At the former Nazi extermination camp of Birkenau, where hundreds of thousands of Jews were murdered during World War II, thousands gathered Monday to mark Holocaust Remembrance Day by singing the Israeli anthem in a deeply symbolic act of defiance and resilience.

This year's March of the Living, an annual educational program that brings people from around the world to Poland to study the Holocaust, took on heightened significance in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack in Israel – the deadliest antisemitic attack since WWII. Some 1,200 Israelis were brutally murdered in the Hamas onslaught, shattering the vow of "never again."

Video: Live footage of the March of the Living

The main march from Auschwitz to Birkenau on Monday drew 8,000 participants from dozens of countries, including 55 Holocaust survivors. Speakers drew parallels between the Nazi genocide and the recent events, with the march held under the theme of "solidarity and shared fate with the Jewish people." 

"We stand here facing all our enemies, who seek time and again to harm us," Doron Almog, chairman of the Jewish Agency, said at an opening ceremony Sunday in Budapest marking 80 years since the Holocaust in Hungary. "In the spirit of [Jewish heroines] Hannah Senesh, in the spirit of Rose Lubin, in the spirit of thousands of soldiers who left everything and fought for the Jewish people, and for the State of Israel."

At Birkenau, seven torches were lit representing various commemorations - for Hungarian Jewish victims, all Holocaust victims, the commitment to fight antisemitism, Jewish unity, Holocaust education, the Righteous Among the Nations, and the rebirth of the Jewish people with Israel's founding. 

The diverse participants included a delegation of Oct. 7 victims and their families, university presidents from the US seeking to counter campus antisemitism and Israeli singer Noa Kirel, descended from a Holocaust survivor grandfather. 

"In such a difficult year for the Jewish people, I will march proudly...to cry out against antiדemitism," Kirel stated.

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In December, the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology will celebrate 100 years. Looking at the list of achievements over the years makes you realize how significant its contribution to the state's development has been – and still is.

"For many years we were essentially the only engineering school in the country, and to this day we are the only technological university," the Technion president, Prof. Uri Sivan, tells Israel Hayom in a special interview. "To a large extent, we shouldered the burden of founding the state on our shoulders, and over the years we have all reaped the rewards for this. Most of the civilian infrastructure in Israel today – roads, railways, water, desalination, agriculture – is the work of Technion faculty and alumni over the generations."

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The Israeli aerospace industry, still highly relevant today, has also developed over the years on the Technion's shoulders, as have the various security systems. The four Nobel Prize laureates in chemistry and the 41 Israel Prize winners among Technion graduates attest to the quality of its education. "Engineers who graduated from the Technion were responsible for the development and production of the armored vehicles used by the IDF today, as well as all missile defense systems. To this day, 80% of the engineers working on the Iron Dome are our graduates. The microelectronics industry also started here, and this is just a partial list," he says. 

But beyond the technological feats, the Technion president makes sure to emphasize other no less important aspects promoted by the university under his leadership.

 "After I was appointed president in 2019 I went on visits to different countries, and everywhere I went I was asked, 'Tell me, what's special about you?' There are many very good technological universities – MIT, Stanford – but people feel that we have something different here and it took me some time to fully understand what they were talking about. Of course, we try to do the best science and give our students the best training – and a Technion degree is considered top tier in the world.

"But over time I realized another thing that makes this place unique, and that's the fact that the security of the State of Israel, the economy of the State of Israel, and Israeli society are part of our mission, just like our mission is to do the best science and provide the best education. When I sit down in my office in the morning, those three things – security, economy, and society – comprise a major part of my considerations."

President Sivan is keen to shed light on the Technion's role in supporting Israeli society, which has been part and parcel of the place since its early days, as has been evident during the war.

"The Technion has a long tradition as an inclusive university, and this started with the founding fathers. In that sense, this is a place that welcomes everyone, and believes in equal rights, and 'diversity', it's part of the principles, it appears in our constitution, which goes back many years. Another aspect of Technion pluralism is the increase in the percentage of female students over the years. That has been hard to do – in the first Technion classroom there were 16 men and one woman – but today the situation is one of parity."

The fact that the Technion was established in Haifa, a city that is a symbol of tolerance and coexistence, is no coincidence and reflects the spirit of the academic institution since its founding. "Back when they were talking about establishing the Technion, in 1906, representatives of 'Ezra', a German organization that set up many schools in the country, came to Israel to look for a place for a technological university. There were two possible locations - Jerusalem, which was the largest Jewish settlement in the country, and Haifa, which had 20,000 residents, 2,000 of them Jewish. The organization's people explained something that still holds true today – Jerusalem has too much 'baggage' because of its history, too much internal infighting among Jewish power brokers; so they chose Haifa, which has always been a very communal place, as it still is today. During the British Mandate, Jewish and Arab mayors of Haifa would alternate, and it was also very close to various industries, it is a very innovative city."

Academia and industry – together

When Prof. Sivan talks about security and the economy as central components in the Technion's mission (alongside the social issue), he also means the national challenge of rebuilding after the war.

"We need to think about how to move on from here, how to boost the economy and industry again," he says. "It's important to remember that the Technion is the main source of engineers, scientists, doctors, and architects, and we're already looking ahead, thinking about how to really get this whole big system going after everything we've been through.

"The Technion has a very large role to play in emerging out of the crisis, beyond the security aspects. The engineers graduating from here are the ones pushing the industry forward, so we have a role in workforce training. Second – each year about 15 new companies are created at the Technion; one out of every 30 new companies founded in Israel is by Technion people, and it's all 'deep-tech'. The companies are founded by faculty members or students based on knowledge developed in labs here, and they raise funding from outside investors. We also have a  tech transfer office – which is an entire system that allows the establishment of companies, including a licensing agreement whereby the technology is granted to the company for certain applications, and from there it continues on its own.

"The extensive system we have built here to enable all this starts with the entrepreneurship training we provide to our students with their studies. We have a center here called T-HUB (The TEchnion Hub for Entrepreneurship and Innovation), which is responsible for all entrepreneurship education and mentoring, including a lot of mentoring by our graduates.

"Afterwards, anyone who has an idea they want to develop can get help through several channels where they also receive guidance from successful mentors who have gone down this path. For example, we have a branch called T3 – Technion Technological Transfer – which assists researchers from the idea stage, with patents, support, investor search, and even strategy writing, and from there, it goes out into the world.

"In addition to the Technion's role in driving the system forward in terms of human resources, ideas, training, and entrepreneurship, there is a very extensive system here of infrastructure worth hundreds of millions of dollars. It's not just the machines that we have and industries can use; for example, we have a very advanced microelectronics center. Companies send people here and we give them the resources, and together we work and enable them to develop. This is very important for start-up companies that sometimes lack the relevant infrastructure needed to move forward.

"In light of everything I have mentioned, I have a very important message: The government must support this matter. I know the country has many needs, but looking forward, we have to figure out how we get out of here, how we go back to who we were, how we revive the start-up scene, and so on. The answer: Only through investing in universities. We still don't know how the new budget will impact things, but the message is that it's vital – ideas are born here, human capital comes from here, start-ups rely on us, as do the companies that spawned from us and other companies, it's an insane powerhouse. Look at what's happening around the Technion – very few universities have created an ecosystem around them like there is here, with MATAM high-tech park in Haifa, industrial zones in Yokneam and Migdal HaEmek, and collaborations with schools in the region. All this must continue in order to help us all rebuild." 

As an institution that is one of the important pillars of the Israeli industries in all its diversity, the Technion also ensures cooperation with various sectors through knowledge transfer and research agreements. Prof. Sivan noted that when he took office as president, he built a 10-year strategic plan whose central component is strengthening ties with manufacturers.

 "If you look at where academia is going today, you can identify two main focal points – one in everything related to digital communication that is completely changing the way students receive knowledge and learn, and the second is the connection with industries. Once there was a separation – basic research in academia and applied research in the industries. That belongs to the past, and we are formulating new models for interaction between the two.

"So, for example, we created an entirely new academic position here of an industry research fellow. These are people who have been very successful and come here a few days a week, meet with students, engage in research, and teach; this is really a fusion of industry and academia. In fact, we expose students to the field, to what is happening outside, already during their studies." Just as the Technion has set Israeli society throughout the years as an integral part of its activities, so it has been since its very first moments of the war. "On October 7, at around 10 am, we opened a situation room," says Prof. Sivan about the contribution to civilians who found themselves refugees in their own country.

"We established the 'Mutual Guarantee' center for the Technion community and their families as well as to assist residents of the south and north and IDF soldiers. As part of this, dozens of initiatives are still active today, in addition to the extensive activity of hundreds of student volunteers. Since the beginning of the campaign, dozens of families and individuals who have evacuated from their homes in the north and south have been staying on campus – the dormitories, which were empty at the beginning of the war, were converted into housing for the evacuees who received everything they needed – from clothes to laptops."

Among other things, the Mo'ed B – second-hand equipment store at the Technion – stepped up to the plate to help the students and evacuees and equipped them with everything they needed, free of charge. Students in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering cleared and arranged shelters in nearby Nesher, as part of the "Shelter City" project, and graduate students in the Faculty of Chemical Engineering also went out with the faculty dean to clear shelters in Haifa. This is just a partial list of the assistance provided by Technion people due to the security situation.

But the aid did not stop at the country's borders, and in light of the rise in antisemitic manifestations and anti-Israeli rhetoric on campuses worldwide, students, alumni, and academic faculty studying abroad were invited to come and conduct research, teach, and study at Technion campuses in Haifa.

"We saw in many countries a wave of anti-Israeli and antisemitic protests, and unfortunately faculty members at many leading universities in the West, student organizations, and trade unions joined this wave," says Prof. Sivan. "In light of the weak responses from a considerable number of presidents of leading universities in North America, Europe, and Australia, we realized that many Jewish and Israeli students and researchers were subjected to physical and verbal threats that interfered with their academic activities at those institutions. Against this background, and recognizing the Technion's historic role in the history of the Jewish people, we announced a program for the rapid onboarding of students and faculty from around the world looking for academic refuge."

A warm embrace for fighters

A significant contribution from the Technion is in IDF reserves, with about 2,500 of the 15,000 students enlisted as early as October 7, along with about 500 faculty and teaching staff. "I assume we still have over 1,000 who are still called up, and it's important to understand how we cope with this fact and how we assist them when they return. There are a lot of officers here, a lot of combat unit veterans, it has always been like that. Many female students were also drafted, and a very high percentage of the women staffing the Iron Dome crews are reserve soldiers from the Technion, including those serving in key positions.

"It is important for us that each of our reservists know that the entire Technion has joined the cause and committed to supporting them. Thus, for example, together with friends of the Technion in Israel and around the world, we set up a special relief fund that allowed us to transfer an immediate grant of 6,000 shekels to each of them. Along with a series of support measures we have already taken, they receive an economic support package and some peace of mind. We have also prepared academically to make their return to on-campus studies as easy as possible. The Technion also published an updated payment schedule for dormitory fees, which will ease the burden on students, especially those serving in the reserves."

About 80 faculty members and students at the Technion lost family members who were murdered on October 7 or killed during the war, some still have family members among the captives. Two Technion students fell in the Gaza battles - Staff Sergeant (Res.) Master Sgt. (res.) Dov Moshe Kogan and Captain (res.) Denis Krokhmalov Veksler. Kogan, a Shaldag fighter, was 32 when he fell. He completed his degree at the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and was a graduate student at the faculty, as well as a third generation at the Technion – his late father, Meir, was a graduate of the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering and was involved in developing the Iron Dome, and his late grandfather, Avraham, was one of the founders of the faculty. Kogan left behind his wife Shaked and three children. Krokhmalov Veksler, who was 32 when he fell, was about to start his first year of studies at the Faculty of Aerospace Engineering. He was killed while serving as an officer in the Yahalom combat engineering unit.

"Many reservists from the Technion were injured, and we make sure to accompany and support them," says Prof. Sivan. "For example, there is a student who is recuperating, and we send a taxi every day to bring him to campus and take him back so he doesn't miss classes. Since the beginning of the war until now we have been in touch with many military units, assisting however we can. One of the interesting units is the Carmeli Brigade. This is a brigade established in 1948 during the War of Independence whose core was Technion students and faculty. We have remained in contact with them over the years, we mark Memorial Day together every year and adopted them in the early days of the war.

"Many units needed food at the first stages of the war, and the Technion became a logistics hub for that. The student union also rallied wonderfully, as did the academic and administrative staff. Copious amounts of food, military equipment, and medical supplies were shipped from here. The volunteering spirit of everyone has been amazing and inspiring, people simply came to help. As soon as others saw our extensive activity, more and more requests for assistance began to arrive and we addressed their needs, each and every one of them."

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In the days following the brutal Oct. 7 attack by the Hamas terror organization on southern Israel, five dogs without food or water were discovered by IDF soldiers in Sderot. They looked groomed and it was obvious that they belonged to someone, only their owners were unknown.

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"I get goosebumps when I speak about this. This story really touched my heart," said Inbal Kesem, manager of the Shanti Farm animal rescue in Atlit, south of Haifa, which took in dozens of pets and livestock from the area, including the five dogs.

Video: Credit: Israel Police honors the dogs and horses killed in the Hamas attack / Credit: Israel Police

"When the volunteers brought them, we didn't know if they belonged to a family that quickly evacuated the city, or if someone abandoned them. When checking the digit chips, I saw that they were all registered to a person named Nativ Maayan Neve. We looked for him, I wrote a Facebook post with the dogs' details, and I told myself that we must find him and bring them back to him. It didn't make sense that only recently he vaccinated them – according to the data we found on the chips – and took such good care of them, that he would abandon them. After a few days, thanks to the publicity and through the wonderful people who came to Sderot and made a few phone calls, we found out that" he had been killed in the Hamas attack.

"It turned out that Nativ was a 60-year-old man who was murdered outside his home. Because nobody was looking for him, it took some time to identify his body. Thanks to the post on the dogs and his personal details that were registered in the chips, we were able to identify him.

"Someone who knew Nativ wrote after his death that he was a pure person, who took care of the dogs before taking care of himself. I felt as if they took care of him even in his death, and thanks to them he was given a proper and honorable burial. The dogs received medical treatment at our farm, and after they recovered, they went to new and loving families."

When the war broke out and the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas came to be known, Inbal understood that she was going to help with what she's been doing for the last 20 years – saving as many injured or abandoned animals as possible.

"In the last four and a half years, I took the subject of rescuing animals one step further and opened an association called Shanti Farm. I rescue all kinds of animals that have suffered trauma. 

"Six months ago I opened the farm in Atlit, which operates thanks to donations from people and lots of volunteers. Most of the time, people send me messages or call me and ask for help. We rented the area of the farm when it was empty, we built it from scratch, and it is run as a non-profit."

Q: How did you get involved when the war started?

"I wrote a social media post that we were ready to help the animals in whatever way was necessary. We were quickly contacted by the Ahim Laneshek protest movement, whose volunteers took care and helped us all along the way, and asked us to take in dogs from the shelter. I immediately published another urgent post, which circulated everywhere possible, in which I wrote that I also needed building materials and working hands to build more enclosures inside the farm to house the dogs that arrive.

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"The response was amazing: hundreds of volunteers came, and within three days we set up all the complexes. On top of that, thanks to the tremendous exposure, many people came to adopt dogs that had been waiting here for a whole year to find a home, and thus even more space became available.

"We couldn't adopt out the came from the Gaza periphery immediately because we were looking for the owners first. As the war progressed, dogs from families from the north also started to arrive as they were not allowed to keep them in the places they had evacuated to."

Many of the dogs were found wandering the streets of the abandoned cities or the paths of the kibbutzim, shocked and lost among the destroyed houses, and arrived at the farm distressed. 

"We had traumatized dogs here, really 'frozen', in an apathetic state, not communicating. After long days of warmth and love they received from the volunteers here, we managed to get them to open up a little."

Q: How do you treat a traumatized dog? 

"First of all, we give it time to get used to the place, to simply be here. Each dog receives a particular volunteer to slowly get used to touch and warmth. This is a process we are used to and are experienced in because even on normal days we take in traumatized animals here. There is one dog here named Mary who's making incredible progress. She came from the south after the war started, and unfortunately, we didn't find a chip on her and we didn't locate the owner.

"In the first few days, she refused to even walk, she was with her head down, quiet, didn't move, and didn't leave the compound. She has been with us for two weeks, and little by little we managed to get her to the point where she walked outside. It's a process that takes time, but they eventually return to themselves."

After the chips, which are part of the National Dog Database, are checked, Inbal contacts the owner to inform him or her that the dog has been found.

"Some of the families asked us to wait until they could come to pick their pet up, some did not agree that we should hand the dog over to foster families, and there were those who asked that we find them a home because they could not keep an animal in the hotels they were evacuated to. There are also dogs whose families we have not yet been found because they had no chips, and of course, we posted ads to locate them. We give the families the option that we will keep the dog until they want or can pick it up, but there are also those who decide to give them up.

"Owners who hear that their dogs are with us get very excited. The families are waiting for them and miss them very much, but they have nowhere to take them. We send photos, videos, everything because we know how important this connection is to them.

"But it's not just about dogs or cats. We also took in rabbits and guinea pigs that were found in cages in abandoned houses, a blind calf from the Gaza periphery that a volunteer was able to remove from the area, and 110 turkeys that were released so that they would not die in the destroyed cages."

In the farm's cat enclosure, on a large pillow, rests peacefully a beautiful cat with a red collar named Fiona. The heart sinks when Inbal says that her owners are Rimon and Yagev Buchshtav who were kidnapped to Gaza from their home in Kibbutz Nirim.

The two, whose relatives said that their home was "full of flowers, music, and love of animals and people", raised five dogs and four cats. Fiona was adopted when the couple came to vaccinate one of the dogs and the vet, knowing their kindness, asked them to adopt the blind and disabled pet who was looking for a warm home.

On that dark morning on Oct. 7, the family members had time to talk to the couple at approximately 7 a.m., when Rimon told her mother they were being shot at through the window by terrorists. Since then, there has been no contact with the two.

In the afternoon, when Yagev's father arrived with the security forces at the destroyed house, they found it empty. The couple was kidnapped, while the animals ran away and were only found when they returned home the next day – except for one dog that has been missing ever since.

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Inbal, who took in Fiona at the Shanti Farm, wrote in a post on Facebook, "Yagev and Rimon – I promise to do everything I can for her until you return safely from the terrible captivity. I will protect her, take care of her, and look after her for you. I see how well you cared for her. How much you loved her. The least I can do is take care of Fiona for you."

To Israel Hayom Inbal said, "Not every person takes in a disabled pet. This shows what good people they are. I talk about it and I get chills. My dream is to bring her to them in my arms when they are released, give her to them and say, 'I took care the best care of her for you.

"And for after the war, I wish for all of us to continue this way – to help animals and humans. We must see the other, and show sensitivity. I am an optimistic person and I believe in people, in giving. In general, our generation is characterized by endless giving."

The post 'When Rimon and Yagev return from captivity, they'll know we had taken care of their pet' appeared first on www.israelhayom.com.