Burning the Candle on Both Ends: Noy Keren’s Surreal First Year at University of Haifa

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Noy Keren was very much looking forward to her new life at University of Haifa. The Ramat Gan native quit her job as a market research analyst in central Israel and was eager to embark on her new life in the North as a law student at the University.

“I left my Tel Aviv apartment on October 1st and quit my job. I was very excited for this new phase of life to develop myself and work on my dreams,” she said.

Less than a week later, what she envisioned for this new chapter changed dramatically when over 2,000 terrorists infiltrated Israel’s borders and murdered more than 1,200 people. For eight months, Keren managed to juggle both reserve duty and her demanding academic responsibilities, but the experience was far from easy.

Now that her reserve duty is behind her — for now — Keren sat down with the American Society of University of Haifa to talk about this tumultuous period in her life and her surreal first year of university.

Q: How did your life change after October 7?

A: “That Saturday, I immediately messaged my commanding officer in the reserves, and I said, ‘I’m coming,’ I just needed her to put me to work. I serve in the IDF’s casualty department in Ramat Gan. When I arrived, I brought my boyfriend with me. He’s also an officer but doesn’t serve that unit.

“The casualties department of the IDF is responsible for the army’s relationship with the wounded IDF soldiers and bereaved families. At the beginning of the war, I was assigned to the unit responsible for treating soldiers who were hospitalized. The unit is responsible, among other things, for receiving information from the hospitals and accompanying the wounded and their families in new and complex situations, while providing personal and bureaucratic assistance. Not many people know the unit because it operates behind the scenes, but it’s important to know that the IDF accompanies families even soldiers are injured. It is intensive work, but significant. There, one of my responsibilities was to receive information from hospitals and write various official military documents.

“As the year progressed and the new semester approached, I told my commander I had to go back to Haifa and start my studies. So, I transferred to the same unit, but to their Haifa branch, which is responsible for putting out death and injury notices to the families. It’s stressful work. Every time the phone rang, my body would tense up.

“I finally finished my last shift this week, at my request. The demands of school have been relentless, and I found I could no longer do both. While in reserves, it was difficult to concentrate on schooling and while in school, it was difficult to focus on reserved duty.”

Q: What is it like studying while in reserve duty?

A: “My grades were okay, but I had a difficult year. This was not what I wanted or expected. I couldn’t really sit down and absorb the material like I hoped. I was burning the candle at both ends.

“I’m grateful for our student representative at University of Haifa, Alex, who helped whenever she could, and got me extra time to hand in my homework when needed. I also received a scholarship from the ‘Leading Future’ program, which was very meaningful as it provided me with an academic advisor and a brand-new computer. We meet every other Friday, and it helped me a lot going through this intense year. There, I was able to meet new friends while focusing on myself and my feelings, which was a valued resource throughout this year.

“But, ultimately, while at the University, it felt like most people acted like we are no longer at war, while I lived the war daily.

“My boyfriend was my rock. He helped me and is continuing to do so, which enables me to focus on school as much as possible. For instance, I can’t remember the last time I washed the dishes.

“But, at the end of the day, I was able to get through this year due to willpower. For example, the Council for Higher Education gave reservists the option to lower the number of credits they needed to take this year. I didn’t want that. I came here to learn and I’m eager to do so.

“I also made many sacrifices to do so. I missed out on a lot of social gatherings because I needed to study. I’ve barely seen my mother and friends who all live in the center of Israel.”

Q: If war breaks out in the North, have you thought about what you will do?

A: “I don’t know the answer to that yet. I know I’d want to help. But I also know I can be needed if there isn’t a war. People get injured or die in IDF service often, so I know I can be called up at any time. Right now, I’m focusing on finishing this year properly.

“I can’t really think about another war at the moment. I have blisters on my hands from constantly typing away at the computer, so I don’t know if I can physically juggle the reserves and school again.”

What are your plans for the future?

Q: “Currently I’m mostly interested in labor law and contracts, so maybe I’ll go that way. But before I started law school, I was a market research analyst and I liked doing that, so maybe I’ll find a way to apply my law degree to that field. Right now, though, I’m relishing my studies and I’m really enjoying it.

“I love what I’m learning. I really hope I don’t have to miss any more school next year and that I can dive into my studies fully like I always planned to do.”