The entrance to Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus campus. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

JNS.org – As part of a donor-funded emergency-aid program established at Hebrew University, 18 Ukrainian refugees have been accepted to programs to continue their studies.

Ten of them have already begun, including Anastasiia Zinevych, who has a Ph.D. and recently arrived in Israel with her husband. During the first day after winter break at Odessa National Economic University, the buildings shook as bombs fell. She said with “supermarket shelves bare and pharmacies out of medicine,” she and her husband decided to leave Ukraine.

“All we took with us were two laptops and a copy of my husband’s poetry,” she said. In need of medical attention, the couple chose Israel because they “heard good things about Hebrew University-Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.”

After a harrowing trip crossing into Poland, the couple arrived in Israel. “I literally exhaled for the first time in weeks when our plane touched down in Israel and knelt down to touch the earth. I’m not Jewish—my husband is—but I felt such gratitude for this country and to Hebrew University for taking us in.”

Zinevych has been living in a university-affiliated apartment and is working with Professor Ran Hassin at the Center for the Study of Rationality.

Several undergraduate students are continuing their studies in Israel at the Rothberg International School, and a number of professors have joined the psychology, sociology, history, Jewish studies, computer science and agriculture departments.

The university launched its Emergency Aid Campaign for Ukrainian Researchers and Students to enable them to continue their academic studies and research, which had been halted due to the unfolding crisis. The aid provides a minimum of four months of tuition, along with a living stipend. Each researcher has been matched with a faculty member who will serve as their mentor during their stay.

Also being offered are temporary academic posts to Ukrainian academics and graduate students, and professors have been invited to continue their research for a period of up to four months.

A similar offer has been offered to Ukrainian graduate students currently pursuing master’s degrees and Ph.D.s at Ukrainian institutes of higher learning. These students will be able to continue their studies/research at Hebrew University for up to four months and will receive a monthly stipend of $2,000, plus free board at university dormitories.

“The help we are offering is admittedly modest,” said Hebrew University President, Professor Asher Cohen. “However, it is heartening to see institutions like ours, both in Israel and worldwide, have joined to help the Ukrainian people during this trying time.”