Israeli doctors treat Syrian Druze baby with life-saving surgery – 'In Syria, we had no access to this kind of care'
In some ways, the fact that a baby from an enemy country has been successfully treated in an Israeli hospital isn’t news – thousands of babies, children and adults have received life-saving surgery in Israel over the years, according to the Israeli military.
Yet, with the security situation as fragile as it currently is with Syria, Israel's willingness to extend such assistance appears to be having a profound impact on Syrian attitudes toward Israel.
Several organizations bring children and babies into Israel to receive life-saving treatment, such as Shevet Achim, which is run by Christians, Save a Child’s Heart (SACH), and Operation Good Neighbor has also brought Syrians of all ages over the border for treatment since 2016.
While Shevet Achim was established 30 years ago to love Israel’s neighbors, SACH was founded in 1995, when Dr. Ami Cohen was asked to help two Ethiopian children in desperate need of heart surgery. He agreed, organized flights, obtained approval from the hospital and eventually saved the children's lives.
Since then, SACH has brought some 8,000 children to Israel for treatment from all over the world, guided by his motto, "If we can, we should."
On Sunday, Ynet News reported that a Syrian Druze baby received a life-saving operation organized by SACH, together with the IDF, at Wolfson Medical Center near Tel Aviv. The procedure was not available in Syria, where Druze communities have been imperiled and under attack along with all of Syria’s minorities since the fall of the Assad regime last December.
Approximately 1,000 Druze living in the Sweida region have been slaughtered by Sunni Muslims, who view them as infidels, and also by Bedouins sent to “exterminate” them by the Sunnis, together with others who are part of the new regime.
“I do not forgive those who burned my home and village, but I have to go back,” said the baby’s mother, given the pseudonym “Rania” in the Ynet report. “I hope there will be peace like there is here, or that we will have the option to be part of Israel so we can live in security.”
With the father wounded in the fighting, Rania and their baby, whom Ynet calls “Asfour,” came to Israel from southern Syria with all their belongings, initially unsure if they would ever be able to return.
“When she was born, we immediately knew something was wrong with her heart and that she needed treatment,” said Rania. “In Syria, we had no access to this kind of care.”
Cardiologist Dr. Sagie Asa explained, “She was born with a stenotic valve that caused narrowing and enlargement of the right side of the heart,” adding, “We were able to correct it with a relatively simple catheterization.”
Asa also speaks Arabic with a Syrian dialect since his mother is a Syrian Jew. “It felt natural to help them,” he said. “We are culturally close and neighbors. It was moving to meet people we have not been able to reach for years, to communicate and share moments together.”
“When we fight to save children’s lives, we put differences aside and speak a shared language,” he continued. “I tell my children this. In the end, we are all human beings.”
The generosity of heart didn’t go unnoticed by Rania, who praised the multicultural team at Wolfson.
“Here everyone works together, Jews, Muslims, Druze, people from different religions and backgrounds,” Rania observed. “I want Syria to be like this,” she said.
Rania has added her voice to the many Syrian Druze who have expressed their appreciation for Israel, and even a desire to be annexed to the Jewish state. One Druze leader recently thanked Israel on Arabic television – the only country to come to their aid while they have been under attack.
Shevet Achim has also brought children from Iraq, Syria, Kurdistan and Gaza for treatment over the years. While the organization does not keep an exact tally, the number of children assisted is estimated to be close to 1,000.
Jonathan Miles, CEO of the charity, told ALL ISRAEL NEWS, “The important thing for us… is that every child who needed a life-saving surgery, we’ve never had to turn them away from among the neighboring people groups we work with. And Israel has never turned them away either, which is an amazing thing going back over 30 years now.”
However, he said they are currently having difficulty receiving permission to bring a child from Gaza back to Israel for a second essential operation. While caring for the children of an enemy country has become more challenging, the work continues.
SACH Project Coordinator Sally Esakov, was asked by a Palestinian mother why they do what they do.
“It’s like throwing a stone in a pond, the ripples come out,” Esakov responded. “We’re treating your child, but we’re also treating you and your husband, the child’s sisters and brothers…we’re treating the whole family.”
In this time of regional war and hostility, who knows how far out these ripples of kindness, generosity and help might reach.
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Jo Elizabeth has a great interest in politics and cultural developments, studying Social Policy for her first degree and gaining a Masters in Jewish Philosophy from Haifa University, but she loves to write about the Bible and its primary subject, the God of Israel. As a writer, Jo spends her time between the UK and Jerusalem, Israel.
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