Afeka College of Engineering has inaugurated its “Quiet Tent,” a dedicated space at the Tel Aviv campus that is designed to support students coping with the emotional toll of war, trauma and ongoing national stress.
It was created in response to the growing mental-health challenges facing students in Israel since the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and the continued reserve duty that has impacted much of the student body. The space is intended to provide a calming environment where students can step away from the intensity of daily campus life, decompress and regain a sense of balance.
This initiative was born at a meeting with the family and friends of an Afeka student who died by suicide, as staff at the institution sought to gain insight into what might have helped the student cope more effectively. Through that conversation, the college came to recognize the need that students have for a quiet, dedicated environment where they can process their experiences.
The inauguration ceremony was attended by Afeka senior leadership, faculty and staff; families of fallen students and bereaved faculty members; and students currently coping with trauma, PTSD and other mental-health challenges.
Afeka’s student body includes one of the highest proportions of reservists in the Israel Defense Forces among Israeli academic institutions. At the height of the prolonged war following the Oct. 7 attacks, as much as 42% of enrolled students were called up for reserve duty while simultaneously attempting to continue their academic studies, reflecting the extraordinary challenges the college community has faced throughout the war.
“Over the past year, we have seen firsthand the emotional burden many students are carrying,” said professor Yossi Rosenwaks, President of Afeka College of Engineering. “ ‘The Quiet Tent’ was created out of a simple but important understanding: Resilience is not only about pushing forward. It is also about knowing when to pause, when to ask for help and having a safe place to do so.”
The initiative comes as Israeli colleges and universities continue to grapple with unprecedented emotional and psychological challenges during wartime.
“The Quiet Tent: was made possible through the support of David Seidman, professor emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University, and his wife, Shoshanah. The family funded the initiative as part of Afeka’s broader efforts to support student well-being during the ongoing war.
“David and I are deeply honored to be part of bringing Afeka College’s ‘Quiet Tent’ to life,” said Shoshanah Seidman. “This is a truly meaningful initiative because it recognizes the importance of providing students, especially those carrying the burdens of trauma, with a place where they can feel safe, find moments of peace, and reconnect with themselves and others. We hope this special space will offer comfort, strength and healing to all who use it, and we wish the Afeka community continued success, resilience and good health.”
In recent months, the college has expanded counseling resources, peer-support initiatives, faculty-mentoring programs and wellness activities aimed at helping students maintain continuity during an extraordinarily difficult period. For many, maintaining routine and connection has become an essential part of resilience.
“Early in the post-Oct. 7 war, we formulated and implemented a plan to ensure that no student would fall behind because of disruptions caused by the conflict,” Rosenwaks said. “Today, we continue to carry out and expand that institution-wide commitment, which reflects our responsibility to not only educate engineers but also to support the people behind the degrees.”
