Dear friends,
As part of a delegation of 30 Canadians, I just returned from Israel after an outstanding global gathering at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) for the 56th annual Board of Governors meeting (BOG).
Let me begin with “Hineh mah tov u'mah na'im, shevet achim gam yachad” / “How good and how pleasant it is for brothers and siblings to sit together” / הִנֵּה מַה טוֹב וּמַה נָּעִים שֶׁבֶת אָחִים גַּם יַחַד. Iranian missile attacks forced the postponement of the meetings from May, and it was wonderful to be back in Israel and among the global community of BGU supporters!
I am honoured to share a few reflections with you.
Firstly, AI looms large across a wide swath of research at BGU.
Are BGU researchers using AI to grow better crops? Yes.
Are BGU researchers using AI in the realm of cybersecurity? Yes.
Are they using AI to detect hot spots in the core of nuclear power reactors? Yes.
Are they developing cybersecurity tools to safeguard against AI? A resounding yes!
And this is but a small sample of the diversity of AI in use at BGU.
Secondly, the ever-present pain of October 7th is ever present.
Eli Sharabi, a BGU alumnus, shared his story of unimaginable loss, resilience and the determination to survive. He endured 491 days in Hamas captivity and, upon release, learned that his wife and daughters had been murdered and that his brother Yossi had been killed in captivity and his body was still being held by Hamas. Since his release, Eli has shared his story with the world.
Eli received his MBA (as well as his first degree in economics) from BGU and shared a remarkable story about how he tried to develop a rapport with his captors by writing a business plan for them, showing them the possibility of a different future. He reminded us that there is always hope, even when hopelessness is all around us.
Thirdly, BGU is in the Negev, and for the Negev.
BGU’s “secret sauce” is our investment in the Negev. We met with students who grew up in the periphery and are now the first in their families to receive a university education. We met with professors who have done postdoctoral work at elite universities around the globe, could work at any university anywhere in the world, and yet felt a calling to BGU and the Negev.
Fourthly, it’s about others.
The penultimate takeaway from the BOG actually sounds like the beginning of a joke. What do an MIT professor, philanthropist, engineer, historian, maestro, philosopher and astronaut have in common? They all received honorary doctorates from BGU this year, and we were privileged to hear their stories.
Among this diverse group of esteemed individuals, I was struck by a commonality: their humility and how each credited others with influencing their success. None thumped their chest and said, “Look at me,” but rather acknowledged how others made their remarkable journeys possible.
It was a powerful reminder that each of us shapes the world not only through our own unique contributions, but also through those we empower, teach and inspire.
At BGU, this is the promise and potential of BGU students.
Researcher after researcher shared what they are working on (one even had a robot walking and waving on stage) yet always concluded with a slide of their students powering their labs. For it is BGU’s students who best represent our shared and collective future.
And finally, BGU Canada is a cherished community of like-minded individuals who are Zionists, philanthropic and passionate about Israel. One of the highlights of the experience was honouring philanthropists from around the globe whose names are now inscribed in perpetuity on BGU’s donor walls. Thank you!
With gratitude,
Andrea
PS - watch this impressive video with BOG highlights!
