StandWithUS Reports from Israel

StandWithUs Email ^ | 2/20/2003 | Mark K., Sylvia K, and Gary R

[yonif]

Many of you have contributed to the beautiful baskets that are being given to victims of terror in Israel as you read this. Here is a combined account written by three of our members, reporting from Israel. (Written by Mark K., Sylvia K, and Gary R)

We are thrilled and delighted to be in Israel at this time! Our schedule has been packed with meaningful and inspiring events and activities. We visited terror victims at the Tel Hashomer Hospital rehab center for three hours, who LOVED the gift baskets brought to them through StandWithUs. (details re. victim stories below) That capped a long day that began with a roundtable presentation that we gave to a group of fourteen Israeli high school students at the Ironi Daled High School who have been selected to visit LA after Pesach, after which we were given a briefing by the Medical Director on the preparedness for responding to possible chemical or other events at the trauma center at the Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv, then a visit to the amazing diamond exchange in Ramat Gan, and, following our visit to Tel Hashomer, our evening ended with a late dinner with an Israeli pilot who commands an F-16 squadron. And that was just yesterday! On Sunday, we went to Hadassah hospital on Mount Scopus to see victims of terror and again, hand out more baskets from Standwithus and the ITF.

. As you enter this hospital, the first thing that hits you is how many Arabs go there for treatment. I think there were more Arabs than Jews. This is the kind of story that >should be told-- how wonderful and humane Israel is and advanced in Medicine to threat these people in spite of the fact that the hospital is full of severely wounded people from suicide bombings. We met four victims, three men and one girl. The girl had been a victim of a bus bombing and had had shrapnel all over her legs, body and arms and a bullet in her head which has left her without hearing and the ability to speak as well as no use of her left arm. She is recovering but will never be the same and it was, of course, heartbreaking, but she and her mother were glad to see us and happy that people care enough to visit. Believe me it is so important that they know we care about them and think about them. One of the men who we saw is a true hero. He was an off duty policeman just back from a vacation in Elat waiting for his brother at a French Hill bus stop--a place where 50 or 60 people gather to take buses to various places. While waiting, he noticed a man acting strangely while, supposedly, talking on a cell phone. But, it was upside down. He called to him and realize he was a suicide bomber so he jumped on him and the guy exploded the bomb. He lost his legs plus other severe injuries. He saved maybe 50 people from being killed and more wounded. The story is amazing b ecause he put a tourniquet on his leg at his knee and held the rest of his leg in his arms until the ambulance came. He has been through many operations and probably will never walk again, but seems content and not for a moment regretting what he did. When you meet someone like this, it breaks your heart--and you will never complain again about a minor pain. The other two had similar stories of heroism saving others in bombings. You leave the hospital with the feeling that if we don't visit these people in Israel we are not really doing our part. We can demonstrate, advocate, etc., but, coming to Israel and visiting people is the most important thing we can do.

[Coop]

God bless the Israelis.