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experts were the first to arrive in announced a boycott of all assistance The State of Israel’s commitment
Romania to treat babies in critical from or through Israel, for any to being a force for progress and
condition after a horrible fire in a budgetary, humanitarian, or other brotherhood in the world is built on
Bucharest hospital; the first to arrive in need. It even rejected receipt of two this moral foundation.
the Congo after a massive fuel tanker planes-full of Coronavirus aid from the But again, you wouldn’t know any
explosion; among the first to send aid UAE because the planes delivering the of this from international media or
to Japan and to Kashmir after a series cargo landed at Ben-Gurion Airport. UN reports. Antisemitism, double
of earthquakes; the first to send (over Instead, PA spokesmen spread standards, distortive “woke” ideology,
150 tons of) aid to Indonesia, Sri Lanka, the canard that Israeli troops at cancel culture, crass politics, and
and the Philippines after a series of checkpoints purposefully infected
tsunamis; and much more. more, get in the way.
Palestinians with Corona and that
In fact, Israeli doctors have provided Israelis spit deathly Corona droplets Hippocratic Israel gets no credit. The
international relief and medical on Palestinian car door handles and hypocritical world knows only how to
training in Armenia, Azerbaijan, windshields, recalling the classic criticize and demonize Israel. What a
Brazil, Cambodia, China, Georgia, antisemitic trope about Jews poisoning shame. But at least Jews should know
Equatorial Guinea, Ivory Coast, the wells in Europe. Nevertheless, and appreciate Israel’s humanity. On
Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mauritania, Israel has tried to help the PA. And on Yom HaAtzmaut, let us appreciate the
Mongolia, Myanmar, Peru, Romania, the sly, the PA has allowed its doctors kevod shamayim and kiddush Hashem
Russia, Rwanda, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, to receive training at Israeli hospitals (the glorification of G-d’s name in the
Turkey, Uzbekistan and, of course, about best practices for treating world) that has been wrought by the
Ukraine – to name just a few countries. Corona patients. State of Israel.
Breakthrough Israeli technologies Israel’s medical humanitarian David M. Weinberg was a public affairs and
also play a humanitarian role. activities stem from an abiding development executive at the Sheba Medical
Sheba/Safra Children’s Hospital now concern for healing and compassion Center and Hadassah Medical Center. He is
offers remote home-monitoring of that is ingrained in Jewish tradition. a senior fellow at The Kohelet Forum and
pediatric cardiac patients in medically As the Rabbis taught (Yevamot 79a): Habithonistim: Israel’s Defense and Security
underserved communities such as Am Yisrael is marked by three qualities. Forum. His op-ed articles appear weekly in
Gaza, Iraq, Kurdistan, and Cyprus. They are merciful, altruistic, and The Jerusalem Post and Israel Hayom, and are
An Israeli company called Illumigyn humble – hopelessly so, I would add. archived at davidmweinberg.com
has distributed 20,000 gynescope
units across Africa – a first-of-its-kind
fully remote gynecological imaging
platform – to improve early diagnosis
and detection rates of cervical cancer.
Israel has actively assisted many
countries in confronting the
continuing COVID crisis, from
Argentina and Uruguay, to
Eswatini (Swaziland) and
India. An Israeli NGO sent
3,800 oxygen concentrators
to rural clinics, hospitals
and health centers in India
overwhelmed by Corona.
The Israeli government flew
tons of oxygen generators,
respirators, and medications
to India, too. Dozens of
countries have sent senior
health officials to study
Israel’s proficient handling
of the Coronavirus crisis.
And yes, during the first
months of the pandemic
Israel did everything in its
power and its purse to assist
the Palestinian Authority
in fighting coronavirus
too. But in mid-2020 the PA

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