The largest snowstorm in Jerusalem in 50 years blanketed the
city with a foot of snow and shut it down for two days. While
children and their parents enjoyed an unexpected vacation,
Ezer Mizion and Yad Sarah staff and volunteers worked round
the clock to help the sick, the handicapped and the elderly --
and to make weddings happen on schedule.
Ambulances worked nonstop last Tuesday and Wednesday,
shuttling people to and from hospitals, delivering food and
other necessities to the homebound, and providing a host of
services to people in need.
"The phones did not stop ringing the past few days," says
Meirav, coordinator of Ezer Mizion's volunteer drivers.
"There were people who needed injections urgently, but could
not get to medical clinics. We arranged for nurses in their
neighborhoods to walk to their houses to give the
injections.
"Some people were stuck without heat. Others needed
groceries. There were those who called to ask us to clear the
snow in front of their houses. So our volunteers delivered
heaters, shopped for groceries, and shoveled snow."
A middle-aged woman suffering from cancer contacted Ezer
Mizion and asked for food. She was in an isolation unit at a
convalescent home in Rechavia, and neither her daughter nor
her regular caregiver could bring her the soft food she
needed. This woman was one of the hundreds of people who
received Ezer Mizion meals for a few days.
On Tuesday, Ezer Mizion got a call from the head of the
maternity department of one of Jerusalem's largest hospitals.
"We are turning away patients coming to give birth," he said.
"Can you please help us take mothers and babies home to make
place for the new patients?"
In addition to shuttling people to and from hospitals, Ezer
Mizion ambulances provided another important service. They
brought brides, grooms and their families to wedding halls,
allowing them to celebrate their special day properly. An
ambulance also brought an elderly man in a wheelchair to his
grandson's bris. The man had come from the United
States to act as sandek at the bris, but had no way of
getting there.
"We gave priority to the sick and handicapped," says Rivi
Kossover, assistant director of Ezer Mizion's Jerusalem
branch. "Oncology and dialysis patients were the top of the
list for transportation. For these people, postponing
treatment could be life-threatening. We also tried to
accommodate women in the process of fertility treatments. If
these difficult and expensive treatments are interrupted,
their success is jeopardized."
"I want to thank our staff and volunteers for their heroic
performance over the past few days," says Rabbi Avigdor
Quinn, Jerusalem branch director. "Their dedication ensured
that the snowstorm did not become a threat to people's
lives."
Yad Sarah volunteers also manned 20 multipurpose vehicles
around the clock for three days. Altogether Yad Sarah
assisted more than 1,000 people.
Yad Sarah's emergency alarm center called up additional
volunteers to handle the flood of calls needing immediate
assistance. The alarm center alerted doctors and ambulances,
helped in the gathering of food and essential medical
supplies, as well as contacted the utility companies to
provide urgent services and repairs where needed.
All help was provided free of charge. All vehicles were
donated. For more details about Yad Sarah's efforts, contact
David Rothner, Yad Sarah's spokesman, at 972-02-644-4430 or
972-53-606-326.
Yad Sarah saves the Israeli economy $300 million a year and
many thousands of its citizens rivers of tears by lending out
medical equipment, driving the disabled people, providing
geriatric dentistry, advising about home care equipment,
supplying legal aid, maximizing the potential of special-
needs children, meals on wheels and much more. All these
services are free or at a nominal fee for everyone in need,
Jewish, Muslim, Christian or otherwise. Yad Sarah's 6,000
Jewish and Arab volunteers operate at 97 branches throughout
Israel. Yad Sarah's founder and chairman Rabbi Uri
Lupolianski was recently appointed acting mayor of
Jerusalem.
