Update Shavuot 2024

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06/11/2024
From NATAN Chair, Daniel Kahn:
In Jewish theology, “Olam” represents humanity as a whole, with the belief that “Whoever saves one soul is as if he saved the whole of humanity.” NATAN acknowledges with immense gratitude the return of four hostages — even as we mark the absence of scores more whose fate cannot (yet) be known.
NATAN’s CEO Alice Miller and I spent two weeks in the US in May. Returning from the OLAM Focal Point Conference in New York, a gathering of Jewish organizations dedicated to International Development and Humanitarian Relief, I realized that on June 6th, we commemorate the 80th anniversary of one of the most significant and heroic Tikkun Olam operations in human history, D-Day.
With this editorial, NATAN pays tribute to the thousands of troops who traversed the globe to liberate Europe and free our parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles from the Death Camps. While these heroes may not have been familiar with the concept of Tikkun Olam, their actions exemplified its essence and underscored our collective human responsibility. As we celebrate Shavuot and the revelation of Jewish law at Mount Sinai, let us remember these brave souls and the path they paved for us — and let us dedicate ourselves to making a path forward for rising generations.
L to R, Alan Silberstein, Alice Miller, Danny Kahn at the OLAM Focal Point Conference, New York.

Last month in New York, the team from NATAN Worldwide Disaster Relief received a warm reception at OLAM Focal Point 2024, which brought together over 190 professionals from 18 countries and 11 states for learning and networking, focusing on Jewish and Israeli international development, humanitarian aid, and global volunteering.

Danny Kahn, Chair of NATAN, Alan Silberstein, Chair of the Advisory Board, and Alice Miller, CEO, shared insights about our work in Israel since October 7, 2023: Building on two decades of experience in 18 countries, NATAN quickly responded to the medical, dental and psychosocial needs of survivors. The conference provided a great opportunity to connect with colleagues and partners fostering valuable exchanges and collaborations. The coming year is crucial for rehabilitation and community empowerment — essential to our mission.

NATAN also met with ZiphyCare, which donated two state-of-the-art telemedicine systems to Natan that allow physicians to reach, diagnose and treat patients in remote war-stricken areas.

L to R, Rada Sumareva, ZiphyCare CEO; Bob Rjavinski, Interim CFO; Danny Kahn, Alan Silberstein, and Alice Miller, NATAN; Tim Belinsky, ZiphyCare Director of Field Operations.

NATAN is hard at work in Israel and overseas — while spending 97c of every $1 on volunteer-driven programs that support people in need. For details on our projects, funding and global impact, read the 2023 Annual Report.

NATAN projects in Israel offer essential support to residents in need.
In Haifa, a NATAN dental clinic provides care for vulnerable communities, including people lacking status; operations at the clinic, suspended since 7 October, resumed this month.
In Eilat and in hotels where refugees from the North are currently housed, NATAN, members of the Tzfat University Faculty of Medicine, Kupat Holim Klalit, and medical students in the “Rom Galil” program are coordinating remote medical diagnosis and treatment in specialties like dermatology, gerontology and otolarngology.
Medical students meet patients in person and escort them to remote specialist examinations, using ZiphyCare telemedicine. NATAN thanks ZiphyCare for their generous donation.
Dr. Albina Rotshtein, MD, became a NATAN volunteer in Ukraine in 2022, at the beginning of the conflict there. She writes, “It is a great experience to meet patients who come to the clinic. These people are in constant danger as the inferno approaches. Some need medical advice, some a listening ear and a word of encouragement and reassurance. Sometimes I, the therapist, feel helpless, when it turns out the proper treatment is not accessible. And yet, in every such encounter, there is an understanding that even the little I can give has great significance.”
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