Many of us know that Israeli hospitals are treating victims of Syrian civil war. But how many people actually meet them face to face?
On Sunday October 15, HonestReporting took a group of 40 supporters on an amazing HR Field Trip to Ziv Hospital in the north of Israel.
It was both illuminating and emotionally touching to talk directly (through Arabic translators) with Syrian patients, as well as the doctors and Arabic speaking social workers who help provide care. This is a highly unusual privilege: due to security concerns, visitors are almost never permitted to directly meet the Syrian patients themselves, much less to speak with them at length.
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After generations of enmity and incitement by their government, many Syrians are now developing a whole new understanding of Israel: as an open, accepting society, a neighbor, and even a potential friend. Syrian patients (as well as HonestReporting participants) saw Jewish and Arab doctors working side by side, to help human beings in need.
I hope I will be able to come back and see you again in a time of peace.
-Syrian patient from Ziv Hospital
We cannot share this patient’s name or photo because sadly, when she returns to Syria she will face danger for having been to Israel, and for the “crime” of engaging with Israelis on a human level. This is why meeting Syrian patients in person was so special, rare and historic.
But the hospital was just the beginning of our northern experience.
Our Druze-Israeli tour guide (and Druze cultural expert) Ihab Zaidan took us on a unique exploration of the Druze history in Israel: a special example of Jewish and Arab co-existence and deep loyalty to the state. The Druze people have been deeply affected by the Syrian civil war: their story is also the story of Israel and her neighbors.
We even experienced a special unplanned moment: on our visit to a memorial for fallen Druze IDF soldiers, we encountered a group of Druze high school students who were doing training exercises to prepare for their upcoming IDF enlistment. These are teenagers who have not yet begun their military service, but are so eager to serve their country that they have begun training in their spare time. This is an expression of tremendous commitment to Israel, above and beyond what is normally expected or required of any Israeli citizen. Many of Israel’s top combat soldiers did this sort of early training, but tourists rarely have an opportunity to see it first hand.
Finally, we treated our participants to a “behind-the-scenes” peek at how HonestReporting analyzes media bias, engages with journalists, gets corrections, and impacts ongoing coverage of Israel.
All with the help of HR supporters like you.
Sound exciting? Join us in Israel at our next HR Field Trip, or on our upcoming HR-Mission: April 16th – 23rd, 2018, in honor of Israel’s 70th Birthday.
For a peek at our last field trip under the Twitter hashtag: #hrfieldtrip click HERE, or enjoy this brief slideshow:
(Note: For their own protection, we have not included photos of Syrian patients, as explained above.)
