Pictured above from left to right: Kesem Dai, Tasneem Hriesh, Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, Nofar Duani, Prof. Amos Drory, Kristen Jansen, Prof. Shimon Glick
Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish presented three women with this year’s Daughters for Life Foundation Award at a moving ceremony today on the Marcus Family Campus as part of what he calls, “a living memorial to his daughters."
Referring to the three recipients of this year's prize, Abuelaish said, "I consider these Daughters for Life; girls who can make a difference in the world." Noting that, "Education is the key to fighting injustice in this world," he repeatedly called for people to go beyond blame and to take responsibility for making the world a better place. "Hatred is a disease of the heart, the mind and of the body," he said, "We have to work together to understand how to stop this epidemic." At the ceremony he announced his intention to expand the program at BGU to eight recipients next year and to work with the University of Toronto to develop an institute to study the "disease of hatred."
Vice President for External Affairs Prof. Amos Drory welcomed Dr. Abuelaish. "Izzeldin is really part of the BGU family. First at Soroka and the Faculty of Health Sciences. His personal tragedy has touched us all." Prof. Drory thanked Abuelaish for allowing BGU to be part of the Daughters for Life program. "You will remain a source of inspiration to us all."
The Daughters For Life Foundation Award recognizes female university students in their final year of study at accredited universities in the Middle East who have overcome hardship and made an outstanding contribution to the improvement of the lives of girls and young women in their community. This award is presented in memory of Bessan, Mayar and Aya, the three daughters of Dr. Izzeldin Abuelaish, President of the Foundation, who were tragically killed on January 16, 2009, when an IDF tank shell hit their home in the Jabalia refugee camp in Gaza during the waning days of Operation Cast Lead. The Foundation honors their memory and seeks to perpetuate their love of life and learning and their hopes and dreams for an educated future.
This year’s ceremony took place in the presence of Kristen Jansen, First Secretary at the Canadian Embassy in Tel Aviv; Dr. Rani Kotha, Senior Strategist of Global Health at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine and Prof. Simon Glick from BGU's Faculty of Health Sciences. Dr. Abuelaish did his residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Soroka University Medical Center, has taught at BGU's Medical School for International Health in conjunction with Columbia University Medical Center and has been involved with the genetics research by Dr. Ohad Birk from the National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev. He is currently a professor at the University of Toronto.
The BGU students who received the award for 2012-2013 are: Nofar Duani, of the Departments of Psychology and Economics volunteered in Perach at "Telem," a school for youth at risk, from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. The Beer-Sheva native assisted teachers in the classroom, gave one-on-one tutoring sessions, and ran extra-curricular activities such as dancing, a film club and a panel on current affairs.
"My work at ‘Telem’ showed me the amazing influence you can have on other people's lives, even as an outsider. I learned that people can move in the right direction regardless of their background, and with the right structure, anyone can literally achieve anything," says Nofar.
Kesem Dai, of the Charlotte B. and Jack J. Spitzer Department of Social Work volunteered at "Edy's House" - Ma'agan Community Support Center for Cancer Patients and their Families providing emotional support to female cancer patients. She encouraged them to get involved in volunteering projects in the community and also helped them to improve their physical appearance, inspired by the slogan "Look Good, Feel Good." She also worked with female senior citizens, helping them obtain needed financial support and also feel better about their lives, "but they ended up supporting me just as much," says Kesem, who hails from Beer-Sheva. "These women gave me a lot of good advice, and have urged me to excel in my studies and work as hard as I can to achieve my goals."
Tasneem Hriesh, of the Departments of Hebrew Literature and Education volunteered at "Ma'avarim," a program for young Bedouin girls in the Bedouin town of Tel-Sheva, who are in the process of making the difficult transfer from elementary to junior high school, when drop-out rates are high. "It gave me a great feeling to help others, and gave my life more meaning," says Tasneem who is from Nazareth, whose personal life story is one of overcoming adversity. She also helped train a sports team of Bedouin girls: "Although I hadn't been very athletic before, it was a very empowering experience for me."
