If a senior physician at a major U.S. medical center wants to go abroad or even just vacation, he or she must register at least a year in advance. But as Assistant Professor Betzalel Reich, a leading emergency medicine physician, watched on television and read reports about what was happening in Israel, his colleagues at their large hospital in Minnesota volunteered to cover for him for two weeks.
Reich organized a group of five doctors who filled out internet forms on the Health Ministry’s website to treat patients in hospitals here. His first group of five volunteers at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and the Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh) in Tzrifin.
Reich, who is now in Israel visiting his family in Efrat, told The Jerusalem Post in an interview that he was very moved when he told his colleagues that he was determined to go to Israel to help “within All my shifts were done in 10 minutes.” covered. They organized their plans in just 10 days. We took a charter flight to Israel that flew back the relatives of wounded or grieving Israelis who were rushing here. We bought one-way tickets because no one knows exactly how long they will stay.”
Most of his group, now numbering around 50 people, have ties to Israel, but they include both non-Jews and Jews. He expects his next group will volunteer at hospitals in the south and north. His group is working with a group of 300 US doctors who want to help here.
Although all the doctors they work with speak English, it’s a bit of a challenge for foreign doctors who don’t read or speak Hebrew to work smoothly because of different etiquette and computer records, but they get help. Born in New York City, Reich made aliyah with his family in 1989 and lived in Efrat, where he spent several years as a young adult. But then he moved to Minnesota to work at a leading hospital. In addition to emergency medicine, he is also interested in medical education and palliative care.
Asst. Prof. Betzalel Reich (Source: Asst. Prof. Betzalel Reich)
His wife is a nurse and they have young children aged two, four and six. Many of his family members work in medical professions.
A stark reality
While walking the streets of Tel Aviv this week, one of the many red alert sirens sounded. He happened to find shelter and climbed down many stairs. He ended up finding an auditorium where musician and actor Yermi Kaplan was performing on Facebook Live to raise money to help the wounded, bereaved and others. The Chicago-born, 61-year-old Kaplan came to Aliya with his family in 1969, performed in the Israeli English teaching program “Neighbors” and was the band’s drummer. So he felt something in common with the actor. Even after the all-clear, Reich remained in the underground bunker/auditorium for half an hour.
“The sirens are scary, but I have every confidence that Iron Dome will protect us,” he assured.
Some of the members of his group here and those soon to arrive have never been to Israel, so Reich decided they all needed to be prepared to prepare them for what was happening. “It’s amazing that doctors are willing to leave their families and jobs and come here at a moment’s notice.”
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