Today, on Yom HaZikaron, the day of remembrance for Israel’s fallen soldiers and victims of terrorism, Technion friends across the globe solemnly remember those who have so tragically lost their lives.
As the first university in Israel, the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology has played a key role in defending the nation. When conscription began in April 1948 for what became the War of Independence, one quarter of the student population was ready for active duty, including 130 students who had been trained in Israel’s pre-independence fighting force, the Palmach. Throughout the years, the Technion lost 189 students, faculty, and employees while serving on the frontlines.
But numbers alone don’t convey the Technion’s contribution to safeguarding Israel’s security. Many students held leading military positions in the Israel Defense Forces. The Technion established the first aerospace engineering faculty in Israel, which in turn trained most of the nation’s Israeli Air Force commanders. And a disproportionately high number of Technion alumni were involved in designing Israel’s acclaimed defensive missile system, Iron Dome.
Israel is a small country, in which almost everybody knows someone who died in uniform, making Yom HaZikaron particularly significant. Technion President Uri Sivan recounts four individual stories in his video message.
Please view Technion President Uri Sivan’s poignant message for Yom HaZikaron here: