corps and was unable to earn the money he required for that academic year. On receiving a scholarship from a Canadian Friends of TAU donor he wrote: 'I want to become a documentary film maker to tell Israel's remarkable story to the world. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for the scholarship that you have given me.'
There are many other students in similar circumstances such as:
- Liora who cares for her disabled parents, works part time to fund her medical studies and served in the army as a sergeant in the Nahal corps and still serves in the reserves. With the increased academic demands, she is finding it harder and harder to earn the required tuition;
- Barak who is supports his wife and single mother in addition to studying to be an audiologist. He was a combat soldier in the intelligence corps and continues to serve more than 20 days a year of reserve duty. While he maintains a 90 average, he is finding it increasingly difficult to meet his military and family obligations and continue in his program.
Don't let the scourge of terrorism and the need for security steal the future of these young men and women. Your generosity will ensure that TAU is able to support these students achieve their academic potential as they contribute to Israel's defense.