Jerusalem—In the wake of Operation Protective Edge, Israel’s fastest emergency rapid-response organization has expanded its outreach to elderly Holocaust survivors, many of whom are shut-ins, living under rocket fire in Southern Israel. As part of United Hatzalah’s Ten Kavod program, trained EMT volunteers give close medical attention and provide weekly monitoring visits to this population.
“For many of these survivors, the recent sirens and explosions brought back old fears and flashbacks to their experiences 70 years prior, reigniting their trauma,” said United Hatzalah Founder and President Eli Beer. “Our visits are designed to identify and monitor deteriorating medical conditions to ensure that prompt and effective treatment can be implemented before irreversible or fatal damage occurs.”
The expansion of the lifesaving program was aided by a recent grant from the Conference on Material Claims Against Germany. The Claims Conference grant enabled United Hatzalah to buy additional monitoring and treatment equipment.
“We are talking about people who aren’t only fragile because of their age, but those who cannot forget what happened to them in the war. For them, every siren brings back dreadful memories of fear, pain and grief. “Ultimately through our Ten Kavod program, we want to reach out to all elderly people who are suffering from the current situation, to ensure that the added stresses don’t cause preventable tragedies,” he added.
For more information visit www.IsraelRescue.org.
