Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Christian, Druze, Bedouin, Circassian and more medical staff at hospitals across Israel have come together to call for peaceful coexistence and cooperation during trying times. Staff at Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer, Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya, and Emek Medical Center in Afula took part in initiatives to promote medical solidarity.
Given the dedication and commitment of medical people everywhere, I have no do doubt that in Palestine’s Gaza Strip and West Bank they hope for solidarity with these ideals too.
Staff at Nahariya’s Galilee Medical Center, which is home to Jewish, Arab, Muslim, Christian and Druze staff, put their thoughts into a video clip calling for unity, set to the song, “Ein li Eretz Aheret,” (I have no other country).
The medical center is the largest hospital, and the largest employer, in the Galilee region of northern Israel. It is run by Prof. Masad Barhoum, who was the first Arab doctor to be selected director of a government hospital in Israel.
“We hope our video will help promote a message of peaceful coexistence, tolerance, and brotherhood among all and that calm will return as soon as possible,”
video: https://www.facebook.com/GalileeMedicalCenterNahariya/videos/531649728246850/ (sorry, am not in fb & don’t know how to display/embed their videos here. I think/hope it includes english.) #coexistence #tolerance #fellowship
Israeli pop star Miri Mesika came to express her solidarity with Sheba’s staff efforts, as did … presidential candidate Miriam Peretz, who lost two sons during their service in the Israel Defense Forces.
“You see things that hurt you, I see things that hurt me. Restraint. Restraint and self-control are what’s needed at this time,״ Peretz [said].
Rambam Director General Dr. Michael Halbertal wrote that it is
a hospital where members of all sects and religions work side by side to achieve one single goal – helping our patients heal, and making their stay as easy as possible.
“I strive, hope, and believe that Rambam, as a family consisting of many different individuals, will remain a bastion of sanity inside this complex reality around us, just as we have proven to be during all the difficult challenges we’ve faced together in recent years. We built a special home here, which we maintain as a harmonious and inclusive place...”
At Emek Medical Center in Afula, the staff of Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Bedouin and Circassian doctors and nurses also sent out a group photo. The director said
“What you see is the Emek answer to blind hatred and what you can’t hear is their singing… It’s loud and it’s joyous, accentuated with pain and trepidation, and with every Middle Eastern accent you can think of. If we don’t focus on these little flickering sparks of people doing something right, then we risk being swept away...”
Related:Pain and hope fill hearts of Israeli coexistence activists - speaking of why they are not going to give up. Exerpt of one:
Silvia Margia, codirector of Together Beyond Words, created in 2003 by Arab and Jewish women to reduce prejudice and promote peace through movement, body work, deep listening and a bilingual playback theater:
...As a Palestinian Arab raised in a Jewish society, and now back in my Palestinian Arab society, I know that sometimes we hold in dark thoughts and emotions. Yesterday I saw on the news some young [Arab] men from Lod telling reporters that they want Hamas to bomb Lod. What makes people say such a thing? Something in the balance of power is being confused with violence…
...Corona brought something new to our region, exposing the way Arabs and Jews coexist in hospitals. Arabs began having more of a role in government. Suddenly it’s all collapsing….
...We put so much importance on heroism, but I feel that true heroism is the courage to feel….
...Most of the time when something like this happens, each side only thinks of its own pain. People are changing their status on Facebook – “I’m standing with Israel” or “I’m standing with Gaza.”
Personally, I am standing for humanity...
Note: The above are from a few days ago. I was not able to find updates. I hope all the brave, compassionate, open-minded people using their lives to make a difference for the better for one another will find their strength returned to them a hundredfold.