Today, 7 October 2024, marks the anniversary of the shocking day of Hamas' attack on Israel. This date is a profound turning point for Jewish life around the world.
In view of the ongoing state of war, Julius-Maximilians-Universität (JMU) Würzburg feels it has a responsibility to demonstrate its remembrance. 'Our thoughts and sympathy are with all those who are affected by war and the immeasurable suffering it causes - in Israel and Palestine, but also in Ukraine and anywhere else in the world,' says JMU President Professor Paul Pauli.
The University of Würzburg has been cooperating closely with Tel Aviv University in Israel for almost 20 years now; in 2013, JMU and the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology signed a partnership agreement. Further collaborations exist at Faculty and Chair level. As part of the Erasmus programme, students have the opportunity to complete part of their studies at universities in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, for example at the universities in Haifa and Bethlehem.
'It is important to us that academic cooperation can be maintained, especially in difficult times. Safe local conditions are essential for our students. The University Board is therefore following the current developments in the Middle East and their humanitarian, political and economic consequences with great concern,' Pauli continues.
There are suitable contact points at the University of Würzburg for staff and students who are affected by the current situation. A team with different and complementary areas of expertise is available at all times to answer questions, address concerns and help with incidents.
A text (in German language) by Frederek Musall, Professor of Jewish Studies at JMU, which was published on the anniversary of the attack on Israel, also deals with the 'questions of compassion, of remembrance, of the way we deal with pain and violence' that the date of 7 October evokes.
