2024-03 Israel

Israel 49,

May 8, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

This is my last day in Israel as I fly out late this evening to New York for a stop over and then on to Montreal. Am I sorry to leave Israel? Yes. Am I happy to be returning to Montreal? Yes. A dichotomy, yes. Will I return in the near future? Yes, in 6 months, in 1 year? I don’t know. Will I volunteer again with Sar-El and the IDF or will I try to exchange my temporary licence for a permanent licence that will permit me to practice in a hospital? Even though everyone speaks English here, I will study Hebrew this year allowing me to communicate with my Israeli friends in their language.

I spent 2 days with MDA on the ambulance as usual and had a great experience with 2 different teams. I have never met a more dedicated group as the MDA Para-Medics. I was able to speak with Moshe and Vickie who were instrumental in obtaining my place in MDA. Most of the cases were quite routine except for 2 that stand out and are worth a mention. We were called to the beach in Bat Yam where some one had hurt himself while swimming. It was chilly in the morning and I was wearing a sweat shirt. The sea was rough with a lot of breakers and the water had not yet warmed up. An 82 year old man, while swimming with his buddies of the same age, was washed up onto the rocks, banging himself up and receiving several cuts. We took a history, bandaged him up as best as we could and transported him to a hospital. What impressed me the most was that this group of 80 year old men had risked going out early in the morning, in unfriendly conditions for their morning dip. It seems that they do this every morning rain or shine.

The second case involved a 28 year old female with end stage cancer. She was cachectic, unconscious, lying on the floor of her mother’s house with 1 of her brothers present. As she had not signed a ‘do not resuscitate form’ and as per her family’s wishes we were obligated to perform CPR for 20 minutes before calling a physician with a full Israeli licence to get permission to stop. I only have a temporary licence that does not allow me to pronounce someone as dead. In Canada, the resuscitation orders seem to be more clear. Afterwards, I discussed the ‘end of life’ possibilities in Israel. It does not appear that this is routine in Israel. ‘End of life’ decisions can be made by the patient after going through a committee and has been possible for about 5 years in Canada. 13,500 patients chose this way of terminating themselves in Canada this year.

2 evenings ago, I took the train to Jerusalem and stayed the night at a downtown hotel. I was advised not to stay in the old city. Jerusalem is rather cold in the evening but this did not stop many people from eating outside with over head heaters. Yesterday, I went to Vad Vashem, the holocaust museum, for the first time. The architecture by Safdie is wonderful while at the same time sober and respectful. I planned to visit for 2 hours but in the end I stayed for 6 hours. I could have stayed much longer and spent more time visiting the grounds but I had to get back to Tel Aviv.

Visiting the museum is of course a very moving experience. My grandparents and great grandparents came from Russia in 1903-1905 during the pogroms. My parents were both born in Canada and my father served in the Canadian Army. I have no direct relationship to the holocaust although I have met people who went through that era. My father liberated a Polish Camp in Germany but would not talk about it. I have never spoken directly to a holocaust surviver. Visiting the museum is a very sobering experience. It takes you through the rise of anti-semitism in Europe leading up to the holocaust. It then describes what took place in the various camps. There are exhibitions on the Warsaw Ghetto up risking and on the Jewish partisans who fought against Germany. 500.000 Jews fought in the Russian army. 550,000 fought in the American army. 17,000 Jews out of a Jewish population of 168,000 at that time, fought in the Canadian army. It also showed the efforts by different countries and individuals who risked their lives by hiding Jews. There is a wall with names of the Righteous Among Nations honouring those individuals. Schindler and Wallenberg are mentioned, to name two. There are many films and interviews with holocaust survivors which I viewed. I will return again on my next visit.

At 1 point a group of 20 soldiers entered a room where I was watching an interview with a survivor. I leaned over and told the soldier beside me that ‘I felt very proud to be sitting with a group of Israeli soldiers’. The man asked me where I was from. I told them that I was from Canada and had been in Israel for 8 weeks volunteering with the IDF and MDA. He thanked be profusely and shook my hand as did 2 other soldiers who had over heard the conversation.

2 days ago I was in Holon, on Holocaust Memorial Day. At 10:00 AM the sirens went off. I was in the waiting room of a hospital, having just delivered a patient, watching the TV ceremony. They showed many clips of politicians, and various areas in Israel. Israel stops for 2 minutes! Everything stops!! I saw movies of streets filled with cars stopped in the middle of the road with people standing at attention beside their cars. In Canada, on Nov 11, at 11:00, it is sad to say that many people go about their routine without even stopping for 1 minute. We have forgotten the sacrifices that the generation of our parents made 80 years ago.

We say, ‘Never Again’. We say ‘Forgive, but do not Forget’. There were Pro-Palestinian demonstrators, demonstrating in front of Auschwitz. They are clueless. These are the people that ‘don’t want to know’. Anti-semitism which lay dormant for 80 years is now on the rise all over the world. Why? I can’t answer that question.

This will probably be my last entry in my blog unless I choose to write an addendum at a later date.

Love,

Brian

Clinics and hospitals