Beseiged Ashkelon hospital seeks aid to fortify buildings

By Polina Olsen

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She told about the pregnant woman who screamed and cried as hospital staff moved her to the lightly injured area. The 17-bed emergency room deals with life-threatening injuries, she explained, like the time a Qassam rocket hit 67 Israeli Defense Force soldiers.

Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon, Israel, has treated the wounded from Sderot for seven years. Now, longer-range rockets place the hospital itself on the firing line. A recent blast in the parking lot showed this only too well.

As Lea Malul, the medical center’s public affairs director spoke in Portland on April 2, the audience tried to imagine life under constant attack. Sponsored by the Portland-Ashkelon Sister City Association, Malul hoped her presentation would raise awareness of the situation in Ashkelon and generate funds to fortify the facility.

She spoke at Congregation Beth Israel at 8:30 a.m., City Hall at noon, and the Southeast office of architect Diane Blitzer that evening.

Established in 1961, Barzilai Medical Center is the only hospital on the Gaza border. The hospital serves a region of at least 400,000 residents, many of whom are Russian or Ethiopian immigrants. It also handles IDF emergencies and, according to Malul, the 15 to 30 Palestinians who cross the border for treatment each day.

“Not sheltered, not fortified, not ready for what we’re facing right now,” said Malul of the hospital.

Malul said warnings blast at least 10 times each day, and residents have seconds to find shelter.

“My kids cannot go out on a normal basis to visit friends,” she said. “I have to put them in a shelter how many times a day. It turns your life into hell.”

For three years, the medical center has worked with government and private foundations to raise the millions required to fortify the facility. Meanwhile, Malul said, the FBI and other organizations around the world visit for lessons on disaster management.

They check every person and vehicle entering the hospital—“even ambulances during a mass casualty event.” Concrete walls shield oxygen tanks and the nursing school. Still under construction, a sheltered basement will protect against chemical warfare.

Malul describes Barzilai hospital as “an island of sanity where politics are left out.”

“Although we have Qassam injured lying down in our wards, side-by-side we have the Palestinian people coming out of Gaza to get treatment in Barzilai. Not only civilians but also Fatah members who are injured when they fight with Hamas.”

But, the 600-bed hospital is filled beyond capacity and children lie in corridors, she explained. Overused equipment needs replacement and the dining room is the adjunct ER. And, understaffed doctors and nurses are exhausted.

“It was remarkable, it was dramatic. It’s a story that everybody should know,” said Charles Schiffman, Jewish Federation of Greater Portland executive vice-president. “The services they provide for people under siege are just incredible. They certainly deserve our support.”

Despite the chaos, Malul remains optimistic. Quoting Israeli author Ephraim Kishon she notes: “In Israel we don’t believe in miracles—we depend on them.”

For more information on Barzilai Medical Center, contact Lea Malul at 972-577678766, leama@barzi.health.gov.il  or PASCA at 971-219-4454 or pascapdx.home@comcast.net.