Joint Hindu- Jewish celebration held for respective festivals of lights
It was standing-room only for 425 Hindus and Jews who made a bit of history celebrating both Diwali and Chanukah at the Hindu-Jewish Festival of Lights at Temple Beth-El in Northbrook, IL on November 18. The event not only celebrated the two holidays, which occur at the same time of year and have similar themes but fostered a greater understanding between the two communities. It also highlighted the strong bonds, both ancient and modern, between Israel and India.
Sponsored by StandWithUs, The Global Hindu Heritage Foundation, Temple Beth El, VHPA, Shir Hadash, Sewa International, Pram Shakti Peeth of America Foundation, and TV Asia, the “Festival of Lights” included presentations by both the consulates of India and Israel, a Diwali and Chanukah lighting ceremony, inspiring remarks by Peggy Shapiro, StandWithUs Midwest Executive Director, and Prasad Yalamanchi, Chairman of the Hindu Heritage Foundation, and uproarious comedy by Samson “Mahatma Moses” Koletkar, the world’s only Indian Jewish standup comedian. After a feast of delicious traditional Chanukah and Diwali food, the audience participated in dance Indian Garba and Israeli dance. In fact, the Israeli dance was created in honor of Israel’s 70th anniversary of independence.
The audience, both Hindu and Jewish, were thrilled with the opportunity to meet and learn from one another. Peggy Shapiro, Midwest Executive Director of StandWithUs, an international Israel education organization, sees the event as a celebration of two peoples, both of whom honor ancient ties, and cherish common values. “Both festivals signify the emergence of light over darkness, good over evil, and knowledge over ignorance. Hindus and Jews are celebrating together, not only because their two festivals occur at the same time on the calendar, but also because they want to shed some light together on the value of tolerance, understanding and respect for other religions.
Dr. Souptik Mukherjee, one of the event committee members, drove in from Ohio to attend. He is enthusiastic about the possibilities this event creates. “Groups from around the country have asked to have similar events. I see this event as the beginning of a movement that can make the world a better and safer place.” — From StandWithUs
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Israeli doctor leads course for Ethiopian doctors on pediatric orthopedic deformities
Dozens of doctors from Ethiopia and neighboring countries recently participated in a practical course, the first of its kind, which trained them to fix pediatric orthopedic deformities. The course, held for the first time ever in Africa, was led by Professor Mark Eidelman, director of the Pediatric Orthopedics Unit at Rambam’s Ruth Rappaport Children’s Hospital.
Fifty doctors participated in this unique four-day course. Some of the doctors had already completed their internships, while others were still interns. They attended lectures about different treatment types, attended practical workshops and participated in surgeries. The Black Lion Hospital in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia hosted the course, which was sponsored by CURE International – a non-profit organization that assists children in third-world countries suffering from medical issues, in cooperation with POSNA, the Pediatric Orthopedics Society of North America.
The Ethiopian hospital’s pediatric orthopedic services are directed by two doctors from England. They had relocated to Ethiopia several years ago and dedicated their time to improving treatment conditions for the local population. The two doctors created the course in order to give treatment tools to local medical teams dealing with one of the most common problems in the country. “Against the backdrop of genetic diseases and problems, and especially since there is a great lack of knowledge, infrastructure, and treatment capabilities with regard to pediatric orthopedic deformities. There are many people in Ethiopia with problems that are taken care of in other countries at much earlier stages,” explains Professor Eidelman. “In Israel, like in many other western countries, they know how to diagnose problems on time and treat them in a timely manner. This helps these patients to enjoy a higher quality of life and prevent their conditions from deteriorating. Now, for dozens of local doctors, there are tools and knowledge to help their patients.”
Joining Professor Eidelman on this important mission were two doctors from the United States – one who was Professor Eidelman’s teacher, Professor John Herzenberg, a senior doctor in the field from Baltimore, and Professor Christof Radler, who is also renowned in his field.
According to Professor Eidelman, the main problem in training African doctors is the difficulty of traveling to the United States to receive training there. “The institutions in Baltimore are considered the best in the field in terms of training and teaching, and the city hosts the leading conferences and courses. Unfortunately, most of these doctors don’t manage to secure entry visas for the U.S., and as such, are denied access to this information. This is the reason why we decided to bring the training to them. At the end of a successful course, we decided to continue with this initiative, and in the near future, I’m supposed to return to Ethiopia in order to train additional doctors.”
“Professor Eidelman from Rambam and his distinguished colleagues from the United States exemplify the highest humanitarian values of global citizenship. Bringing this much-needed training to Ethiopia will in turn offer the promise of a better life to generations of Ethiopian children. Especially at this season of sharing, is there any greater gift than the hope of a brighter tomorrow,” said Rick Hirschhaut, National Executive Director of American Friends of Rambam Medical Center. — Preceding provided by the Rambam Medical Center
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New dental training program developed for people with intellectual disabilities
The new Dental Sterilization Officer Training Program launched by Tel Aviv University’s Goldschleger School of Dental Medicine and the AKIM National Organization for People with Intellectual Disabilities and Their Families welcomed its first four students last month.
The goal of the year-long program is to make a meaningful, lasting impact on the lives of people with intellectual disabilities in Israel. It was established through generous support of Dr. Rada Sumareva, Vice President of AKIM USA and a member of TAU’s Board of Governors and American Friends of Tel Aviv University’s Board of Directors, and her son, Robert Ukrainsky, a 10th grader at Avenues: The World School in New York City. Robert is a founding member and chair of the Young Friends of Akim group. He was joined by his peers, and together they started a campaign to benefit people with intellectual disabilities in Israel through the “Give a Mitzvah, Do a Mitzvah” program of the UJA-Federation of New York during his bar mitzvah year.
“AKIM is designed to enable people with intellectual disabilities to learn a trade that will later help them to find meaningful work,” says Shani Yeshurun, International Relations Director of AKIM Israel. “We have three hopes: (1) that the first four students — two men, two women — will graduate and be employed by the Dental School Clinic; (2) that the program will reinforce the students’ self-esteem and belonging; and (3) that the program will bring about a change in attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities, in accordance with AKIM’s mission of inclusion.
“The Dental Sterilization program is open to all adults aged 21 and older with minor intellectual disabilities, who graduated from the state’s special education system and who are motivated to specialize in the field of dentistry,” Yeshurun adds.
“As a dentist, I know how dedicated you have to be to aspire to work in the dental field,” said Dr. Sumareva. “My son and I were blown away by AKIM students when we were first introduced to the program. I’m thrilled that we’re able to bring them to Tel Aviv University to complete their education.”
Graduates of the program are trained to become sterilization technicians, who are responsible for performing decontamination, cleaning, assembling, packaging, sterilization, storage, and distribution of re-usable dental surgical instruments and equipment. — From Tel Aviv University
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Preceding items culled from news releases. Send yours to editor@sdjewishworld.com