From the Liveblog of
Monday, October 30, 2023
Tel Aviv University announces grants for student soldiers
Gavriel Fiske is a reporter at The Times of Israel
The over 5,000 students from Tel Aviv University who have been called up for reserve IDF duty will receive grants of NIS 1,000 ($250) each within the next few days, the university announces.
“TAU intends, moreover, to provide substantial additional grants, especially for those serving in combat or combat-support units. TAU will also provide additional aid to students in reserve duty or those from the north and south of Israel who are now facing immediate financial problems,” the university says.
The grants are made through the TAU Emergency Fund, which was established shortly after the war began on October 7. The fund is supported by TAU donors, especially the Blavatnik Family Foundation.
The university had previously announced that students staying in student housing who were called for reserve duty would be exempt from rent payments for October and November, and that scholarships would be available to help with rent for those who have not been called up.
Due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict and the huge call-up of reserve soldiers, which includes substantial numbers drawn from the staff and students at Israel’s universities, the beginning of the academic year for nearly all institutions of higher education has been delayed until at least December 3.
