School of Public and International Affairs Professor Ilia Murtazashvili had been in Israel for just a few days when violent conflict erupted between Israel and Iran last month.
Murtazashvili was traveling as part of the Academic Exchange program, a privately funded, non-partisan program with a mission to deepen understanding of Israel and the Middle East within the international academic community. Faculty members from around the world travel to the region for seminars, site visits, and candid discussions aimed at increasing awareness and building relationships across borders. Numerous SPIA faculty have been a part of Academic Exchange delegations since the program was established in 2009, including Associate Dean Luke Condra, Associate Professor Erica Owen, Associate Professor Ryan Grauer, and Professor Jennifer Murtazashvili.
“The goal of the program is for people to come away from that and kind of understand the complexity of some of the challenges confronting Israel and confronting the Middle East,” Murtazashvili shared in an interview published by the University Times this week, “and also to build good collaborations and partnerships going forward.”
After a few full but relatively quiet days in Tel Aviv, the group traveled to Jerusalem on June 13th. That night they awoke to the sound of an air raid siren and hurried to the hotel’s basement bomb shelter.
“We didn’t really expect that you kind of go from doing this act, where you’re going around talking to people, learning about Israel, learning about the Middle East conflict, building all these great relationships, and then you’re in the middle of a war, you know? It was an unusual situation to be in.”
While some of the faculty in the Academic Exchange program took the first opportunity to evacuate, leaving through Jordan and into West Asia, Murtazashvili and three colleagues stayed in Jerusalem in hopes of flying home from there. During the next few days, they would meet young families, take part in a wedding celebration, and witness the dichotomy of life in a war zone— where fear and grief must co-exist alongside joy and the resilience of the human spirit.
“You come away from that thinking there’s all sorts of problems and challenges, and it’s terrible to have war. But then you see the sense of community and people working together,” he added, “and that gives you a sense of optimism despite all the bad stuff that’s happening.”
Read the full story about Professor Murtazashvili’s experience in the University Times.