My title is the title of a piece by Gershom Gorenberg at South Jerusalem. Dalal is a three-year-old Palestinian girl who lives on the West Bank. She has had brain damage since she was born; currently she cannot walk, only can use one hand, and can only say one word.
In October, she met with Dr. Eliezer Be’eri of Alyn Hospital. That session was held at a West Bank Hotel, since Dalal's parents could not get permits into Israel. Dr. Be'eri set up a full day of evaluation at Alyn Hospital. He believes that with treatment, Dalal will be able to develop to her potential. An orthopedic surgeon said that with surgery, she may be able to walk.
Dalal's parents, Osama and Sunya Rusrus, took the letter from Dr. Be'eri, which was marked URGENT, to apply for permits to take Dalal for the evaluation.
He was turned down. The appointment was postponed, and postponed again to this Monday, when her mother was able to cross into Jerusalem. The Israeli groups Physicians for Human Rights and B’Tselem put in immense efforts to solve the problem. Journalists called the office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) to ask why the permit was being withheld. So did a representative of the USAID office in Tel Aviv. Many people wanted to help one small girl.
After two postponements because her parents could not get permits to enter Israel, Dalal finally had her evaluation on Monday. The treatment will be expensive, and the Palestinian Authority does not pay for treatment in Israel and the family cannot afford to pay the $5,500 the initial hospitalization will cost.
Gorenberg's shul, Kellihat Yedidya, is acting as intermediary to receive donations.
Gershom has requested that people link to South Jerusalem for contribution information, as it may need to be updated.
They also must wait until Osama can get a permit, which he has not been able to get so far.
I know this comes at a time of year when we are all getting piles of requests for donations to worthy causes, and this isn't even tax deductible in the U.S. But the story struck me, and perhaps it will also strike you, as important.