Tel Aviv University International students volunteering and support group

 A while ago, during those terrible days of the Iran-Israel conflict, some of us had very unpleasant experiences when it came to enter the shelters.  "Unpleasant" is actually an euphemism, because  in reality, their lives were at risks. Back then, in the midst of the storm, we sent to the Lowy International School representative this email ( LINK ), a call for action and support given the confusing, scary, difficult times. At first, we had the quick answer of Meshi (TAU Researcher coordinator)  Dear Valentina & Bhavana, Thanks for arising this important matter. The issue is known and has already been addressed. If something like this happens in the future, please let us know immediately, including clear details (such as the relevant apartment number). Wishing us quite days soon, Best, And now, a while later, we got the answer from Maureen, the director of the TAU Lowy International school, which we publish here for transparency and for informing all of you on how...

 As we know, there are many things going on in Broshim, and many of you approached us with their own stories and concerns while living in the dorms. In particular, this latter year things are unpredictable and confusing, mainly because of the big societal impact that the war brought up and the delicate, sophisticated equilibrium between TAU and Shikun and Binui, the company that owns the Broshim dorms. We demanded clarifications on two topics in particular: The situation on the waiting list The housing time limits At this moment (Dec 2024- Jan 2025) the waiting list is "not very long", due to the war, and the International  School is committed to assist in every possible way when someone requests to leave the dorms mid-contract. Unfortunately, we asked several times to have more public transparency on the waiting list, but our demand was not met. Therefore, we don't know neither how long the list is, and which position one holds while waiting.  When we asked about the tim...

  Hi all, We recently had a productive meeting with Meshi (Research Coordinator) and Daphna (Director of International Student Services) to address various issues concerning international PhD and postdoc researchers. Below are the answers to your questions: 1. Any forms, emails, or posts written in Hebrew can be submitted to Meshi or Daphna for translation into English, provided they are relevant. 2. Regarding dorm allotment and extensions, arrangements are solely managed by Viktoria (housing in-charge). While we have tried to address existing issues, progress is currently slow. 3. There is a possibility of offering a short-term Hebrew course for researchers, similar to the one organized by Zoe previously. 4. For travel forms, travel expenditure reports, and other important documents, please refer to this link or navigate to the “admin” section in the international school portal to find these details. https://international.tau.ac.il/guidelines_forms 5. As mentioned before, ...

THINGS HAPPEN Academia is virtuous. Or at least this is what we are used to thinking, and what is appealing about it. But we know that reality is way much more complicated, and things happen, no matter where or when. A while ago we had a first conversation with the International Office (The Lowy International School) representatives, hinting to the unexpected (or expectable?!) happenings that got to us with a whispering word of mouth, where discrimination and offensive behavior or words were displayed and condoned as they were normal. Let's take for example that time in 2020-2021 when in the Life Sciences faculty we all received an email from the dean, condemning the behavior of some people who disrespectfully told our Chinese fellows that they are to blame for the virus and that they are spreading it across the University. Or - something happening repetitively - the comments from some PI towards the Asian students, stating that they should work day and night, implying that they sh...

 Dear all, given the situation (yes, I mean the war and its consequences), given some previous episodes and the few but constant frauds we are hearing on the newspapers about fake profiles to lure people and soldiers to expose their personal data, we decided to enforce some strict rules on the WA group to protect the privacy and the virtual safety of our members. As part of the International Researcher TAU Whatsapp Community, the access to the group is no longer automatic, but each invitee needs to be accepted by the admins. Each person who wants to enter the group needs a simple proof of them being real people affiliated with TAU. Therefore, we ask them to provide their name, the department in which they work and possibly their PI name.  When requesting to add someone please include their name, department and phone number for security reasons.  JOIN THE WA GROUP TAU Intl. PhDs&Postdocs  https://chat.whatsapp.com/5NEJTGtApk5IKWS1wC66yZ NOTE this group i...

Today there was a focus group on the campus life of the scholars, in particular PhD and Post doc ones. The meeting was held by Zofnat Institute , an institute for research and consulting organizations. Two researchers came to the university to meet us and ask our opinion about the Student Life Team, made up by madrichim belonging to TAU international office. The intention of the meeting was to inquiry the social/amusement/leisure experience of the International students and scholars, but soon the meeting turned into a vibrant discussion about the various bureaucratic and institutional issues, perceived by all of the participants (and the shocked researchers) as an effort "to survive" the student life. Most of the participants were PhD students, with a minority of Post doc, always too little to be represented (Alas!). The general sentiment was of frustration and disappointment on a hand, but passion and interest on the other! People are in general in love with their studies an...

Whether you want to get engaged or you are looking for some help, this list might provide you with some ideas. Enjoy! You can donate surplus or get medicines(for very low income patient) by this initiative https://shop.super-pharm.co.il/donatemedicines You can get nuts and dried fruits for very convenient prices with this initiative  https://nuts.hahishook.com/ You can volunteer as a virtual grandson by the initiative "Adopt a safta". Safta means "grandma" in Hebrew and the idea is to make lonely elderly people interact with youngsters such as they were their real grandchildren. A unique experience https://www.adoptasafta.com/