Charles Dickens summarizes best the events of the year 2020:
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of light, it was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.”
As we are nearing the end of this incredible year, I look back with pride. Our College has been facing the pandemic's challenges with energy and determination: more students entered their first year in our College this year than the years before; we have offered all of the courses, all the time, online, without interruption; despite lockdowns and other challenges, we have continued to build our new health education complex and have been preparing the opening of new academic programs in the 2021-2022 academic year.
This is not to suggest that our students have not faced enormous difficulties, starting from their inability to attend the College and study on campus for a long time and ending with not having the resources to fund their studies. Most of our students lost their jobs because of the pandemic; unemployment rate in Israel is still very high.
In this 2021 New Year's Eve issue, you will read about our students, about our challenges and about our accomplishments. Truth is that I'd rather tell you all that in person. Therefore, I look forward to hosting many of you on campus during 2021.
We wish all of you a very healthy, happy, prosperous and different 2021.
Dr. Amnon Leshem
Vice President of Development
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As Plato once wisely said, "Necessity is the mother of Invention". That is the best way to describe the teaching and studying at ZAC under the government issued restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the cyber front, our students attend more than 800 academic courses and practices each week vie Webex by our faculty and teaching assistants, in all of the departments.
On campus, ZAC has recently renewed the practical training activities, all in accordance with government guidelines. During the end of November, thanks to the good weather conditions, students from the Department of Medical Laboratory Science were even able to conduct experiments in the open air.
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When Prof. Mira Barak had retired from her position at Clalit Health Services (HMO), in order to continue pursuing her academic career as the Chairperson of the Department of Medical Laboratory Science at ZAC, she did not imagine that in less than a month, she would need to return to her white lab coat, in order to establish Check2fly, Israel's Covid-19 testing system at Ben Gurion national airport.
Prof. Barak was invited to design and run the highly sensitive and sophisticated COVID-19 lab at the airport thanks to her reputation, knowledge and skills in building numerous clinical labs, and her decades of experience in running the Clalit's clinical labs in Haifa and the Western Galilee, as well as its COVID-19 lab located in the north. The lab in Ben-Gurion Airport is operated in cooperation between Omega Company and Rambam Medical Center, and is approved by Israel's Ministry of Health.
The lab was built from scratch in less than four weeks, and was equipped with plenty of new analyzers, software, quality assessment tools and safety measures, in order to provide tens of thousands (!) of reliable rtPCR state-of-the-art tests each day, with above 95% accuracy.
The lab was inaugurated on November 11, 2020 by Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Minister of Transportation Miri Regev and the Minister of Health Yuli Edelstein.
We congratulate Prof. Barak on her important contribution and effort in battling the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
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Covid-19 pandemic outbreak has caught us all off guarded and forced us to change the way we perform everyday activities, including academic studies. Since the second semester of the previous academic year, all academic courses have been taking place online, with the exception of courses that require practical training.
We interviewed students Nisreen Assy and Elisheva Schwartz, to learn about the challenges Covid-19 has been posing and the way they adjusted to the new situation.
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Tell us a little about yourselves:
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Nisreen -
My name is Nisreen Assy, 22 years old, live in Fassuta – a small village located 45 minutes from the city of Zefat, and I am a second year student in the Department of Medical Laboratory Science.
Elisheva -
My name is Elisheva Schwartz. I live in Natur – a settlement located in the southern Golan Heights, and I am a second year student in the Department of Physical Therapy.
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Attending courses online is a result of COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. In what way this experience has challenged you?
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Nisreen -
I live with my parents – who are both teachers, and with my two sisters (17 and 12 years old), both are secondary education students. Upon the outbreak of the pandemic, we struggled an suitable for home studying and teaching, since we all studied or taught at the time.
Elisheva -
The main challenge I faced was managing my time properly. In the previous academic year, I would continue to study and memorize the materials each day in the College's library. At this time, the library and other communal studying spaces are closed, it is much more difficult for me to go over the materials and learn it thoroughly after I finish with the online courses of the day.
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Did you make special adjustments in order to adapt yourself and your home environment to studying online?
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Nisreen -
I had a hard time concentrating in the online exams, and had to ask my family several times to leave the house, so I could have the space to myself during the exams.
Elisheva -
The main adjustments I had to make were more mental and psychological than technical, because of the forced transition from studying in groups (in class, in study groups etc.), to studying alone. After a while, I started to learn together with a friend via Zoom, and it helped me greatly to remain focused after the conclusion of the online courses.
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Do you think there are positive aspects to attending courses online?
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Elisheva -
Certainly. Since the long commute to the campus is now unnecessary (my home is located 50 minutes from the city of Zefat), I get to save a lot of time, that would have normally been spent on commuting.
All this time saved is now being used for different purposes - both academic and personal. Now I am able to work during my academic studies twice a week – an ability I wouldn't have if I had to arrive to the College each day.
Nisreen -
My family and I got used to this new routine after a month, and it became a positive aspect in these challenging times. I learned to manage my schedule more efficiently, and studying online has become easier for me, since all the lectures are being recorded.
Another positive aspect of studying online is has reduced my travel expenses, and I am relaxed before taking morning exams, because the long commute to the campus was unnecessary.
Regardless, I still believe in the regular learning methods because it is impossible to transfer practical academic knowledge online. It is also important for me to be able to discuss the materials with the faculty in person, to practice in the College's laboratories and study in the library, and to drink coffee with my friends during recess.
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How would you describe your interaction with the College during these challenging times?
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Nisreen - We have recently renewed the practical training in the College's laboratories, in accordance with government issued restrictions.
The entire faculty at ZAC – the College's management, the Department's chairperson Prof. Mira Barak and the Department's Program Coordinator Dr. Anna Barlasov - provided us much needed support, encouragement and assistance (especially with reinforcement courses), that helped us to adapt, and even succeed, in spite of the challenges presented by COVID-19.
I would like to thank to all of those who helped and listened to us thus far. I believe that together, despite the difficulties, we can turn this hardship into learning experience and accomplishments, and maybe even integrate online studying into our everyday life after COVID-19.
Elisheva -
My interaction with the College is translated into the attention I receive from the faculty. I feel that many of my professors are making considerate effort to cater to the students' needs by trying to make the online learning experience as interactive and efficient as possible.
In addition, in the beginning of this academic year we were not able to perform our practical training, an inherent and crucial part of the curriculum, due to the government issued restrictions. The Department's chairperson Prof. Janan Abbas, and the rest of the faculty, made special efforts to bring back our practical training.
These days we arrive twice a week for practical training sessions. This human-physical interaction has great importance in making our studying experience more effective, and in designing our social student space
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| On the 2.11.2020, ZAC's School of Law held its highlight event - Annual Mock Trial, for the first time via Zoom.
This year, the case discussed dealt with the constitutionality of the newly applied law, that criminalize the procuring of sex services in Israel.
The distinguished panel of judges included some of the leading figures in the Israeli law field, among them Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Miriam Naor, and Adv. Avigdor Feldman – one of Israel's top leading civil rights lawyers.
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| On the 19.10.2020, ZAC's School of law opened its 2021-2022 academic year in an online ceremony, to mark the beginning of a new year of legislative and legal doing.
The ceremony's highlight was a lecture given by the Chairman of the Israeli Bar Association Adv. Avi Himi, who honored the participants with his presence and provided some insightful comments on the Israeli Rule of Law.
During the ceremony, the School of Law also took the time to recognize its highest ranking students for their outstanding academic achievements.
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On Tuesday, Nov. 18 2020, we hosted an online ceremony, to honor and celebrate the generous grant donated by the David Friedman Fund.
The grant was awarded to two pairs of students in the Department of Information System Management : Shani Almagor and Tamer Metanes, and Ashraf Mahmid and Michael Ohana, to further develop and hopefully execute the projects they submitted during their studies in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Workshop last summer. These talented students brought their own unique background and input into their projects, and they are eager to invest their time and efforts for us to be able to use them in our everyday lives.
During the ceremony the students presented their project to the Fund's CEO, Mr. David Friedman. Also, present were ZAC's President Prof. Aharon Kellerman and the Community Information Systems Head of Department Prof. Ofer Etzion.
We wish the best of luck to all the grant recipients, and hope to enjoy the fruits of their labor soon.
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Tel: +97246927931
+97246927866
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Newsletter Editors:
Zohar Tzur - tsurz@zefat.ac.il
Dr. Amnon Leshem - amnonl@zefat.ac.il
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