Scholarships for HIT Students Whose Homes Were Damaged in Operation "Rising Lion"

In a moving ceremony held at the institute, trustees of the "Pamela Davidson Rising Lions Scholarship Fund" received certificates of appreciation from HIT management for their important and special contribution aimed at helping students whose homes were damaged and destroyed by Iranian missiles during Operation "Rising Lion".

Photo: Doron Meserano

This is the third year that the Pamela Davidson Fund has awarded assistance scholarships to HIT students. This year, the fund chose to direct its support to students whose homes were directly hit and did so shortly after the difficult events occurred.

The days of Operation "Rising Lion" passed over all of us with tension, worry, and fear, but for 15 of our students, the fear became reality. Their homes sustained direct hits from Iranian missiles, and they and their family members were evacuated. The trustees of the "Pamela Davidson Fund" from the United States rallied to this reality, donating a substantial sum for the students to help them get through this difficult period and enable them to complete their academic year.

At the emotional meeting between the students and the fund's trustees, led by Stuart Davidson and his family, we heard how vital the financial assistance was, and how much the support and emotional embrace provided by the Dean of Students office, headed by Dr. Limor Sahar Inbar, and HIT's Resilience Center, led by Keren Karp, helped them.

During the meeting, there were many tears—both from the students who shared their personal stories and from the donors who were deeply moved by the testimonies.

The institute's President, Prof. Eduard Yakubov, warmly thanked the fund's trustees and said that true friendship is tested in times of trouble. The President also noted that it is not by chance that he calls the institute a "family," as he feels the students are his children. Thanks to the donation, the students were able to focus on their studies despite the difficult experiences they went through, and the proof is that almost all of them completed the academic year with considerable success.

"We cannot fully understand the fear and trauma you are experiencing, but we are so proud to be part of your community," said Stuart Davidson, representative of the "Pamela Davidson Fund" trustees. "We are with you. You are our children. We choose you and embrace you because you would do the same for us when the time comes. You are part of the community of the State of Israel, and truly, you are part of the community of every Jew in the world. We are all very proud of you. We see you. We need you. We love you, and we will always be here beside every one of you," concluded Stuart Davidson.

During the ceremony, the institute's President presented a certificate of appreciation to the fund's trustees, and a special certificate of appreciation was also awarded to Mr. Gideon Selinger, thanks to whom the deep and warm connection with the Pamela Davidson Fund was created.