A MESSAGE FROM BGU CANADA CEO ANDREA FREEDMAN
Help Us Rebuild and Heal Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Dear Friends,
While the ceasefire offers cautious optimism, the urgent needs at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) remain. This morning’s devastating news from Be’er Sheva—where at least four people were killed—underscores the ongoing crisis.
Last week, the Be’er Sheva region endured a brutal missile attack, leaving deep scars on both our community and our campus. The destruction is widespread, and the human toll, both physical and emotional, is heartbreaking. We urgently need to recover and rebuild: to support displaced families, restore critical facilities, and ensure the continuity of education and research.
BGU and Soroka Medical Center are deeply interconnected. When Soroka was struck, BGU’s essential medical teaching and pathology labs were destroyed, along with lecture halls critical to training Israel’s future healthcare professionals. Years—even decades—of groundbreaking research by our faculty were lost in an instant.
At this moment, we cannot yet provide a full cost estimate, as BGU’s administration works urgently to find new homes for these vital facilities. What we do know is that we cannot do it alone. These costs can only be met with the generosity of donors.
At the Marcus Campus, the damage is significant: 30 of our 60 buildings were impacted. Shattered windows, collapsed doors, buckled ceilings, and structural damage are widespread. The Sports Center Gym’s roof was pierced by missile debris, rendering the gym floor unusable – the facility now closed indefinitely. Repairs to the gym alone are projected at $1 million USD, at a time when physical activity has never been more essential for mental health and recovery.
The human cost is staggering. Many BGU employees and their families have had their homes destroyed or rendered uninhabitable. They now face the trauma of displacement and the burden of rebuilding from very little—or, in many cases, from nothing. BGU students, faculty and staff are enduring perpetual traumatic stress. We are facing not just a rebuilding effort, but a fight to preserve education, healing, and innovation in the Negev.
BGU has always stood as a beacon of resilience, innovation, and hope in the Negev. Please stand with us. Your emergency donation can help BGU and devastated members of the BGU community recover and rebuild.
In solidarity and hope,
Andrea
Supporting the Vision
Our Negev. Our Legacy.
It started with David Ben-Gurion's vision,
and continues today as our mission.
