Weizmann cuts student admissions due to damage from Iranian missiles

The Weizmann Institute of Science announced that, as a result of the damage from Iranian missile attacks, the number of medical students admitted to its first-year classes this year has been cut by half.

According to the Hebrew-language website Yedioth Ahronoth, the institute had planned to admit 40 students, but now only 20 have been accepted.

The Weizmann Institute stated: “There is no doubt that security incidents have had an impact, requiring us to act with caution and responsibility to maintain our very high academic and research standards.”

Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the institute was directly targeted by Iranian missiles, which caused total damage to two buildings.

In total, 112 buildings within the Weizmann Institute—including 60 laboratory buildings, 52 residential buildings, 52 research labs, and six service labs—were damaged during the conflict, and approximately four to five operations of the institute were disrupted.

The Weizmann Institute estimates direct damage to buildings and equipment at 1.5 to 2 billion shekels, not including lost research work or the cost of operating rented laboratories.

Alon Chen, president of the Weizmann Institute, warned the Knesset in late June about a serious problem with the damage assessment mechanism at the Israeli Real Estate Administration, noting that evaluations were based on used value rather than purchase value.