‘’NEW YORK—‘’Anti-Semitism remains a threat to both the Jewish state and the Diaspora alike,’’ said Israel’s Consul General in New York Dani Dayan as he addressed last week a ceremony of inauguration of the American Friends of Assuta Ashdod Hospital (AFAAH).
In light of the shooting attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh, which left eleven people dead during Shabbat services, Dayan declared: “If we internalize the phrase “Never Again” then we must understand that “again” is right now.’’
He added: “Even though this tragedy happened thousands of miles from Jerusalem, it feels like local news for the State of Israel as our hearts are with those in Pittsburgh”.
The Samson Assuta Ashdod Hospital provides immediate care to approximately half a million Israelis who live in Ashdod and other nearby localities. The hospital is also the only medical institution in Israel to have an emergency department that is staffed at all times by emergency medicine specialists.
“Assuta Ashdod is one of the most important modern Zionist projects in Israel and the most dramatic event in the Israeli health system in decades,” said Prof. Joshua Shemer, Chairman of he hospital.
The hospital, which is located just 25 km north of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip, is architecturally revolutionary in that it is built to be “rocket-safe” with a special bomb shelter design that enables it to function 24 hours a day and seven days a week even during wartime.
“I get immense satisfaction knowing that my support makes a difference in the lives of Israelis living 25 km from the Gaza Strip,” said Eli Nhaissi, Chairman of AFAAH. “When you give you feel great.”
Rivka Kidron, an AFAAH Board Member and founder of “Passages”, an organization dedicated to bringing the next generation of Christian student leaders to Israel, said: “Given Samson Assuta Ashdod Hospital’s contributions to Israeli society, AFAAH offers the Jewish community in the United States an opportunity to play a special role in shaping Israel’s future,” she said.