Tel Aviv University International students volunteering and support group

After a period in which we designed and got agreements, (btw, thanks for your patience❤🙏) finally we can release the program of the shooting stars night in the Ramon Crater we like to do every year! The trips has been designed for 24h full immersion in the desert , to get the best of the experience while escaping the hottest hours. First of all, we chose the 13th-14th August because of an ideal combination of bus availability, end of the week time and moon and stars calendar (we are avoiding the days in which the moon is bright, because it would ruin the experience). Typically, the Perseids peak is around 11th-12th August, but these days are in the middle of the week and it would be more challenging to coordinate everyone.

Being a newcomer in Tel Aviv is not so straightforward, especially when you start dealing with the issues from abroad.  First of all, once you manage to apply to a lab and to subscribe to Tel Aviv University, you should also be proactive in starting your research on accommodation and survival means for the very first days of your staying. This article gives you a step-by-step informal guide from the veteran researchers!😀 We share HERE the official TAU International School Handbook with a lot of tips and guidelines, if you were not given it. This book is thought for ANY student coming to TAU, while in this article we are trying to focus specifically on the researchers' experience. Before your departure, make sure to have a valid A2 student visa or B1 working VISA to enter Israel. Typically, the Visa manager or her assistants from the International School should have already guided you through, so that your legal status when you arrive at the airport is already in force. We remin...

 One of the most challenging things to do when you come to TAU is to find an accommodation. If you are not lucky enough to have given a studio in Broshim dorms immediately after your arrival, this means to enter a labyrinth made of apartment visits, chat with potential roommate, analysis of a contract, bureaucracy and last moment surprises.  We also know that for years there has been a strong need of giving up / find a contract in this concrete jungle of Tel Aviv, and every year it gets more difficult. Hoping to help with this situation, we set up a survey to hear your accommodation experience since you came to Israel and to see if you have any tips for the newcomers. All of us are just ordinary people, but we believe in the word of mouth and in the mutual support.  The people who answered the survey  helped us to offer some more ideas and hints to keep in mind when you are looking for or giving up an apartment. If you have comments, ideas, extra tips or recommendati...

  This below is an AI generated summary (and English translation) of the article  מה פתוח ומה סגור? עושים סדר בהנחיות פיקוד העורף | היום ‎ What's open and what's closed? Putting the Home Front Command's instructions in order ‎ Malls and retail : Malls are closed, except for essential stores such as electrical chains, pharmacy chains, standalone pharmacies, and supermarkets, which operate as usual. Deliveries: You can order deliveries from food chains; delivery times may be longer because of high demand. Wolt, TenBis, Mishloha and Haat do restaurant deliveries in a reduced format, depending on siren frequency. Restaurants and bakeries : Restaurants are doing delivery and takeaway only, and only if they are close to a protected space/safe room. Bakeries and delicatessens are defined as essential businesses; some cafés counted as bakeries are also open. In principle, cafés and restaurants are not open for sit‑down service, according to Home Front Command safety rules...

Yes, we know that the hard times in which Israel is attacked as a whole nation by belligerent groups of terrorists/enemies is no joke: rather a total tragedy, and a despicable, scary and sometimes deadly thing. Nevertheless, we want to give you our support and advice in a friendly and easy to read manner, so if you find this post a bit too much shallow or sarcastic, pardonne-nous (Sorry in French)! As experienced foreign nationals in TAU, we know that this topic always anguishes people, loading up their stress, therefore we are doing our best to avoid too much anxiety with a little wit. Useful numbers Police - 100 for emergencies, 110 for information center Ambulance – Magen David Adom – 101 United Hatzalah – 1221 (a volunteering  emergency medical service alternative to the Magen David Adom) National Fire and Rescue Authority – 102 Israel Electric company (if you have a contract, this is also the customer services) – 103 Home Front Command (Pikud Ha’Oref) – 104 Municipal hotline ...

From August 2024 in Israel it is mandatory to have a license plate on any electric vehicle, except for Segway and hoverboards. The law was approved after the counting of accidents happened daily all over the country, the evidence that these vehicles are really dangerous. The typical procedure is -either for Israeli citizens or foreigners - to register yourself in the Ministry of Transportation system. In other words, you need a subscription to the registry of electric vehicle owners. The procedure requires to the owner: - To be above 16 (age). - to possess a driving license (Israeli and foreign accepted) or to pass the A3 driving license test, designed exactly for the riding of simple vehicles. - to already possess the vehicles to be registered.   - to have an helmet (it's mandatory, also for the rented vehicles such as Lime, Bird and Forth) If you are aligned on the requirement above, you need to submit a formal application through the Ministry of Transportation website (part of t...

Why the trip? The winter rains culminate in a short-lived but intense "green carpet" and floral explosion for a couple of months all over the country. Then, by the time passes, blossoming, flowers and green meadows become more restricted and less scenic. The season starts with red anemones (kalaniot), followed by buttercups (nurit) and poppies (pereg), creating vast red fields. In the southern region of Israel (in particular, the Northern Negev, corresponding to the area of Be 'er Sheva) the blossoming is welcomed by a festival called Darom Adom , the "Red South", held usually from mid-January till the end of February. Other than the beautiful panorama, the communities across the region open their doors to tourists, with agricultural tours, farmers' markets, countryside lodging, sports activities (marches, race, and bike tours), etc... Check HERE the official website of the tourism association who organizes activities and attraction sites in the area. HERE ...

Working in optimal conditions, without risks (as much as it is humanly possible) is very important for anyone. Our precious time and efforts would not be safe without proper guarantees for a legit working environment.  And TAU takes this matter very seriously: the institution makes sure that everyone on campus is insured against any kind of trouble happening while studying/working on campus. With this post, we want to clarify the intricated mechanisms by which TAU offers protection to all of us. There are different approaches according to the type of student/postdoc you are. Let's see. If you are a regular student (Israeli or international), your insurance on campus is paid by the so called " security fee" that each one has to pay every year and it is displayed on MyTAU platform. In order to be insured, this fee has to be paid by the student themselves directly through the platform, with a credit card. Therefore,PhD students are insured this way. As members of SEGEL (the ...

The international community in TAU is a broad group of students and scholars who come from everywhere in the world and live for a few years in Tel Aviv. As such, we are definitely entitled to extra care that the typical Israeli citizens don't need because they have spent a lifetime here, in their country. This evidently stark difference, other than the language barrier and the different lifestyles, is also what define us as the international community. But wait a moment. What is a community? What should it do within the University (and maybe also outside) environment? We start this discussion with the assumption that in TAU, the international school is a relatively new concept, that has been developed in the last 8 years plus or minus. And that the international students have been here even before that. In this perspective, the international school is shaping its identity and modus operandi year after year, offering assistance, bureaucracy solutions and various opportunities for ou...

The summer is running fast in Tel Aviv, and we are approaching the Jewish festival months of September and October.  On the other hand, the start of the first semester 2025-2026 is far away in time (October 26th), where more regular activities and initiatives will happen. To spice things up, we came up with tons of ideas and for this next months, and later the rest of the year, we would like to launch  a few projects, even better if they get also your involvement! First of all, let us explain the whole new situation. Lately, we managed to open our own community called " Researchers and Scholars in TAU: the Peers community ", a platform TOTALLY independent from the TAU International School (and their WhatsApp community), which we envisioned to be dedicated to us International PhDs and Postdocs and to be a facilitator for all of the members to carry on projects, ideas, discussions etc... well, consider it a parallel (and independent) welfare system to the  TAU International...

This initiative was the most supported, and we believe so since for this is a more-than-rare opportunity for the ones who don't have an easy time to go to the desert on their own. Plus, if the group is big and lively enough, it's a lot of fun!  This is technically the most challenging trip to organize, mostly because we will go to a wild place, with quite hostile environmental conditions, and more than 40 people expressed interest in this adventure. Probably we will be a little less, 20 to 30 people. First of all, don't worry too much about the "risks". If we stay together and we are well organized, we will avoid most of the troubles, while breathing some thrill. But it is important to stress since now that each one will carry their own responsibilities and will take care of their lives and wellbeing, since it is a "group of friends" trip and not a professional, organized, guided one. FOR THE LAST MINUTE ADDITIONS (people or things): speak immediately a...