Getting to the heart of the matter – opinion
A 36-year-old married father of two, Mohammed (not his real name) is a baker who traverses every day from his home in a Palestinian village near Abu Dis to a nearby settlement. He takes pride in preparing pastries with delicate, flaky dough that commuters enjoy when they stop for gas at the fill-up station connected to his bakery. Mild-mannered with a soft-spoken voice, Mohammed is part of a group of Palestinian friends who meet each month over coffee (and burekas) under the auspices of the Interfaith Encounter Association, with a group of Israelis from Ma’aleh Adumim.
I’m one of them. We talk about holidays, marriage customs, prayers and family, with a focus on what binds us, rather than what divides us. It turns out, there’s a lot that binds us. Also, health issues.
A year or so ago, Mohammed began experiencing fatigue and chest pains and went to his local doctor, who sent him to a hospital in Ramallah for a battery of tests, including an EKG. The diagnosis was an irregular heartbeat that required an operation. However, along with those issues that can unite Israelis and Palestinians, there are clearly differences. The operation that his Palestinian health service was suggesting would cost Mohammed in the ballpark of NIS 60,000. Regardless of how good his burekas are, that’s not the kind of money the average Palestinian has at his fingertips. So Mohammed refrained from undergoing the operation and over the months, began to suffer more from tiredness and lethargy.
At our last meeting, an idea came to me. I mentioned it to Mohammed and told him not to get his hopes up: without any illusions that I would even get an answer, I asked Judy Siegel, the veteran health reporter for The Jerusalem Post for some of her health contacts.
I then reached out to Prof. Offer Amir, Director of the Heart Institute at Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Centre. I explained Mohammed’s situation and asked if there was any mechanism in place that could help him, despite him not being an Israeli citizen or member of an Israeli health fund. To my amazement, I received an answer from Amir within 24 hours. He wrote: ”I went over the notes and in my opinion he needs one more test done. I spoke with Prof. Luria, the director of the unit and I sent a request to the management of Hadassah as well as the company that provides the necessary equipment to see if they’ll waive the costs accrued.”
In less than a week, Amir sent another message: “It hasn’t been easy but there’s a chance that this will work out. Send me Mohammed’s phone number.” The following Sunday morning, Mohammed arrived at Hadassah and with the help of Amir’s staff, went through all the bureaucratic hoops that we’re all used to. The test performed later confirmed the initial diagnosis that he needed an operation. Without hesitation, he was admitted at Hadassah and had the operation the following morning. Amir sent a message later that day: “A very complex excision (over four hours) but a very successful one, done beautifully by Prof. Luria.”
I didn’t choose to publicise the story of Mohammed to toot my own horn, or to boast about how altruistic the medical staff at Hadassah is, but to raise the issue of how our actions (and inactions) can lead to surprising results. I sometimes have ambivalent feelings about our interfaith group, wondering if it does an iota of good. What does it matter if we can sit around, break bread, enjoy each other’s company and learn about each other’s culture, when the struggle outside is still real and not going away?
When I stopped by the bakery last week, Mohammed was energetic and beaming. He was feeling good, still recovering from the operation, but effusive and grateful in the realisation of the good fortune bestowed upon him. He offered me a couple burekas on the house, which I politely declined. “Too much cholesterol. I have to look out for this,” I said, patting my chest.
We both had a good laugh, parted with a hug, and went about our days – two neighbours who never would have known each other if not for a decision by each of us to join a group aiming to foster dialogue and familiarity. One of the thousands of decisions we make every week, most inconsequential, but in this case, life-changing. We are separated by just about everything in the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, but are now bonded by something greater than just about anything – an appreciation of life and the connections that get to the heart of the matter.
Editor’s Notes:
An excerpt from an opinion piece By DAVID BRINN Published in the Jerusalem Post, MARCH 17, 2023. Read the full story here
Hadassah UK supports Hadassah Hospital’s mission of peaceful coexistence, dedication to saving lives today, and finding medical solutions for tomorrow.
