By Roi Muhrar, Second Year Coordinator in the Department for Social Involvement

Professor Aharon Ben Zeev - President of the University
Leah Golan - Director of the Israel Department of the Jewish Agency
Professor Sofia Menashe - Dean of the Authority for Advanced Studies
Professor Ariel Bendor - Dean of Students

Dear Students and Members of the Audience,

Much has been said about Israeli solidarity. It is said that in the past it was stronger, that it no longer exists. It is even said that in the past it was tied up with love for the Land of Israel. The only thing that we know for sure about Israeli solidarity is that it appears at the right moments.

Although I am relatively young, I have been witness to enough difficult moments in order to experience the full extent of Israeli solidarity. The Homat Magen campaign and the second Lebanese war are good examples. But there are those who don't wait for the difficult moments in order to help others.

The Jewish Agency in its various forms has accompanied the Jewish People and the State of Israel for more than 70 years and it is a true manifestation of Israeli solidarity. We shouldn't take this for granted. There aren't many countries in which there is an organization whose goal is to provide society with what the State doesn't manage to.

The Jewish Agency's activities are not new to us; they began well before us. They touch the lives of us all, including mine. I, for example, who grew up on Moshav Achihud, an agricultural moshav established by the Jewish Agency, still remember the excitement of my grandfather, may he rest in peace, when he told me about the hoe, the rake, the milk canister, the cow and one third of a horse and wagon that he received in order to set up a farm in the Land of Israel.

The Jewish Agency, which brought my grandmothers and grandfathers to Israel from Morocco and Yemen, established the moshav on which I grew up and sent its sons to be educated in schools that it established. This is the same Jewish Agency that distributed student scholarships to myself and to others - both soldier/students and  students studying in the North. This is the same Jewish Agency that supported the settlements in the North following the war. And it is the same Jewish Agency that today is helping various segments of Israeli society: Arabs, Druse, Bedouins, Circassians and Jews.

The State of Israel, although it is a land flowing with milk and honey, has not been blessed with natural resources. Most of our strength lies in our mental power. The academia in Israel, which leads its students to the forefronts of knowledge and technology, must be accessible to all segments of the population. Scholarships for students, beyond the fact that they enable the students to study, provides an "entrance ticket" to all the segments of Israeli society which is of inestimable importance to Israel's unity and resilience.

During the second Lebanon war, Haifa's bi-national character was evident from its restraint and the quality of its residents. Unfortunately, the city of Haifa suffered during the war and for the weaker segments of the population it was harder to deal with the war's economic and social effects. The University of Haifa and its Department for Social Involvement, have for many years viewed social responsibility in Haifa and its surroundings as their main goal. Following the war, they took it upon themselves to increase the scope of their social activity and to initiate new projects that are meant to provide solutions to various social problems and to the special needs of the community. In this context, one can mention the programs for the development of community leadership, the promotion of the status of women, prevention of dropouts from the education system, rehabilitation of prisoners, day-to-day work with children with special needs and programs for Jewish-Arab coexistence.

As a coordinator of a social project for the second year in the Department for Social Involvement, I have come to know from close up the holy work done by the students - the contribution and momentum that they create wherever they are. Although success is not always immediate, sometimes a little smile or a minor success is significant and can provide us with a great deal of satisfaction.

I am thankful for the opportunity to represent the students of Haifa University in general and the Department for Social Involvement in particular. I am proud to represent a group of people, each of whom certainly has their own personal goals but who all have one thing in common - the importance of the path they are on. Because sometimes what you learn on the way is even more important than achieving the goal itself.

Most of the students are young people but we have grown up in a place that brings maturity, which has sharpened our senses and taught us to give and to appreciate. On behalf of them, I would like to thank the Jewish Agency for its support over the years, for its wisdom in giving in the right places and for its goodwill.

I would also like to thank the Department for Social Involvement which has not only helped us arrive at the goal but also to enjoy and learn on the way there.

Thank you and good evening.