By Amir Gilat

HAIFA, July 25—On this, the fourteenth day of rocket attacks on Haifa and the northern region, the University of Haifa continues to remain open and forge ahead with the work routine. Today, more than any day in the last weeks, there have been numerous sirens and alerts to enter the bomb shelters and secure spaces – after the 'all clear' announcement was heard work continued.

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Letter from the University of Haifa President Aaron Ben-Ze'ev,

Dear Staff Members and Students,

I wish to express my deep appreciation to each and every one of you during these challenging days.

The war in which the State of Israel is engaged has obligated the University of Haifa to adopt an emergency work schedule. During the first week of fighting, the University was closed. Throughout that period, the University Administration dealt with many pressing matters. These have included implementing security and safety measures; conveying continually updated information to you and to the University of Haifa's friends in Israel and abroad; taking steps to enable the continuation of the summer ulpan for overseas students; discussing the shape of the summer semester under the circumstances; responding to individuals' personal dilemmas; and much else. 

The University Administration has held working sessions every day in order to evaluate the situation, solve urgent problems as they arise, and determine future steps. Last Wednesday -- after not a few hesitations; after consulting with the Home Front Command's security experts, the Education Ministry and the Haifa Municipality; and in coordination with the Administration of the Technion -- we decided on a gradual return to work by staff members. This decision was not taken lightly, but it represents our resolve to return by degrees to the University's routine activities. Department Heads have received explicit instructions to show broad consideration for individuals' personal problems and to fulfill faithfully the instructions of security personnel.

We acted according to these guidelines yesterday, Sunday, upon returning to work, and we will continue to do so in the coming days. The return to a normal daily routine, despite this task's complexity, is an aspect of our coping with wartime circumstances.

We very much hope that when relative calm is restored, we will be able to solve the many problems that have arisen for our students. We will do so with sensitivity and deep consideration.

This war is a painful test of our resilience and has already extracted from us a heavy price. Yaniv Hershkovitz of blessed memory, the son of our friend and colleague Corina Hershkovitz, was killed in an IDF military action. Shimon Glickblich of blessed memory, father of Julia, our student in the School of Social Work, was killed by a katyusha rocket strike while driving his car in Haifa. I send condolences to them and their families from us all.

We did not want this war just as we do not wish for any war.  But fundamentally, this war seeks to achieve a stable and sustainable peace. That kind of peace, whose realization is still far distant, can reunify Israeli society and join the State of Israel in a network of friendly relations with our neighbors.

Although we speak at the moment of a distant dream, it is forbidden to us to stop dreaming even for a moment. The capacity to dream and to sustain hope are hallmarks of human conduct. I am certain that even in these dark and trying hours, already it is possible to discern tomorrow's light.

I congratulate every one of you on your exemplary behavior during these difficult hours. Together we will endure this crisis, and together we will continue to perform constructive activities on behalf of strengthening our University. 

It is my deepest hope that this arduous period will soon pass and that we may turn our faces toward a long-lasting and considerably better era.

Prof. Aaron Ben-Ze'ev, President

University of Haifa opens a HOT LINE for the residents of Haifa

Dr. Rivka Yahav, Haifa's first lady and a faculty member of the University of Haifa, has recruited herself to aid the city's residents. While her husband, Mayor Yona Yahav, has been busy running the city, his wife came through with assistance, as the head of the Interdisciplinary Psychological Treatment Center at the University of Haifa for those in need of psychological aid.

Right after the first barrage of rockets on Haifa, Dr. Yahav suggested to harness the Clinical Center for the good of the community. The staffs, comprised of psychologists, social workers, art therapy specialists etc, have volunteered to answer calls on a hot line which opened for the residents of Haifa in need of psychological aid. "Listening to caller's concerns is the essential most common support we give to these people in state of distress," says Yahav.

The Clinical Center in the University of Haifa offers services to the public on an array of issues such as psychotherapy, occupational therapy, gerontology and so on. During these difficult days the center is dedicated entirely to the hot line, on call 24 hours a day.

Each day the hot line has been receiving tens of calls. Among the various callers are elderly people who have been left alone while their sons and daughters left town, parents who are concerned about proper handling of their children and also Holocaust survivors, some of which are revisited by their past traumas during the reoccurring sirens.

The center's volunteers talk with the callers, locate their problems and try to calm them down by giving behavioral advice – from relaxation methods through the phone to the guidance of a daughter whose elderly mother refuses to leave her home.

The Faces of the University

Reema Douley Fadle – Librarian at the University of Haif

On Sunday, when the first Katyusha rockets started falling on Haifa, Reema was, together with her husband and children, at her parents house in the Northern Arab Village of Makar. Although Reema, and her family, thought to leave their apartment in Haifa to escape the bombing, it turned out, that her Village was suffering the same cruel fate.

In order to escape, Haifa and the Village of Maker bombings, Reema and her family have been on an exhausting journey. The family, including her parents, traveled to Zichron Yaakov south of Haifa, than to Herzliya and finally to Jerusalem were they found some peace of mind.

With the return to work, Reema has been fulfilling her duties at the University of Haifa Library. "All last week we ran from Haifa but now it is back to work" she added. Reema is concerned for her parents and their safety, but she has other worries: "I am at work but my heart and mind are with my son who is in Kindergarten in the City, I know he is safe and it is best that he be among other children right now, nevertheless I'm worried all the time".

Shikma Klein, 25 student of communication and political science

I have no possibility to make progress in any schoolwork without access to the University library. That is the reason I'm here" said Shikma Klein, a student of communication and political science, who took advantage of the reopening of the University of Haifa and its library.

In the first three days of the missile attack on Haifa, Shikma did not leave her house. "Only on Wednesday I traveled south to Tel-Aviv and it felt like being abroad." said Shikma. 

She added that she had to get back to Haifa to reach the library to try and make some progress with the seminar-papers she needs to hand in order to finish her B.A. "Even schoolwork that doesn't require a visit to the library is hard to accomplish at home because everyone's nerves are so exposed. That's another reason to why I needed to get to the library."

Nevertheless, a short hour after Shikma got to the library, an alarm was sounded. She was evacuated with the rest of the students to a shelter, and a few minutes later, she returned to the library- until the next alarm.

Amir Gilat  is the head of communication and media relations  for the University of Haifa's Department of External Affairs.