Ofeq Barbibi, 27, from Herzliya, was among more than 600 graduates of Bar-Ilan University’s Faculty of Exact Sciences who received their diplomas on Wednesday night. A computer science and artificial intelligence graduate, he was chosen to speak on behalf of the class at the ceremony, where he described how his academic success followed a difficult personal journey that began at the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023.
Barbibi said he was at the festival near Kibbutz Re'im with a large group of friends when gunfire started. He and others ran toward the south until they reached the Patish area, where they hid until the father of one of the friends came to rescue them. He lost his close friend Eden Abdulayev at the attack. A former Navy fighter and recognized victim of terror, Barbibi said he initially could not imagine returning to school. "I thought to myself, what does a degree have to do with what I went through? I wasn't sure I wanted to go back at all," he recalled.
Bar-Ilan contacted students affected by the war and assigned each one staff members for personal support. Barbibi said he was offered weekly private lessons to help him return gradually. "The return to studies was gradual, but the individual lessons helped me a lot, and gave me a softer landing into the semester," he said. He added that the academic workload also helped him cope, because it kept his mind busy.
While studying, Barbibi began working as a programmer, first at a startup and later at Check Point, where he now works full time. Despite the difficulties, he completed his degree with an average grade of 92 and with honors. He said, "I had to prove to myself that despite everything I went through, I did not give up on myself for a moment." Barbibi said this was the first time he spoke publicly about his Nova experience, and that doing so is part of his personal healing. In his graduation speech, he thanked his family, friends, and the computer science department, and said it is easy to give up when there is a good reason, but his past is part of his story, not what defines him.
