The Faculty of Arts, at Ain Shams University, represented by the Department of Hebrew Language and Literature, organized a symposium entitled "The October Epic", under the patronage of Prof. Mohamed Diaa Zain El-Abedeen, President of the University, Prof. Hanan Kamel Metwally, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Prof. Mohamed Ibrahim, Vice Dean of the Faculty for Education and Student Services Affairs, and under the supervision of Prof. Samia Gomaa, Head of the Department of Hebrew Language and Literature, and coordinated by Dr. Mohamed Aboud Hussein, Lecturer in the Department of Hebrew Language and Director of the Languages ​​and Translation Unit at the Faculty.

The symposium hosted Major General Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud, former Deputy Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service and Head of the Center for Strategic Studies and Development of National Values, and Prof. Mohamed Ahmed Saleh, Professor of Hebrew Language and Literature at Cairo University.

Prof. Hanan Kamel Metwally, Dean of the Faculty, opened the symposium with a speech in which she welcomed the attendees and guests, and emphasized the importance of the symposium, which addresses the glorious October War victory and the importance of immortalizing this victory, which amounts to a miracle achieved by the armed forces in solidarity with the Egyptian people.

Prof. Hanan Kamel refused to use the expression “October Victory Anniversary,” stressing that the October victory must remain present in the minds of our youth and not become a mere passing memory, especially in light of the great fluctuations and dangers that the region is witnessing.

Prof. Mohamed Ibrahim Hassan, Vice Dean for Education and Student Affairs, delivered a speech at the beginning of the symposium, in which he praised the efforts of the Hebrew Language and Literature Department and its well-known role in the cultural and national activities in the Faculty of Arts.

He stressed his constant keenness to participate in the cultural symposium of the Faculty of Arts on the glorious October victory, adding that despite the passage of about 51 years since the war, the October War continues to reveal new secrets every year that demonstrate the greatness of the Egyptian fighter and the genius of the Egyptian people who liberated their national soil to the last grain of this soil.

Prof. Samia Jumaa, Head of the Department of Hebrew Language and Literature, delivered a speech in which she stressed the importance of such cultural seminars that connect students of the Hebrew Language Department in particular and the Faculty of Arts in general to the issues of their homeland and contribute to raising their awareness and correcting their concepts regarding public debate. Dr. Samia Jumaa explained that Hebrew literature proves beyond doubt that the Egyptian army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Israelis in the October 1973 War.

Dr. Mohamed Aboud emphasized the national role of the faculty and the Hebrew Language Department in particular in achieving the victory of the October War, starting with the cooperation of the department’s professors and graduates with the armed forces in the stages of preparing for the war, then the victory, then the interrogation of Israeli prisoners, then the launch of the project to translate the documents of the October War by the late Prof. Ibrahim Al-Bahrawi, Professor of Modern and Contemporary Hebrew Literature in the department.

Major General Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud, former Deputy Director of the Egyptian General Intelligence Service and Head of the Center for Strategic Studies and Development of National Values, expressed his thanks, gratitude and appreciation to Prof. Hanan Kamel, Dean of the Faculty, and the Faculty’s Vice Deans, Prof. Samia Gomaa, Head of the Hebrew Language Department, Dr. Mohamed Aboud, Director of the Symposium, and to the spirit of Prof. Ibrahim Al-Bahrawy.

Major General Abdel Maqsoud stressed the great importance of the Hebrew literature studies offered by the department, and that his review of these studies confirms that what was achieved on October 6 was a great victory for the Egyptian army and a crushing defeat for the Israeli side.

Major General Abdel Maqsoud added that Egypt, which has reclaimed Sinai to the last inch, has not and will not give up any piece of Sinai land to anyone other than Egyptians.

Major General Abdel Maqsoud also explained that the October War documents, which were translated by a team from the Hebrew Language Translators Battalion under the supervision of the late Ibrahim Al-Bahrawi, proved the facts of the Egyptian victory on the tongues of the Israelis themselves.

Major General Abdel Maqsoud pointed out that after the war, Israel dismissed the political, military and intelligence leadership, which is conclusive evidence that they suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of the heroes of the Egyptian Armed Forces. Major General Abdel Maqsoud explained to the students some of the shadow battles between the Egyptian and Israeli intelligence services, in which the Egyptian intelligence services won a crushing victory, especially in implementing the strategic deception plan, recruiting and planting Egyptian agents inside Israel, and depriving the Mossad of the ability to penetrate the Egyptian interior.

Prof. Mohamed Saleh, Professor of Hebrew Studies at Cairo University and Director of the Center for Oriental Studies at Cairo University, gave an important speech in which he explained that the memory of the epic October War is a great memory that stirs up national feelings within every Egyptian, and that the Egyptian army was able in this war to regain control of Sinai and restore our dignity in only 6 hours.

Dr. Saleh explained the difficulty and magnitude of the achievement that was made by crossing the Suez Canal, melting the earthen barrier, and destroying the Bar Lev Line, and how all of this was accomplished in light of the military capabilities available to us at that time.

Dr. Saleh touched on aspects of the strategic deception plan implemented by the Israeli state institutions, through which they succeeded in deceiving the Israeli intelligence services and achieving the element of surprise in the October War. This surprise paralyzed the Israeli army and made it unable to confront the Egyptian army.

At the end of the meeting, Major General Mohamed Abdel Maqsoud, former Deputy Director of the General Intelligence Service, was keen to honor Prof. Hanan Kamel, Dean of the Faculty of Arts, and present her with the shield of the Center for Strategic Studies and Values ​​Development in appreciation of her effective national role, as well as honoring the spirit of Prof. Ibrahim Al-Bahrawy, and handing Al-Bahrawy's shield to Dr. Mohamed Abboud, Director of the Languages ​​and Translation Unit at the Faculty.

For her part, Prof. Hanan Kamel honored the two guests of the symposium, presented them with the faculty's shield, and extended her thanks to them for their role in raising the national spirit among the students who attended from various faculties of the university.