For such a time as this - # 20

Update # 20 – April 15

It’s so quiet and peaceful outside, this last day of Pesach, which is like a Shabbat. 

The weather is nice – 23 degrees Celsius, and we had breakfast and coffee on the balcony. A heat wave is on its way, and we’re debating of asking our handyman to put up the sun cover on the patio. For now, we keep moving the umbrellas and the table to stay in the shade.

We received an update from the Haifa home for Holocaust survivors, and I’d like to share one story.

Isolation brings back memories

For some, especially those that are in the process of Dementia or Alzheimer, the breaking of the normal daily routine, is giving them even more flash backs and memories of their dark past of the Holocaust. 

Whenever we visit 98-year-old Miriam she immediately brings you back to her horrific youth in ghettos and camps which ended at Auschwitz. 

Whenever we try to change the subject, she continues to live in and talk about that time.

Although some people are glued to their TV screens all day and evenings, others find creative ways to pass the time in their room. 

Mania e.g. has been painting and has written a poem about the Corona crisis every day. 

This is one example:

“One day I went for a little walk, with my mask on my face and rubber gloves all by myself.

All of the sudden I heard a familiar voice from my dining room neighbor who walked behind me.

She was very happy to see me, and we continued our walk together.

When we had walked for a while, we rested on a bench.

Then my next-door neighbor approached and joined us on the bench.

For a little while we completely forgot about Corona, which had taken away our daily routine and enjoyed each other’s company.”

A few days ago there was an uplifting article in the newspaper:

https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/the-health-ministry-has-begun-producing-multi-use-masks-for-israelis-624539

The Health Ministry has begun a project to produce high quality masks that are not only washable so they can be re-used, but are also suitable for all of Israel's dynamic population to use.

The project began Monday morning with the initial production of 300,000 masks. The project line is 100% made in Israel, and employs over a thousand Israeli seamstresses.

"Thanks to the important venture of locally produced masks, we can are able to back our economy which is in dire need of support during these complicated times," said Health Minister Ya'acov Litzman.

With the goal of further preventing the spread of the virus, the masks will be distributed to residents living in areas with a high concentration of the virus by their local authorities together with the Home Front Command. "A mask can be used as personal protection to spread disease and infection," Liztman said.

With the intention of making mask wearing a norm, residents of these areas will be given instruction by the authorities on how to properly wear the masks. Recipients of the mask will receive a kit including three masks paired with an instructional leaflet printed in a variety of languages such as Arabic, English and Hebrew.

The project is being led by defense systems and the Mossad in cooperation with textile experts, and industries that make products for the Defense Ministry. The Mossad has obtained over 10 million masks for Israel, as well as other medical equipment and hundreds of thousands of test kits.

For such a time as time - # 18

Update # 18 – April 13

Wim and I walk to the nearby shopping center in Kiryat haYovel via the scenic route, enjoying the sunshine and nature that starts to bloom its heart out.

Before I enter the big supermarket, the security guide checks my temperature. All customers must wear a face-mask, otherwise they are not admitted. 

Normally, the security guard doesn’t have to do much except for sit in his chair at the entrance of the shop.  Now, the guy will be exhausted by the end of the day....

Here’s a story from a doctor, Halleh Akbarnia, that was posted on FB on April 7.

I have been an Emergency Medicine Physician for almost 20 years. I have worked through numerous disasters, and I’m used to the daily grind of heart attacks, gunshots, strokes, flu, traumas, and more. It’s par for the course in my field. Yet nothing has made me feel the way I do about my “job” as this pandemic has—that knot-in-the-pit–of-your-stomach sensation while heading into work, comforted only by the empathetic faces of my colleagues who are going through the same. I am grateful for their presence, knowing they are both literally and figuratively with me, that they understand and accept so profoundly the risks we take each day. I also hope that my friends and family forgive me for my lack of presence during this time—precisely when we need each other most—and that they realize that their words, their encouragement, and their small gestures that come my way daily are the fuel that gets me through each day. This is a story for all of us.

I met my patient, Mr. C., on my first real “pandemic” shift, when what we were seeing that day was what we had been preparing for. He was classic in his presentation, his X-ray findings, his low oxygen levels… we just knew. And he was the nicest man I had met in a long time. Gasping for breath, he kept asking if we needed anything, and that it would all be okay. He told us he was a teacher but that he was learning so much from us, and how much he respected what we were doing. The opposite could not be more true.

We had to decide how long we would try to let him work through this low oxygen state before needing to intubate him. His levels kept falling and despite all our best efforts it was time to put him on the ventilator. He told us he didn’t feel great about this, “but Doc, I trust you and am putting myself in your hands.” That uneasy feeling in my stomach grew even more in that moment. But he, with his teacher's steady voice, kept me grounded, where I was supposed to be. I saw his eyes looking at me, seeing the kindness in them, even as we pushed the medications to put him to sleep. To say this was an “easy” intubation is an understatement. It was not. He nearly left us a few times during those first minutes, but he kept coming back. We fought hard to keep him with us. The patience and strength of my team that day, truly remarkable.

I handed him over to my friend and colleague, Dr. Beth Ginsburg, and her team in the ICU, and her calming voice reassured me that they had it from here. And then for the next twelve days, I waited and watched his progress, knowing the statistics, and how sick he was when he got to us. They did their magic, and just yesterday my new friend Mr. C was extubated. I decided to go “meet” him again.

Mr C. was in the COVID stepdown unit, recovering, without family. Nobody was allowed to visit him; even worse, his wife had been home alone in isolation for the past fourteen days, too. My heart broke thinking of how that must have been for her. I cautiously went into his room, donned in my PPE, and when he saw me, he stopped for a second. 

A moment of recognition.

I introduced myself. “I’m Dr. Akbarnia, Mr. C. I was the last person you saw in the ER. You told me you trusted us to get you to this side. Looks like you did just fine.” He started to cry. He said, “I remember your eyes.” And I started to cry. What he didn’t know is that, at that moment, I realized that we do what we do exactly for people like him, for moments like these. His strength, his kindness, his calming words to me meant everything. At that moment, my heart (which had been beating over 100 bpm since this pandemic began) finally slowed down.

I sat down and we talked. I told him that while he is here, we are his family. He will always have a place in my heart. And whether he knows it or not, he will be my silent warrior and guide as I take care of every patient, COVID or not. He will fuel me until the day I hang up my stethoscope.

(Picture and story posted with full permission from patient)

Life in Jerusalem during the Corona Crisis - part 4

Friday, March 20.

Our new daily rhythm is: firstly, find out what the latest restrictions are. 

There were quite a lot this morning:

The new orders to be signed tonight, March 19, tightening restrictions on movement will reportedly permit citizens to leave their homes for the following activities - for the next 7 days:

1. Going to work and coming back

2. Stocking up on food, medicine, necessary products and to receive essential services

3. Receiving medical treatment

4. Donating blood

5. Participating in demonstrations (when there are too many people they’ll be fined between NIS 500-1000)

6. Going to court for a legal hearing

7. Unorganized sports activity in groups no larger than five people

8. Brief walks for a short time and to a place close to the person’s residence, without coming close to people they don’t live with

9. Going to a wedding, funeral or prayer (while adhering to rules limiting such activities to just 10 people maintaining a distance of at least two meters, or six feet)

10. Helping a person who due to their age, medical conditions or a disability, requires assistance

In addition, no more than two people will be allowed to be in a car at any time, unless they live in the same household. The restriction will not be relevant to cases when there is a necessary reason for more people to travel together or while driving a person to and from a vital workplace.

Because we had to buy medicines in the Old City Pharmacy, we figured it was a ‘legitimate’ reason to be outside.

At “Shachar” our neighborhood supermarket, I asked owner Chaim how they were holding up and praised their dedication and continued service. “Will you be closed as usual during the Pesach holiday?” I asked.

The tired looking man responded they had thought about it, but he decided to stay open. “Otherwise it would be as if we turn our backs on the people needing groceries, especially during this crisis.” I had expected nothing less from this special man whose staff always diligently works to keep the store running.

The streets were deserted – we had to remind ourselves it was Friday, usually a busy morning for Jerusalemites.

Wim stayed in the car while I walked through the Mamilla shopping area towards the Jaffa Gate.

Knowing the bustling pedestrian mall on a regular day, it looked like a shabbat – all the shops were closed and no people in site. 

Mamilla before and during the crisis

Even when the weather is cold and rainy, like today, the plaza in front of the Yaffa Gate is full of people. Now it was deserted and so were the always busy street outside the Old City Walls.

Our pharmacist didn’t have much to do because there are so few people outside. Yes, life definitely has come to a standstill.

The cats like to keep him company and explore
the usually 'forbidden' room

Back home I rearranged one of the guestrooms and turned it into a workplace for Wim. He usually worked at the dining room table, but it would be too cold to sit for a long time without the heating. So, each of us now has a ‘quiet’ place to write.

I’ve decided to collect stories, encouraging quotes and testimonies to put together a weekly online ‘magazine’ to send out to people who are connected to Jerusalem Baptist Church. It’s wonderful that in this day and age we are able to reach out to others via the internet, especially when we can’t meet in person.

Each and everyone of us has to find ways to cope with this crisis. We feel it’s important to keep a steady, daily rhythm and keep order in our days. Even though we still have enough food in the fridge and pantry, but not knowing how long it’s going to be, we’ve also decided to start living more frugally.   

Composing the ‘newsletter’ and starting a regular blog with personal news and updates helps us to use our time in a constructive way and at the same time be an encouragement and blessing to others.

Personally, I try to read the news twice a day, not more and not before we go to bed. It will only create anxiety and we need our sleep. And how grateful we are for our treadmill, which is being used several times a day now.

Because the living room and kitchen are getting colder, tomorrow I'm planning to cook and bake - that definitely will keep me warm. 

The plan is to only write a blogpost when there is something to share, so it's possible the next one will appear on Sunday evening. 

Life in Jerusalem during the Corona Crisis - part 3

Thursday, March 19, 2020

“We have three addresses for you,” Benjamin texted me.  “What time can you be at Hineni?”

Because traffic was so light, in record time we reached the center of town. The streets were deserted and also the usually bustling restaurant was empty of people except the workers and a volunteer.

each box contained 50 warm meals

Now we heard that we had to deliver 220 meals to five addresses.

Benjamin received a call for help from the office of the deputy mayor. Due to the restrictions, caregivers no longer were permitted to cook for the elderly people in their care. “Of course we’ll do our best to help you!” Benjamin promised.

Via whatsapp the coordinator sent me the list and contact persons. 

Kochava, who works at the Hineni office, had been working since 7 a.m.  When she called someone on the list to verify the address, Marina profusely thanked her for the great help. “You have to send us the names of those people,” she said. “We want to thank each one of them!”

a challenge to walk backwards
 without being run over by a trolley with food. 

With great difficulty Mohammed and a collegue manage to ‘bump’ two trolleys with 100 meals each down the stairs. Then they traversed the steep pavement backwards to the bumpy, uneven parking garage floor. I was awed those guys managed to stay on their feet and we safely reached the car. The big boxes were stuffed in our car and we were on our way.

The Diplomat Hotel is in East Talpiot, not far from the new American Embassy. The hotel guard refused to open the gate. 

“Shall I call Irene?” 

He thought that was a good idea. An icy wind blew around the building and I had a hard time calling the number. By then the guard was convinced I came with good intentions, and we were waved through. When an elderly lady (Irene) appeared with a rickety trolley, I ‘shlepped’ the heavy box from the car and helped her back to the hotel lobby.

 “Oh, are you from a catering service?” a passerby asked. “Can I order meals through you?”

Well, a flying bird always catches something.

How grateful we were for the ‘quiet’ roads and that we had ‘Waze’ (GPS) to show us the way. Otherwise it would have been a stressful trip, having to find all those addresses.

At Hotel Tunik, an senior citizen home in Pisgat Zeev, two elderly Russian ladies came to ‘help’ us with two shopping carts. The box was too heavy to lift that high, therefore we stacked the 50 meals in the cart.

“Spaseebah! Bolshoye spaseebah! Toda rabba! – thank yo uso very much!”

Hostel Moshe Dayan, also in Pisgat Zeev, was hard to find because there were no house numbers on the street with a lot of shops. Thankfully, we had those contact numbers! Handyman Alexander had no trouble lifting the heavy box out of our car and put the 50 meals in his shopping cart. Number three was ready – two more to go!

We realized that we had passed the fourth address on our way to the previous one. But even though we had the correct number, the building could not be found. An icy wind blew over the open spaces of the Pisgat Zeev neighbourhoud that was built on hills.

Galina sent an elderly man from hostel Golden Colony to the car to receive their 20 meals. The plastic bags had fallen over during the drive causing some of the meals to spill gravy.

In a car that smelled like a restaurant we drove to the last address. 

House "Golden Age" Ramot

Hostel Ramot, a neigbourhood on the other side of the Begin highway, was situated in a street that teemed with ultra-orthodox people who clearly didn’t keep the tightened restrictions. 

We carried the heavy box to a large room of the senior citizen’s home from where the meals would be distributed. Ilana, wearing a face protection, thanked us warmly for the 50 meals.

No rain had fallen during the three hours it had taken us to deliver the meals, but when we arrived home, the darkened sky began to drop its wet load. Warm and dry, with grateful hearts we enjoyed a bowl or warm soup.

Benjamin, who had coordinated everything from his home in Ashdod, was grateful everything had gone well. We offered our help for future needs. “Thanks, but we have to wait and see what the government is going to decide.”

“I read in the paper that essential services will continue,” I told him.

“Ah yes, and Hineni is also an essential service,” Benjamin reiterated.

Thus, we’ll expect a call Sunday morning if we are available to make another run.

 ‘Hineni!’- here we are, Lord.

Life in Jerusalem during the Corona Crisis - part 2

Because I was behind with my reading schedule, that morning I read a few days from my devotional. They were from Great Days with the Great Lives by Charles Swindoll. March 17, about queen Esther, read as if it was written for me: 

• What does it matter if I get involved or not? ...
• When we have been called "for such a time as this," how tragic it is if we don't stand up in that hour.
• Numerous needs and issues surround us. They summon us to stand up and be counted. While we will not be able to respond to all of them, the solution is not to respond to none of them! So let me ask you: What are you doing to stand up, to stand alone, to answer the call of God in this hour?

Swindoll then sums up many worthy causes worthy considering, to which I added: What about the Corona Virus crisis? This is an urgent hour of need. 

• Are you there, ready to be salt and light, in this hour?
• Not until you believe one person can make a difference will you be willing to take a risk. Quit being so careful about protecting your own back. Stop worrying about what others will think. You don't answer to them. You answer to Him. He will help. He will give you wisdom and courage. You may be only one, but you are one. So, take a risk!

You can read the full text here: https://insight.org/resources/daily-devotional/individual/risk-it!1

And the devotional of March 18 read:

“If anything, the sovereignty of God makes me active. It drives me before Him as I plead, "Lord, involve me in the process, if it pleases You. Activate me in Your action plan. I'm available. [Hineni – Here I am, Lord] Speak through me. Use me."

Well, after reading those very timely words, my doubt disappeared like the morning mist.

Life in Jerusalem during the Corona Crisis - part 1

Thursday, March 19, 2020      

Today, our last guests returned to the Netherlands. Before the Corona virus began creating its worldwide havoc our occupancy was 100% until the summer and 75% in reservations and booking until the end of the year.

Now it’s just Wim and myself and our cats and nobody can predict when life will return back to ‘normal’.

To save money, we turned off the floor heating and live mainly on the top floor where our private study/living room and bedroom is. It continues to be too cold for the time of year and they even expect snow on Mt. Hermon and the Golan Heights.

Last week was emotionally draining because nobody knew what was going to happen or change and which new regulations were set in motion. Then, we had to dig through many often-contradicting news stories that began circulating on social media. It took a lot of energy to get used to this new way of life which seemed to be without head or tail. I found it hard to get in some kind of daily rhythm – everything was turned upside down.

We tremendously enjoyed the company of our last four guests, knowing full well that it would end soon because they had to fly home when there was still time.

I want to do something. Help! I often thought in the midst of all the unrest and uncertainty. But what. And how?

We didn’t know of needy elderly people in our neighbourhood nor about specific needs.

Lord, please show us, I prayed. Something Wim and I can do together. What we can handle physically and won’t be dangerous to Wim’s health.

Tuesday evening, March 17, Benjamin Phillips wrote a letter to Christians for Israel about the humanitarian restaurant “Hineni” he runs in Jerusalem. ( the English article can be read here:  https://www.c4israel.org/support-israel/what-is-the-situation-of-hinenis-soup-kitchen/

these pictures were taken March 17, when there were still volunteers around...

Social workers contacted him about 80 elderly people in need and a request to deliver meals to their homes. Logistically, he wrote, it is difficult due to the lack of transportation and volunteers.

This is it! I knew after reading that call for help.

Benjamin was grateful we offered our services and told us he would get back to us when he had more information.

However, after reading about the latests restrictions in next day’s newspaper, doubt began to creep in.

Is it wise what we are doing? Are we going to harm ourselves if we help Hineni?