Responding to a survey, only 6% of students said they can study effectively during the ongoing conflict.

By World Israel News Staff

The vast majority of Israel’s college and university students are struggling to focus on their studies amid the ongoing war with Iran, as school closures, repeated overnight air raid sirens, and the emotional toll of the conflict disrupt daily life.

A poll by the Israeli Students’ Union, which surveyed 1,220 higher education students across the country, found that 82 percent reported being unable to focus on their studies. Only 6% of respondents said they were able to study effectively.

Among the challenges cited by students were difficulty concentrating (64 percent), exhaustion (61%), and stress and anxiety, which were reported by 55 percent of respondents.

As Israel endures frequent missile attacks from Iran and its Lebanon-based proxy Hezbollah, all educational institutions across the country remain closed.

The schools were abruptly shut in late February following the outbreak of the war.

More than half of students — 59% — said they had been unable to take a previously scheduled exam due to the sudden closure of campuses.

Slightly less than half — 42% — reported that they feared the war would negatively impact their academic progress and grades.

“The consequences of the war are clearly felt among the student community,” Sivan Korin, chairperson of the Israeli Students Union, said in a media statement. “Many were unable to take exams, and the mental strain is felt in their study routine and lives.”

Korin urged academic institutions to take the security situation and its impact on students into account and work with them to ensure they are appropriately accommodated in order to minimize the negative impact on their studies.

The challenges faced by students who were drafted to reserve duty are also of particular importance, Korin said.

“Alongside this, a large portion of students are currently on the front lines in the reserves, volunteering and contributing to the daily effort to maintain a routine of life,” Korin added. “Therefore, the academic system must also continue to adapt itself to this reality.”

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Platek said in a speech, “Our classmates and professors choose to manipulate history in order to demonize us as people.” 

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Israeli student Maya Platek was selected as student body president of Columbia University even amid intense anti-Israel protests on campus.

Platek will serve as president of the student body for the 2024-2025 academic year.

She declared her determination to fight for the rights and safety of Jewish students and is a member of Students Supporting Israel (SSI), an organization whose stated name is to support pro-Israel voices at Columbia.

Following a successful election, Platek gave a speech during which she said, “I am an Israeli rising senior and was recently elected as the Student Body President at Columbia University.”

She added, “As Columbia hits a peak of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, I am honored to have been elected as next year’s Student Body President. More than ever before, it is critical that our voices are heard and our safety is protected.”

In the past week and a half, violent anti-Israel protests have shaken the Manhattan campus, with a rabbi recommending that Jewish students depart campus and stay at home.

Following a congressional hearing on Columbia’s administration’s handling of antisemitic incidents, president Minouche Shafik declared that there would be hybrid learning-both in-person and remote classes-until the end of the semester.

Many Jewish students criticized the move as penalizing Jewish students rather than the anti-Israel students and faculty who were creating an unsafe environment.

Platek called out those responsible for fostering antisemitism on campus, and said, “Our classmates and professors choose to manipulate history in order to demonize us as people have done all throughout history.”

She added, “They choose to rewrite our identity in order to justify terrorist regimes. They choose to cheer in our pain and in our suffering, and they choose to delegitimize the only Jewish state in the world when there are dozens of Christian and Muslim ones.”

“They choose to advocate for our removal from this campus over our nationality. That is discrimination,” Platek declared.

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