Mitzvah Corps Visits the Galilee Medical Center

By Sharon Mann, Liason in Galilee Medical Center’s Department of Foreign Affairs

It was a pleasure to welcome North American teens from NFTY in Israel’s Mitzvah Corps to Galilee Medical Center where I am a liaison in the Foreign Affairs Department, for a look at Israel through the lenses of diversity and coexistence as evidenced by our hospital community. Located six miles from the border with Lebanon, the medical center is the frontline of care for the State of Israel in the north and the largest meeting point in the region for Jewish, Muslim, Christian and Druze faiths. General Director Dr. Masad Barhoum, a Christian Arab and the first non-Jewish director of a government hospital in Israel, enveloped our essence in the motto Adam l’Adam Adam — A person is a person to another person. In other words, our vision is “People to People” medicine. This means that everyone who comes to our medical center — staff, patient or visitor — is regarded solely as a human being no matter who they are, where they are from, what their background is, or their religious or political affiliation. I explained to the NFTY teens that since March 2013, it doesn’t even matter if patients are from Syria, a country that considers Israel its enemy.

The teens were interested to hear about Israel’s approach to humanitarian aid and how our medical center has cared for thousands of Syrians in need of medical assistance as a result of the continuing violence in their country. Jewish tradition implores us to be concerned for others and, in accordance with a government decision, an ever-growing number of Syrian women, children and men (over 2,500 to date) have received medical care at Galilee Medical Center throughout all of our departments, mainly for lifesaving complex trauma and war injuries. At present there is no sign of this complicated humanitarian effort ending and we are also seeing more and more patients with chronic illnesses and complications, including many sick children, who are turning to us for medical care they are not able to receive in Syria.

The teens expressed appreciation for the care given with full and open hearts to Syrians in line with Judaism’s time honored tenet hachnasat orchim meaning to welcome guests and offer hospitality. In fact, our Syrian patients are solely referred to as “our guests” during their hospitalization. We hope that when they go home and tell their relatives and friends about the compassionate and professional treatment they received in Israel, their stories will be little stepping stones to a bridge of understanding between our countries.  

The teens also enjoyed meeting therapeutic medical clown Alain Koginsky, known as Prof. Koji Kojo, a wonderful ambassador for our medical center and the Dream Doctors Project. Alain demonstrated how joy and laughter lighten up the atmosphere and benefit patient care positively influencing the healing process. He also told them how medical clowns are integrated into our treatment teams and work hand in hand with staff during medical procedures to lessen patient anxiety, reduce discomfort and improve patient cooperation, particularly for children.

Richelle E. Goodrich got it right when she said, “If you’ve put a smile on someone’s face today, you’ve done more good than you know.” Our medical clowns certainly do a ton of good by bringing smiles to the faces of everyone they encounter. Alain conveyed the message that even small gestures – a smile or a brief conversation – can change someone’s day for the better in more ways than we can imagine. This is something we can all remember to use in our own lives.

I hope that the Mitzvah Corps visit enhanced their understanding of the different groups that make up Israeli society and, that they gained a unique perspective on how Israel is welcoming and caring for strangers in their time of need. Kudos to the teens for going off the beaten path during their Israel journey to see different ways Israelis are bettering lives and positively impacting our world.

Sharon Mann made aliyah in 1992 and lives in Nahariya, Israel. She is a liason in Galilee Medical Center’s Foreign Affairs Department and is a member of Kehillat Emet VeShalom, where she is on the Women of Reform Judaism Steering Committee.
Image by Roni Albert
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