Part 3: Wartime Solidarity Trip to Israel February 15, 2024, to February 22, 2024 Kathleen Rusnak and Claire Pace

Israel’s Sheba Hospital Tel Aviv (Ranked #9 in the world)

Treats Palestinian Patients especially Palestinian children

with specialized illnesses.

(Please note: This blog does not advocate violence or the destruction of any people or their homes. Besides the factual, verifiable historical information posted in this blog, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred.)

DAY 3 - February 20, 2024:

The day began with a bus tour of the Sheba Medical Center campus.  Over 25,000 individuals come to this campus daily. The hospital began as an American field hospital for US army soldiers.

Palestinian mother with baby.

We then went to Safras Children Hospital on the Sheba campus. We met a Palestinian mother whose son was saved from a genetic disease.  Her oldest son had a life-threatening illness and with the birth of a healthy second son bone marrow was collected from the healthy son to treat his ill brother.  The hospital admits children from Israel and the Palestinian territories.

We spent a couple hours making care packages for the children of displaced Israeli families.

Preparing care packages for displaced Israeli children.

At lunch time we met with Dr. Itai Pessach head of Safras Children’s and a social worker Wendy Chen. They shared their experiences in treating 32 hostages rescued from Hamas captivity. This included reuniting the hostages with their loved ones.

Dr. Itai Passach

Key Points

• The team prepared ahead of time for what the hostages might require when released. They practiced communication skills, using actors, and dealing with various possible scenarios.

• They discovered that many victims suffered from the Stockholm syndrome (a phenomenon where victims begin to see their captors as helpers).

• The emotional injury was a greater challenge for the hostages than physical injuries.

• One hostage had a fractured leg and a veterinarian did surgery in Gaza and put her leg upside down!!!

• Hostages will receive mental health care for the rest of their life

• The story was told of the three older women who were released One of the 80+ year old woman was taken to Gaza on a motorcycle. Once she arrived in Gaza she was greeted by cheers for Hamas. She had candy and other objects thrown at her and then she was taken underground into a tunnel. At the time of their discharge, they were asked what they wanted before returning to their families. They asked to see a hairdresser, and manicurist. They asked for this because they wanted to feel human again!

We then went to a Cognishine Demo: Israel is a start up nation and Israel is the leader in the development of technology to be used to treat trauma.

The demonstration showed how technology can enhance the rehabilitation of those injured.

Claire Pace, volunteer at Eran's Angels.

Key Points

• The war has forced all eligible reservists to leave their families to serve. Over 500 soldiers have died and many more are wounded. Additionally, the war has displaced all Israelis who live along the borders of Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria.

• Families along the Gaza and Lebanon borders had to leave everything and have been moved to hotels throughout the country.  

• These families and the families of deployed soldiers have needed help to function in their daily life. Eran’s ’s Mission collects clothing, housewares, toys, personal care items. The group has also done fundraising to buy needed items.

• The director of the program has a son who survived the Nova Music Festival massacre on 10/7.

• Our group shopped at a local pharmacy prior to going to the garage. We donated all the items we purchased. We then divided into small groups and were given a form listing a family who had called for help. We needed to gather the requested items and prepare them for delivery to the family.

• I was given a family if four: a Mom expecting a child and with two small children. Her husband was deployed. The items requested were bedding, toys, maternity clothes, and cleaning products.

We then traveled to the Port of Tel Aviv where we met with Inbal Arieli, a former Lt in the IDF's elite intelligence unit 8200. She is one of Israel’s top tech influencer. She  also is the author of the book “Chutzpah” outlining why Israel is so good at innovation.

Inbal Arieli, a former Lt in the IDF's elite intelligence unit 8200

We then met Dr. Jordanna Koppel a pediatric emergency room physician who was working on 10/7.

Dr. Jordanna Koppel

Dr. Koppel was born in the US and moved to Israel after she married. On 10/7 she treated children who suffered traumatic injuries as a result of the Hamas attack.  She was asked to meet President Biden when he visited Israel after the attack of October 7.

Key points

• She remembers getting the call to report for duty due to a mass casualty event.

• She treated soldiers, civilians but mostly children.

• Dr. Koppel stated that she treated and triaged patients for hours on October 7. She was told horrendous stories about babies burned in their mothers’ arms, teens  under their dead friends for hours afraid to move, and victims with stories from  which they will never recover.

• In the course of her usual work, she cares for patients from the West Bank, Arab Jews, Gaza, Israeli Jews. Sheba Hospital does not discriminate against anyone.

Please stay tuned for more on our Wartime Solidarity trip to Israel. For more on the purpose of this blog please see: PURPOSE STATEMENT (click here)