The State of Israel's humanitarian efforts to alleviate the suffering of the casualties of the civil war in Syria will be presented on Monday, Dec. 12, 2016 at 7 p.m. at Congregation Beth Am in Longwood as representatives from Amaliah and Friends of Ziv Medical Center make their only visit to Central Florida. Speaking at Congregation Beth Am will be Yuval Rabin, chairman of the Amaliah Board and son of the late former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Moti Kahana, and America-Israeli philanthropist and founder and CEO of Amaliah.

Ziv Medical Center is Israel's northernmost hospital, located 7 miles from the Lebanese border in the north and 19 miles from the Syrian border on the east. Since February 2013, Ziv Medical Center has been treating wounded and ill Syrians, providing them with humanitarian medical assistance.

In 2014, Dr. Raul Rosenthal, Chief of Surgery of the Cleveland Clinic, visited Ziv Medical Center in Safed. Energized by the people and the power of Ziv, Raul and his wife Sima created Friends of Ziv Medical Center to inspire, teach and share. The mission of the Friends of Ziv Medical Center, a nonprofit organization, is to be committed to helping the staff of Ziv Medical Center respond to the healthcare needs and model health-driven solutions for the region. Friends of Ziv Medical Center is focused on growing the capacity of Ziv Medical Center to serve the people of the region.  

Amaliah's mission is to support projects that create partnership, stability and prosperity with the Middle East. With the ceasefire deal collapsing and the UN unable to bring peace to Syria, the Amaliah organization is doing all it can to assist Syrians in need. Ongoing Amaliah Projects include the following: Preserve Syrian Jewish history by rescuing Jewish people and valuable artifacts like Torahs from Syria; Create a safe zone in Southern Syria where civil society can be restored; Provide clean drinking water for Syria; and support the economic development of women in the Middle East. Through its "Project Safe Zone," Amaliah is transporting Syrian children, women and men into Israel for Medical treatment at Ziv Medical Center in Northern Israel on "Buses of Angels" to be given medical treatment and nurtured back to health by one of Israel's top hospital staffs. Syrians don't independently decide to come to Israel in search of emergency medical assistance. Amaliah coordinates with officials in Syrian territory to have children and their families transported directly from various collection points to hospitals for treatment in Israel. 

For more than five years, since 2011, perhaps the worst humanitarian crisis so far this century has been unfolding in Syria. The carnage in Syria has already claimed over 500,000 lives, an average of 262 deaths per day since the civil war began. About 70 percent of the population is without access to adequate drinking water and one in three people are unable to meet their basic food needs. The warring parties have compounded the problems by refusing humanitarian agencies access to civilians in need. Up to 4.5 million people in Syria live in hard-to-reach areas, including nearly 400,000 people in 15 besieged locations who do not have access to lifesaving aid. More than 50,000 children under the age of 15 have been killed. One in three children have endured horrific violence against them and their families, and more than 2.5 million children have no access to basic education.

Rabin has over 20 years of experience in software development, design and project management. He has held senior executive positions serving companies as diverse as AARP, The Principal Group, Visteon, Ericsson, Airbus Industries, Nokia, ARKLA (Arkansas Louisiana Gas), Samsung and the American Bureau of Shipping. Rabin truly espouses a global vision, having led initiatives for manufacturing and service companies, utilities and governments in the U.S., Israel, Europe and the Far East.

Kahana, born in 1968 in Jerusalem, has donated considerable money and time providing support for the Syrian opposition. He financed the opposition group that took senator John McCain to visit war-torn Syria, and has provided humanitarian relief for Syrian civilians. Kahana became well known for rescuing the last Jewish family from Aleppo, and recovering ancient Jewish artifacts, including Torah scrolls, in danger of destruction from synagogues in Syria. He has been called the Jewish Raoul Wallenberg for providing passports to hundreds of Syrian opposition members and their families. Three years ago, Kahana founded the organization Amaliah.org, which is now working in tandem with the Israeli Defense Force and Syrian local council, toward a goal of bringing over a million Syrians back home to a designated "Safe Zone," territory in Southern Syria on the border with Israel as well working on his book "Looking for God In Syria."

Rabbi Rick Sherwin invites the members of the Central Florida Jewish Community, the Interfaith Community, physicians, college students, and anyone who wants to support medical aid to Syrian civilians and refugees to hear the presentation by Rabin and Kahana. Rabbi Rick added, "This is an incredible opportunity to teach the wider-community and the United Nations the truth of Israel's beyond-belief humanitarian outreach. Please feel free to invite everyone who cares about the plight of people in need of physical and spiritual hugs. This is a wonderful opportunity to see the Syrian refugee crisis through Israel's eyes."

Moti Kahana

Congregation Beth Am is located at 3899 Sand Lake Road, at the corner of Line Drive and Sand Lake Road, in Longwood Florida. For more information on this informative session and ongoing activities at Beth Am refer to the congregation's web site at http://www.CongBethAm.org.