The Children's Cardiac Ward Near Tel Aviv Where None Of The Children Are Jewish (Correction)

Another one of those Zionist plots--but without the stolen organs or the Matzahs made with blood.

The Zionist plot you never hear about: Saving Arab children

There is a cardiac ward in a hospital in Tel Aviv where children lie on cots as doctors and nurses check charts and adjust advanced medical equipment. It is busy here. Some of the children sit up on stretchers in the halls, watching, playing with toys or taking spoonfuls of cereal from their parents.

These children are not Jewish. Indeed, none hold Israeli citizenship. Many come from China, Russia, Hungary, Yemen and other nations far from Israel. On closer inspection, you will discover that half of the children being treated here are Palestinians from the West Bank. All of these kids are receiving some of the best medical care available in the world, to heal their broken hearts.


The Save A Child's Heart program was started by Dr. Fred Amir [see note below], born in Brooklyn. He moved to Israel in 1992 to work at the Wolfson Medical Center in Holon. Three years later, he was asked to operate on two Ethiopian children suffering from heart disease. With that, the Save a Child's Heart foundation was born. Since then, the hospital has saved the lives of more than 1,100 children. It is privately funded, though indirectly subsidized by the Israeli government.

"Politics is outside this hospital," says a doctor on the ward. "When children come here, they all receive the same treatment. Of course, there are parents who are bringing their child from some countries and cultures where this would seem complicated, but when a child is sick, everything else is secondary. They do what they have to do."

Most do, anyway. The doctor recounts the tale of an Egyptian man who contacted the program's branch office in London. "We were excited because this would be our first child from Egypt, but it turned out that the father who made the inquiries thought we were a British organization." As soon as he found out it was an Israeli program, he reportedly told the consultant on the phone that he would rather that his child died than be treated by Israelis.

That seems to be an exception to the rule, though. While Egypt and Jordan still have yet to participate in the program, this hospital has treated children from Iraq and other parts of the Arab world.

One part of the ward is reserved for Palestinian children and their parents. Two Palestinian mothers covered up except for their faces in traditional garb dote over their babies who are in recovery. The situation here contrasts sharply with the image that both Palestinians and human rights activists outside Israel keep in mind. "We hope to leave them convinced, or at least confused," the doctor notes.

Correction: I don't know where the article got it's information from, but if you check out the Save A Child's Heart website, the driving force behind the program was Dr. Amram Cohen.

Save a Child's Heart (SACH) exists today because of the vision, passion and boundless energies of the late Dr. Amram (Ami) Cohen. An excellent surgeon, an inspiring leader, and a warm and caring person, Ami was the driving force that created SACH and turned it into an important contributor to children's health worldwide. Ami immigrated to Israel from the United States in 1992. He joined the staff of the Wolfson Medical Center and served as the Deputy Chief of Cardiovascular Surgery, and Head of Pediatric Cardiac Surgery.

Read the whole thing.

Technorati Tag: Save A Child's Heart and Amram Cohen.