The following is an article I wrote for my Hadassah internship. Hopefully it will be published somewhere, maybe even in Rochester.
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Andrea Kovalsky, Jerusalem
March 27, 2012
Just 48 miles away from the fighting another battle rages in the Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem. But, all who are fighting in this battle share a common enemy, disease. Disease knows no religion, race, ethnicity or origin. Upon entering the medical battlefield of Hadassah Hospital, all political opinions and thoughts towards the Arab-Israeli conflict are left outside. Jewish and Arab doctors and nurses work together as dedicated partners and friends to provide the best health care for their patients from Israel and the territories.
Visiting the Children’s Oncology Unit I had the opportunity to meet some of the young patients. R is an 8 ½ year old boy from Gaza City who has undergone treatment in Hadassah Ein Kerem for the last 8 months. His grandfather, a retired car painter, has been there almost every night since R arrived. At this point the two appear to have celebrity status in the hospital.
Hadassah provides medical services to all who need. Their mission is to work as a humanitarian organization, to save and improve the lives of all who enter their hospitals. An important Jewish value is “Tikkun Olam” or repairing the world. Most people give lip service to this value, and it sounds cliché. At the hospital, “Tikkun Olam” is everywhere. The work being done at Hadassah by the Israeli and Palestinian doctors and nurses demonstrates the ultimate practice of “Tikkun Olam.” These professionals are setting an example to the residents of Jerusalem, Israel, its surrounding territories and to all of humanity.
March 27, 2012
In March 2012, Islamic Jihadists sent more than 220 Grad missiles and Qassam rockets into Southern Israel, striking from Be’ersheva to Gedera. As a result over one million Israelis were sent into shelters. Simultaneously, the IDF executed 30 airstrikes against rocket launching sites and other terror facilities within Gaza.
Just 48 miles away from the fighting another battle rages in the Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem. But, all who are fighting in this battle share a common enemy, disease. Disease knows no religion, race, ethnicity or origin. Upon entering the medical battlefield of Hadassah Hospital, all political opinions and thoughts towards the Arab-Israeli conflict are left outside. Jewish and Arab doctors and nurses work together as dedicated partners and friends to provide the best health care for their patients from Israel and the territories.
In 1909, Baltimore-born Henrietta Szold, the visionary and founder of Hadassah, visited Palestine and witnessed the starvation and disease that afflicted the people. Her trip inspired her to bring health care to all who lived in Jerusalem. Just as the disease trachoma did not distinguish Arab children from Jewish children as it spread among the population, Szold would not discriminate when providing medical care to the local population.
Living in Israel for the last two years has acclimated me to the tensions that exist in Jerusalem and throughout the country. I was given the opportunity to visit the Hadassah Hospital in the midst of latest round of fighting between Israel and Gaza. As I acquainted myself with the hospital I was astounded by the tremendous sense of community that existed. This was the first time I felt the political tensions of the country evaporate. The diverse staff and patients live at peace under the same roof, while an hour drive away the families of these individuals are at war with each other. Walking through the hallways and wards I saw chairs and beds filled with religious and secular Jews and Arabs from Israel and the territories. It was one of the first times I felt the tension of the Middle East conflict disappear as everyone united for a common goal, health.
Visiting the Children’s Oncology Unit I had the opportunity to meet some of the young patients. R is an 8 ½ year old boy from Gaza City who has undergone treatment in Hadassah Ein Kerem for the last 8 months. His grandfather, a retired car painter, has been there almost every night since R arrived. At this point the two appear to have celebrity status in the hospital.
Over a year ago R noticed a bump on the back of his neck that began to cause him great pain. He was having trouble swallowing and talking. The doctors in Gaza treated him with salve and herbs and had difficulty diagnosing him. He was given permission by the Gaza authorities to be transferred to the French Hospital in Jerusalem; there they were able to diagnose him. R had a malignant tumor growing on his spine penetrating his throat and eating away at his spinal cord. He was almost choking to death when the doctors decided to transfer him to Hadassah where he was rushed to the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit. R received chemotherapy and went through several procedures in order to treat the tumor. For months he wore different medical devices on his head to keep it straight and stable. R has also went through physical and occupational therapy throughout his stay.
During his rehabilitation R relearned to talk, walk and eat. Because he lives far from Hadassah, he is not able to go home in between treatments and spends each day in his room at Hadassah with his grandfather. He has been attending school sponsored by the hospital while receiving treatments. His school in Gaza calls to check in on him, and family and neighbors constantly stop by his home in Gaza City to hear how R is progressing. “No one judges us or thinks ill of us for coming to get treatment at Hadassah. Everyone in Gaza knows that Hadassah is terrific, it is a household name,” said R’s grandfather. “I am very comfortable here at Hadassah hospital.”
I met with R’s doctor, Dr. Michael Weintraub, the head of the Children’s Oncology Unit and he was cautiously optimistic about R's prognosis. Weintraub does his best to help each patient that comes into his department. “We keep politics out of the hospital, whoever needs care and makes it to Hadassah will be treated,” he explained. I met Hadassah doctors who have studied and lived all over the world, who are making a conscious decision to be a part of the internationally recognized Hadassah medical staff. One of them, a religious Jew, personally raises funds in France for his sick Palestinian patients.
I met with R’s doctor, Dr. Michael Weintraub, the head of the Children’s Oncology Unit and he was cautiously optimistic about R's prognosis. Weintraub does his best to help each patient that comes into his department. “We keep politics out of the hospital, whoever needs care and makes it to Hadassah will be treated,” he explained. I met Hadassah doctors who have studied and lived all over the world, who are making a conscious decision to be a part of the internationally recognized Hadassah medical staff. One of them, a religious Jew, personally raises funds in France for his sick Palestinian patients.
Hadassah provides medical services to all who need. Their mission is to work as a humanitarian organization, to save and improve the lives of all who enter their hospitals. An important Jewish value is “Tikkun Olam” or repairing the world. Most people give lip service to this value, and it sounds cliché. At the hospital, “Tikkun Olam” is everywhere. The work being done at Hadassah by the Israeli and Palestinian doctors and nurses demonstrates the ultimate practice of “Tikkun Olam.” These professionals are setting an example to the residents of Jerusalem, Israel, its surrounding territories and to all of humanity.
All over the world, Jews are busy getting ready for the holiday of Passover. In Hadassah Hospital, all the bread will be replaced with matzo. Passover celebrates our Jewish forefathers’ and foremothers’ emergence from slavery. As a slave, your time isn't your own. You can't be concerned with repairing the world. Freedom is coupled with responsibility to partner with God to create a better society. It is our job, as free people, to follow in the ways of the Hadassah community.
The Hadassah staff embodies how we should be treating our neighbors and working to create a better world for all to live in. As these individuals continue to heal the brothers and sisters of their enemies, the rest of the world has something to learn. We must begin to see the struggles of from a new perspective. We must unite ourselves in the fight against poverty, starvation and illness, just as the Hadassah staff has put their religious and political differences aside to unite in the fight for life.
The Hadassah staff embodies how we should be treating our neighbors and working to create a better world for all to live in. As these individuals continue to heal the brothers and sisters of their enemies, the rest of the world has something to learn. We must begin to see the struggles of from a new perspective. We must unite ourselves in the fight against poverty, starvation and illness, just as the Hadassah staff has put their religious and political differences aside to unite in the fight for life.
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