The deadly fire that decimated the Carmel Forest region of northern Israel has wreaked unprecedented proportions of enormous destruction. Lives have been lost, homes and places of business have been destroyed, and a huge section of the forest that has long been an integral part of the Haifa landscape has been ravaged. The blaze proved how vulnerable the University of Haifa campus is to such disasters.

The University of Haifa has launched a Carmel Fire Emergency Campaign, an emergency fund to help provide the following support:

Provide humanitarian aid to address the financial and emotional needs of students and faculty impacted by the crisis

Enable the purchase of life-saving equipment and upgraded fire protection and prevention systems to ensure the safety of the campus' main facilities, most notably the 30-year-old and strategically critical Eshkol Tower.

The University's top priority continues to be the safety of its students and staff and we will do everything possible to continue ensuring their safety to the fullest extent in the future.

Ensuring Life Safety and Fire Safety at the University of Haifa Immediate Needs

Humanitarian Aid

I. Psychological Support for University Students and Faculty $50,000

Many University students and staff have been directly affected by the disaster – having lost relatives, friends, and homes. In addition to the University community, many area residents who have been displaced are in need of emotional support and require psychological counseling.

Immediate psychological assistance is being provided at the University of Haifa's Unit for Urgent Psychological Aid at the Clinical Counseling Center, the Interdisciplinary Clinical Center, and the Trauma Center. Psychological and trauma counseling is provided at the University's various centers at a subsidized rate of $30/hour.

II. Financial Aid

Many students who have been adversely affected by the fire require financial assistance to complete their academic studies and research. Establishing a "Carmel Forest Fire" Scholarship Project commemorating the 42 people tragically killed in the disaster. By awarding scholarships in the name of the 42 who lost their lives, the University connects scholarship recipients personally to the bereaved families, with the hope that the connection develops into a special relationship.

A gift of $200,000 will enable the establishment of this special scholarship project.

An endowment of $1 million will ensure that the scholarship project continues in perpetuity. A dedicated ceremony will be held to honor the benefactor of this generous scholarship program.

Dedicated Student Scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students, where scholarship recipients volunteer in nearby communities that suffered damage during the fire, including Yemin Orde Youth Village, Kibbutz Beit Oren, and the Hai Bar Nature Reserve.

An annual scholarship for a BA student is $3,000; an MA student is $5,000; and a PhD student is $12,000.

Supporting the University's Unique Research Centers, advancing critical knowledge of the rehabilitation of the Carmel landscape and making important inroads in mental health services.

The Mount Carmel Research Center

The Mount Carmel Research Center was established at the University of Haifa in cooperation with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority to provide an umbrella organization that would develop a uniform policy regarding the preservation of the Carmel biosphere reserve. A major role of the Mount Carmel Research Center is to protect the Carmel environment and the rich biodiversity of the area. With numerous University researchers studying a wide range of topics related to the Mount Carmel range, there was a need for an academic body to oversee and integrate these scientific endeavors. The Director of the Mount Carmel Research Center, Ido Izhaki, is a Professor in the Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology.

The Center for Loss, Bereavement and Resilience

The establishment of the International Center for Bereavement and Human Resilience is an independent research and training center dedicated to providing leadership and direction for bereavement efforts in Israel. The Center will help shape national policies for assisting the bereaved, ensure the evolution of appropriate training and research and promote the development and assessment of current intervention strategies. With over three decades of experience in research theoretical work, and clinical practice, Professor Simon Shimshon Rubin of the Department of Psychology, an eminent clinician and researcher, is Director of the Center.

The Laboratory for Technological Innovations in Rehabilitation

Under the direction of Professor Tamar Weiss, this laboratory uses the latest technologies, including virtual reality, to ease the suffering of individuals with physical or cognitive disabilities resulting from trauma.

The Center for Community Mental Health Research, Practice and Policy

is an integrative, multi-disciplinary center unique in its comprehensive scope. The Center collaborates closely with the Schools of Public Health and Social Work, the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences, and departments of Nursing, Occupational Therapy, and Gerontology. The Center's mission is to develop a body of research in the field and to link the findings to policy decisions and delivery and implementation of services. The Center is directed by Professor David Roe, Chair of the Department of Community Mental Health at the Faculty of Social Welfare and Health Sciences.

Life Safety and Fire Safety and Prevention Needs on Campus

I. Fire Safety Renovation of Eshkol Tower $5 M

The Eshkol Tower was built more than 30 years ago and was partially renovated seven years ago. Fire safety renovation was completed on 14 floors, yet 16 floors require fire renovation to comply with the latest life safety and fire safety codes, including automated sprinkler systems, smoke alarm systems, carbon monoxide detectors, and emergency action plans and communication systems.

The cost of life safety and fire safety renovation per floor is approximately $300,000.

II. Improving Fire Safety in Public Areas $2 M

The main campus facilities require a comprehensive upgrade to comply with life safety and fire safety codes. These building were among the first to be built on campus nearly 35 years ago and require automated sprinkler systems and smoke detection systems. Each of the buildings below require $660,000 to ensure fire safety.

Main Building – includes large classrooms that accommodate 300-400 students and computer rooms.

Multi-Purpose Building – includes the auditorium, science laboratories, state-of-the art equipment and animal labs.

Terrace Building – includes classrooms, auditoriums, law library, legal clinics and research centers, including the Law and Technology Center.

III. Upgrading the Library for Fire Safety $1.5 M

The University of Haifa's library is the largest library in Israel, containing collections of more than two million books, manuscripts, journals, microfilms, database, maps, and photographs; a new, modern wing has been added and is nearing completion.

At this time, 5,000 square meters of the library need to be brought up to current life safety and fire safety standards. This area of the library is located at the northern end of the campus which is surrounded by the Carmel Forest, making it especially vulnerable to potential fire hazards. Due to the structural and architectural design of the library's older section, installation of sprinkler systems will be extremely difficult and costly, and will require the replacement of ceiling and lighting systems.

IV. Fire Prevention within Campus Grounds $2 M

The recent Carmel Forest fire raged only 150 meters from the campus' northern buildings. Retaining ecological harmony with the surrounding Carmel Forest has been a priority for the University's architectural philosophy and building design; however, the close proximity to the surrounding greenery also makes the University extremely vulnerable to the risk of fire.

Many of the campus buildings are built onto the northern slope of the Mount Carmel ridge and are not easily accessible in the event of an emergency, including: the campus dormitories, housing 1,500 students, are exposed to the northern forest of the Carmel. The new Hatter Student Building and the Hecht Art Complex, with state-of-the-art 'green' architecture, are both nestled into the lush landscape of Mount Carmel.

The University has identified 3 key areas that require immediate action:

1. Creating accessibility to these buildings, clearing paths for evacuation and fire safety

2. Diluting vegetation around these critical buildings

3. Increasing communication systems within and outside campus buildings in the event of emergency.

V. Creating a 'Firebreak' and Protecting the Campus Perimeters

A firebreak is a defined area designed to contain a spreading fire and mitigate potential loss from fire. Creating a firebreak to separate the campus perimeters from the vegetation of the Carmel Forest is critical to ensuring the safety of the University community.

The cost of creating a firebreak around the campus perimeters involves a substantial investment and its detailed costs are currently being assessed.

The University of Haifa, the largest comprehensive research university in northern Israel, sits atop Mount Carmel and presently serves a student body – the most pluralistic in the country – of more than 17,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

The University of Haifa is dedicated to academic excellence and social responsibility. Its location provides a unique backdrop for novel interdisciplinary programs, cooperative endeavors with academic institutes around the world and a diverse student body primed to address regional challenges and universal social issues. Jews, Arabs, Druze, new immigrants, IDF officers and security personnel come together to study, research, socialize and share knowledge in an atmosphere of coexistence, tolerance and mutual respect.

Instruction is offered within six faculties: Humanities, Social Sciences, Law, Natural Sciences, Social Welfare and Health Sciences and Education; and the Graduate School of Management. The University's dual mission of first-rate higher education and service to the community at large is manifested in the equal educational opportunities open to all sectors of society and in its many forms of programs promoting social outreach.

 

Contact Information

Mr. Amos Gaver

Vice President for External Relations and Resource Development

Tel: +972-4-8240093 or +972-52-8666445

agaver@univ.haifa.ac.il