Ben-Gurion University celebrates Ben-Gurion Day with an AI-driven tribute to Israel’s first prime minister, showcasing his enduring vision and impact on the university and beyond.
For the fourth annual Ben-Gurion Day in the USA, Americans for Ben-Gurion University (A4BGU) has launched an innovative project called David Ben-Gurion Speaks. This three-part AI-powered video series brings the voice of Israel’s founding prime minister to life, using archival images and authentic recordings enhanced through advanced generative AI.
The project invites viewers to connect Ben-Gurion’s enduring vision with the university that bears his name—Ben-Gurion University of the Negev—and with his belief that knowledge and creativity could transform a desert into a thriving center of innovation.
In Israel, Ben-Gurion Day has long been a national day of commemoration, observed on November 19. This year, A4BGU’s Ben-Gurion Day in the USA uses creative avenues to raise awareness about the global impact of Ben-Gurion University, partnering with the Ben-Gurion Heritage Institute.
"Only with the compass of vision in our hands will we find our way in the stormy waves of our conflicted time," Ben-Gurion said in 1949. This year, Ben-Gurion Day in the USA again provides communities across the country with resources to draw inspiration from his ideals.
On November 19, A4BGU will host a national webinar featuring Prof. Arieh Saposnik, associate professor at the Ben-Gurion Institute for the Study of Israel and Zionism at BGU. The program will explore Ben-Gurion’s influence on Israeli identity and leadership and include a virtual tour of the Ben-Gurion Archives, offering participants an intimate look at the writings and images that shaped his legacy.
Across the country, schools, synagogues, and community centers are participating in Ben-Gurion Day in the USA through downloadable engagement activities. Resources include a Ben-Gurion Alphabet Coloring Book, Spot It! card game, Matching Memory Game, a timeline poster tracing his path from activism to statehood, and talking points for sharing his story. Community partners can also request a Ben-Gurion Day in the USA engagement box with t-shirts, stickers, and Hebrew-letter coloring activities designed to spark conversation and intergenerational connection.
