- Israel

Strangers Become Family in Time of Crisis

Just a month before Hezbollah rockets began to rain down on Haifa and its surrounding areas, Kiryat Bialik resident Ravid , 76, suffered a heart attack. The advice his doctors gave him was "to rest up and not let things worry him" — an impossibility once the conflict began to rage.

The head of Rambam Hospital's Retiree Union, Ravid spent nearly 30 days holed up in his building's cramped and stuffy underground bomb shelter, living in fear as the seemingly endless rocket attacks continued. Unable to leave the shelter even to do basic shopping at the local supermarket for fear of attacks, Ravid relied on others just to bring him basic food, water and toiletries.

Because Ravid lacked the resources to relocate to safer areas, he qualified for JDC's "Respite for the Elderly" program. Organized by ESHEL in partnership with the Government of Israel, the program provided the north's elderly population with five-daylong "vacations" to areas out of the line of fire. This intervention included transportation, full room and board, and activities designed to relieve participants of their distress. So far the program has provided relief for well over 2,000 people who, without it, would have languished in shelters and "safe" rooms without any break for over a month.

Ravid is especially grateful to JDC for helping him to escape the war zone. "They have been nothing short of live saving," he explains from the lobby of Jerusalem's Olive Tree Hotel, in the midst of his respite excursion. "The stress was becoming overwhelming and I don't know how much longer I could have survived under such circumstances [because of my heart condition]."

In addition, Ravid wanted to thank the staff at the hotel, who took them in with open arms. "They showed the unity of the country in times of crisis," he said, as strangers became like family members.

While in Jerusalem, Ravid and the rest of the "vacationers" were taken on tours of the city, entertained by local musicians and performers, and divided into smaller groups for psychology sessions with professionals helping them to deal with the crisis. Ravid, who is not a religious man, even joined the morning prayer group at the hotel to lend support to his fellow travelers.

August 2006