United Hatzalah volunteer in Sderot responds to rocket bombs from Gaza
United Hatzalah volunteers, like many of the residents of Sderot and the other towns in the Gaza periphery, were up all Wednesday night due to a constant barrage of rocket fire from Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The rocket fire was meant to kill them, their children and their families. 15 people were injured and dozens more suffered from emotional or psychological shock and distress.
Two of the volunteers who served the communities in and around Gaza in their time of need last night wrote their thoughts on the events that transpired.
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Yaakov Bar Yochai in Sderot wrote:
It’s just after 7:30 p.m. and I am getting ready to go to a social event at the home of a good friend of mine from work. He lives in the nearby city of Netivot. That is when I hear the first siren wail. The red alert siren sounds and I don’t have time to make it to a protective shelter when a massive explosion erupts from somewhere behind me. It is very clear that the rocket fired from Gaza has hit something in the city and that it exploded very close to my house. I contact United Hatzalah’s National Dispatch and Command Center in Jerusalem and try to gather information about where exactly the rocket exploded. From what they tell me, the rocket exploded the next street down from my home.
I rush over on my ambucycle, and just seconds later I arrive at a scene of total chaos. I see a man bleeding from cuts that he sustained in his arm when pieces of shrapnel from the rocket struck him. When I finish treating him, I see that a number of people are suffering from emotional shock and I begin treating and stabilizing them. From there I am dispatched by the Command Center to another location in the next neighborhood where another rocket exploded after striking a direct hit in the courtyard of a house. I treat more people suffering from shock.
More sirens begin to sound, and I realize that it will likely be a very long night. I jump from location to location, wherever the rockets fall, treating the people who suffered physical and emotional injuries and comforting others who are suffering from stress reactions. I, together with my team of volunteers in the city, spend the entire night treating people. My friend heard what was happening in the city, and understood that I wouldn’t be coming. He tried calling but I was to busy to answer. I sent him a message letting him know that I was okay and that I will speak with him later in the week, but for now, there was work to do.
The night carries on. The rockets continue to fall. The Iron Dome intercepts some, but not nearly enough. Rockets fall, people get hurt, and I rush to the scene to help them. This was the pattern of my night, just like it was a few weeks ago, the last time Hamas decided to fire rockets at us for a day straight, and just like it has been, on and off for the past 12 years.
The clock turns over and suddenly it is 4:10 a.m. on Thursday morning. Where did the time go? I walk into my house in order to sleep for a bit before I have to get up to pray in the morning and then go to work. I don’t even make it to the bedroom, rather I collapse on my sofa.
But our enemies have different plans. Another siren sounds and another rocket falls. They don’t want us to sleep and they don’t want us to work. They want to eradicate us entirely. But I, together with my fellow first responders at United Hatzalah, will do everything we can to make sure that the people who live here are safe and receive the treatment they need when they need it.” — From United Hatzalah
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Jewish organizations express dismay over Gaza rocket attacks
Americans for Peace Now issued this statement: APN expresses concern and dismay in the wake of a major escalation between Israel and Hamas, involving the launching of over 180 rockets at Israeli communities near Gaza and the IDF responding with over 150 airstrikes inside Gaza.
We unequivocally condemn intentional attacks on Israeli civilians by Gaza-based Palestinian terrorists and support Israel’s right to defend itself in the face of such attacks. APN also calls on Israel to redouble its efforts to avoid harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip, and we strongly urge both sides to re-institute the ceasefire and make progress toward a long-term political agreement. — From Americans for Peace Now
Arthur Stark, Chairman and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations issued the following statement:We express solidarity with the people of the State of Israel who have been consistently terrorized by the rocket and mortar attacks, incendiary balloons, and border infiltrations carried out by members of Hamas and other terrorist groups in Gaza. Since May 2018, nearly 650 rockets have been fired from the Gaza Strip targeting Israeli population centers, and, in the last 24 hours alone, over 150 rockets have been launched, representing only the latest examples of violence in Hamas’s violations of international law, civic, and human rights.
The Jewish National Fund issued this commentary: “Jewish National Fund-USA strongly condemns these actions and stands with the people of Israel.”For more than five months Israel has been plagued by ongoing terrorism. We stand with the children who live in constant fear and suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. We stand with the thousands of families who regularly flee for cover to bomb shelters. We stand with the farmers and residents who have lost 10,000 acres of crops and forests to arson—an area the size of 10,000 football fields—which has decimated the region’s wildlife, ecosystems, and economy. …” — From Jewish National Fund
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Colombia recognizes State of Palestine
The American Jewish Committee said it is dismayed that Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, just prior to leaving office, recognized a Palestinian state despite his commitment during his tenure not to do so.
“This gratuitous gesture, which does not advance peace one iota, is simply stunning for a Colombian leader who expanded ties to Israel, and the U.S., and is a Nobel Peace Laureate,” said AJC CEO David Harris. “A Palestinian state can only be achieved through direct negotiations with Israel. That Santos chose to give the gift of recognition at a time when PA President Abbas has totally abandoned the peace process, the West Bank and Gaza are under different leaderships, and Hamas again is aggressively threatening Israel with violence, is deeply troubling, not to say inexplicable.”
Santos’s recognition of Palestine came in a letter delivered to the Palestinian representative in Bogota a few days before the August 7 inauguration of President Ivan Duque. “In the name of the government of Colombia, President Santos has decided to recognize Palestine as a free, independent and sovereign state,” said the letter.
The new Duque government has indicated that it will review the “implications” of the action by Santos.
AJC, the global Jewish advocacy organization, has long maintained close relations with Colombia, met with Santos in Bogota and New York, and looks forward to meeting with President Duque.
“Anything that can be done by President Duque to diminish, if not abrogate, this regrettable Santos action will be a welcome gesture, and send a message about Colombia’s commitment to a negotiated solution between the two parties,” Harris said. — From American Jewish Committee
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Avi Chai Foundation and Better Lesson partner in providing resources for Jewish day schools
Building on a successful three-year partnership to support teachers in North American Jewish day schools to build their capacity to bring blended and personalized learning strategies to their students, The AVI CHAI Foundation and BetterLesson are extending and expanding their work through the 2018-2019 school year.
The partnership began as a pilot program in 2015 when 43 teachers received personalized coaching from BetterLesson throughout the school year. It has since expanded exponentially to include hundreds of participants and partnerships with scores of individual schools. To date, BetterLesson has supported almost 400 educators across 77 Jewish day schools in the US and Canada. In the 2018-19 school year, approximately 300 teachers from 70 different schools will participate in the initiative and receive one-to-one coaching from experienced teachers via videoconference.
“BetterLesson meets the criteria for impactful professional learning; it is job-embedded, personalized and long-lasting,” says Rachel Mohl Abrahams, Senior Program Officer at AVI CHAI. “We have seen how teachers shift their practices while working with their coaches to reflect on what’s working and how to make continuous improvements. The number of teachers who have returned to be coached for a second year is a testament to the value of the program.”
The partnership is geared toward supporting teachers with a range of experience, providing coaching for beginning educators as well as those with more years in the classroom. Teachers receive their own personal professional development from BetterLesson’s master coaches, including strategies to help them solve important teaching challenges related to increasing student agency, creating opportunities for deeper student collaboration and communication, and fostering students’ creative thinking skills. – From Avi Chai Foundation
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