Defense Minister’s Shield of Appreciation for Supporting Student Reservists will be Awarded to the Technion

The Technion will be awarded the Defense Minister’s Shield for 2025 in recognition of its outstanding support for military reservists. The Shield is granted to organizations and institutions that have demonstrated exceptional commitment to reservists and aims to honor their support for employees and students serving in the reserves. It also raises awareness of their contributions to society and the security of the State. The award will be presented to the Technion at the Reserves Appreciation Ceremony on May 28, in the presence of Defense Minister Israel Katz, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir, and Chief Reserve Officer Brigadier General (res.) Benny Ben Ari.

Since the beginning of the Swords of Iron War, thousands of Technion students have been called up for reserve duty under emergency order, alongside many members of the academic, administrative, and teaching staff. Among these students, more than 1,000 have served more than 150 days in the past year, and more than 500 have served more than 250 days. Since the war’s outbreak, the Technion has provided an extensive personal support system, including academic accommodations, tutoring, one-on-one mentoring, emotional support, and financial assistance, all made possible with the help of friends in Israel and around the world.

“We are proud and honored to receive this award,” said Technion President Prof. Uri Sivan. “The Technion bears a historic responsibility toward Israeli society, its security, and its economy, along with a deep commitment to the Technion family. The Defense Minister’s Shield is a recognition of the tremendous effort the Technion invests in supporting its reservists. Above all, it expresses our gratitude to the academic and administrative staff and to the thousands of students who leave everything behind to report for reserve duty.”

Senior Executive Vice President Prof. Oded Rabinovitch added: “Our commitment to students serving in the reserves is deep, based on our values, and embedded in the Technion’s essence. Just as our students step up to serve, the entire Technion community stands behind them. For us, it is a great honor. From the very first hours of the war, we made it our mission to reach out to every reservist and provide whatever support was needed, achieving an almost zero dropout rate. We are proud of our students and of the hundreds of Technion faculty and staff members who do everything in their power to help them succeed.

The support system established by the Technion has proven itself. It was the basis for the development of the national academic accommodations framework for reservist students, which was adopted by all public universities and colleges in Israel. Our commitment to reservists will continue—it is an integral part of who we are as a Technion community.”