Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC)

Amir Yarchi speaks with Jeremy Fugleberg of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
February 3, 2017 | 0 Comments

Israel’s aid for injured Syrians featured in Cincinnati Enquirer

On Wednesday, we were fortunate to host our former Israel emissary, Amir Yarchi, who is now leading the effort to support an Israeli hospital that is delivering life-saving care to people injured in the Syrian conflict. He shared a presentation at the Mayerson JCC, and his visit and message were featured by the Cincinnati Enquirer in this February 2 article. At a time when we hear a lot of negative news, this story offers us inspiration and challenges us to think about how we can help others despite differences and boundaries. Here is an excerpt from his interview with the Enquirer:

While the U.S. bans Syrian refugees, this Israeli hospital has taken in 1,500 injured Syrians

By Jeremy Fugleberg| Published February 2 on cincinnati.com

“At some point, we just cannot sit and watch the news. There’s something you can do.”

People from Syria are not welcome in the United States right now, under President Donald Trump’s executive order. But Israel is welcoming some in – saving their lives, in fact.

Amir Yarchi can tell you about them, these Syrians who have been injured in the civil war that has laid waste to their country. Yarchi is CEO of Friends of Galilee Medical Center, a non-profit organization supporting the 722-bed hospital in the northwest corner of Israel near the border with Lebanon. The hospital has treated more than 1,500 Syrians who come across the border in the past 4 years, even though Israel and Syria technically remain at war with each other.

Yarchi visited Cincinnati on Wednesday, sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Israel Center of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati. He spoke with The Enquirer about the Syrians treated at his hospital. Below are excerpts of the conversation.
Question: What do Syrians think of being treated in Israel, an enemy nation?
Answer: At the beginning of the process, what happened was the people that we got were mostly unconscious. … Just imagine yourself waking up in a foreign place, people speaking a foreign language, you’re connected to all sorts of crazy stuff. I imagine they thought they were being tortured or tricked. Now, I’ve met parents that went for hundreds of miles with their children because someone in their respective community told them the only chance their kid would survive would be if they get them to Israel. So we know the word has come across and we see much less fear and concern. 

Read more at cincinnati.com.

 

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