Students and staff at the Raphael Recanati International School (RRIS) at Reichman University gathered for a candle-lighting ceremony, combined with an information session for prospective students and a moment of silence for the Bondi Beach shooting victims.
The event featured reservists from the international school lighting the Hanukkah candles. "We're having a very resilient Hanukkah on this campus. We decided to combine an information session for new students who want to study here together with the candle lighting. The candle lighting is being done by reservists from the international school who study here," said Jonathan Davis, VP of External Relations for the RRIS.
The gathering drew a mix of current and prospective students, underscoring the school's appeal as a safe haven for Jewish life and international education. "It's really incredible to study here and be with students from all around the world. We just had the information meeting as well with new students for next year," said one student. "It's amazing to see people from everywhere. I love studying on this campus and being able to celebrate and be Jewish freely and not feel worried about what's going to happen to me and my friends."
Attendees praised the campus atmosphere and extracurricular opportunities. "There's a mix of prospective students and current students, and we always have a great time here on campus. There are always opportunities to celebrate everyone together. It's a really great time."
Another added, "You meet people from all over the world in Israel. There's clubs and there's extracurriculars here like no other. It's really easy to find your place and grow and blossom here."
The event emphasized the rich Jewish life at RRIS, part of Reichman University, Israel's largest international school with students from over 90 countries. "You get a real international experience. This is networking at its peak. You have students from Italy, from Germany, from Latin America, from North America, South America, all over the place, Australia, New Zealand, you name it," said one attendee.
"The networking and the Jewish connections here carry on for life - not only for your business, but also for your personal friendship and connection."
Personal stories highlighted why many choose RRIS. One student from France shared, "I was an activist in France fighting against antisemitism. It brought me a lot of troubles, and I lost a lot of friends there. I saw coming to Israel as a way of finding a community and finding a place where people would actually accept me and love me as a Jewish person."
Another emphasized community: "It's really amazing here to have people from all around the world as a community and a family. It allows us to really live together and appreciate each other's Judaism."
A former IDF soldier who suffered injuries in Gaza spoke of the support received: "I was a soldier in the IDF. I got injured in Gaza and my right leg below the knee got amputated. The first thing I noticed about Reichman is that they have such a way of supporting you and showing you the right way to choose your future - something I couldn't say about any other university."
Another summarized the evening: "Everything at the International School feels like on big Hanukkah miracle."