With every new report of the escalating violence now taking place in Israel, our hearts are breaking. As news of the current unrest trickles in, we, like so many of you, continue to be concerned for our Technion family, friends, and colleagues, and for the nation of Israel. Please know that we are in continuous contact with the Technion administration about how these developments are impacting the campus community; as we learn of updates, we will be sharing them with you and our stakeholders around the country.

The American Technion Society stands proudly, as always, with Israel. Moreover, should the situation become more acute in the coming days, ATS leadership will convene to discuss how we could potentially provide immediate support to the Technion as we did in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge.

Since before Israel’s independence, the Technion played a critical and formative role in laying the foundations for the Jewish State. From building the nation’s infrastructure to developing key defensive technologies, the Technion fulfills to this day a sacred duty around ensuring both the vibrancy and security of modern Israel. Technion has proudly maintained its commitment to the safety and wellbeing of all Israelis, and its innovations have helped inspire hope for an entire nation.

The Technion’s importance to Israel becomes especially clear during times of conflict, with many key technologies utilized by Israel for security, emergency medicine, and defense having the fingerprints of the Technion and its graduates. The most shining example, perhaps, is Iron Dome, the air defense system developed by a team largely comprised of Technion alumni. According to Israeli military reports, about 500 missiles have been fired from Gaza since the start of the present conflict, and 90% of the missiles that reached Israeli airspace have been destroyed by Iron Dome. Technion is home to Israel’s only aerospace engineering faculty, and we can be thankful that its faculty and graduates continue to play a key role in protecting the lives of millions of Israelis.

We do not know what developments the coming days hold. We are closely monitoring how the escalating situation will impact the Technion campus, faculty, staff, and students, including potential call to service, and will keep you apprised with any updates during this time of uncertainty. In the meantime, thank you for your steadfast support of the Technion; we welcome your outreach if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Steve Berger, President of the Board
Zahava Bar-Nir, Chair of the Board
Scott Leemaster, Chairman, Technion Board of Governors
Michael Waxman-Lenz, CEO