NEWS AND VIEWS

Had Israel not responded to the Haiti catastrophe, no doubt it would have been roundly condemned for doing nothing.

And yet, Israel did respond magnificently, and the usual critics reacted predictably, not with well deserved praise, but rather with the accusation that Israel was exploiting the Haiti disaster to score Public Relations points. As the old Jewish expression goes: "Go know!"

I may have missed it but I do not recall reading of any rescue teams having been sent by Egypt, Syria, Iran or Saudi Arabia.

With all the criticism Israel receives, and even some of our own concerns about its policies, we should all take great pride in its immediate response to the Haiti earthquake. Israel's selfless efforts are a vivid expression of the highest Jewish values of Tikkun Olam (repairing the broken world) and Pikuach Nefesh (the urgency of saving life).

As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "Our decision to immediately dispatch a large delegation of doctors, nurses, medics, rescue forces as well as drugs and medical equipment to Haiti expresses the deep values which have characterized the Jewish people and the State of Israel throughout history."

At the World Economic Forum in Davos Switzerland, President Bill Clinton told President Shimon Peres, "I don't know what we would have done without the Israeli field hospital in Haiti." Israel's field hospital in Haiti was the only operational unit that could perform surgeries and advanced examinations. In a column in The Jewish Journal, Asaf Shariv, Israel's consul general in New York explained his country's fast action in helping Haiti: Israel, a nation of 7.5 million, immediately sent more than 220 people to Haiti, even though no Israeli citizens were missing or declared dead. The delegation consisted of Israel Defense Forces rescue units, Magen David Adom, Israel Police and a medical staff of more than 120. Most of the delegation are IDF reservists called up especially for the mission. Search-and-rescue teams combed the area looking for survivors while an Israeli field hospital was established in Port-au-Prince. The Israeli Home Front Command Field Hospital was able to handle 500 patients a day, and included an emergency room, two surgical rooms, X-ray equipment, a maternity ward, an incubation ward, a children's ward, a pharmacy and more. While the field hospital largely treats trauma patients, similar to those encountered in a war, specialists in various other fields also were sent. For years Israel has volunteered its experience in search-and-rescue operations around the world, from previous earthquake disasters in India and Turkey to recovering from recent terror attacks in Kenya. The Israeli hospital will be operating there for as long as it is needed, offering services beyond emergency care. It has social workers on the ground to deal with the trauma of the ordeal and the smallest victims of the quake's aftermath: Haiti's orphans. As a prosperous nation, Israel not only has the passion but also the means to better society as a whole. Working to help the people of Haiti is just one more project Israel has taken on. Its doctors and medical personnel in Haiti see this as a mitzvah and not a job.

Shalom, (signature) Rabbi Michael P. Sternfield

P.S. Chicago Sinai Congregation is committed to offering assistance to the people of Haiti. We have already sent a significant donation from our Community Concerns Fund, and will continue to collect money for the foreseeable future. We are channeling our efforts through the American Jewish World Service and the Union for Reform Judaism. All of us can and should lend our support to the people of this long-suffering country.