An estimated $1 million was raised to benefit Ben-Gurion University of the Negev at a recent event in New York City.

Speaking to the crowd of 320 people in attendance, Daniel Chamovitz, the university’s president, spoke about the growth of the school in recent years with 20,000 students over four campuses—the newest one in Ashkelon.

At its primary location in the Negev, Ben-Gurion has been significantly impacted by Oct. 7 and the subsequent war, with many people affiliated with the university either displaced, called up to the Israel Defense Forces or having lost a loved one. Yet, the school—which fulfills the dreams of Israel’s first president and university namesake David Ben-Gurion’s vision of an Oxford in the Negev—is thriving and continuing to grow.

Its main campus, said Chamovitz, houses a major cybersecurity center, a research center on autism and a school of sustainability and climate change, which brings together diverse academic disciplines to battle one of the world’s major challenges.

Despite all its academic achievements, the university is not just about “higher education,” the university’s leader said. He noted that the school is committed to helping rebuild the south “not just by rebuilding houses, but by creating a cosmopolitan society that the youth will want to be a part of.”

Sponsored by American Friends for Ben-Gurion University, the New York benefit, titled “One Day,” was held in the Ziegfield Ballroom and featured a performance by singer Mattisyahu—yes, the event was named after his beloved song. The event also honored the group’s outgoing chair, Gary DeBode of Summit, New Jersey.

In a video message, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker said, “Gary, your years of service, your dedication to Ben-Gurion University, is extraordinary. You’ve made sure that Israel continues to produce innovators, people who expand human potential and possibility, and deepen their link with those institutions and people in the United States.”

He went on to wish DeBode a “yasher koach,” on a job well done.

Faygie Holt is the author of the bestselling Jewish children’s book series, “The Achdus Club,” for girls ages 8-11. The books, “The New Girl” and “Trouble Ahead,” are available at Jewish bookstores across the country and online at menuchapublishers.com. An award-winning journalist and editor, Faygie’s work appears regularly on chabad.org and in The Jewish Link, among other outlets. Learn more about the author, her books and her writing at faygielevy.com.