Last week, Tal Sax was honored by the Open University of Israel for outstanding academic achievement, having completed a year of studies in psychology and life sciences with distinction — despite serving over 300 days in active military reserve duty since the war began.
Having returned to Israel in October 2023 aboard an emergency flight, he had only a brief moment to reunite with his family, survivors of the massacre in Netiv Ha’asara, before reporting to duty at the IDF’s elite Maglan unit.
Tal described his journey from the battlefield to academia during the award ceremony: “… on a rare break from combat, I remembered that I was also enrolled as an Open University student. I reached out to the university, clueless about how to continue. Their team walked me through everything, step by step, and suddenly, finishing the school year felt possible.” Returning to academia”, he said “was a tougher battle than those in South Lebanon and Khan Younis and, without the university’s unwavering support, completing my degree — let alone excelling academically — would have been impossible”.
At the ceremony, Tal dedicated the award to his fallen comrade, Omer Gavra, who gave his life defending the Gaza Envelope communities on October 7. “I miss you, my brother. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of you.”
