Marching to a Different Drums’ Rhythm at Sheba Medical Center

Each time I attend an event for the benefit of Sheba Medical Center, AKA Tel Ha’Shomer, I sense a race the achieve greatness in the medical fields. This was the case this past week when Friends of Sheba held at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, the Women of Achievements luncheon, honoring Deedee Sussman with the Marjorie Pressman Legacy Award and Jenji Kohan with the Women of Achievement Award.

L-Keynote Dr. Shani Paluch, Head, Breast Cancer Service for Young Women, Oncology Institute, Sheba Medical Center Tel Hashomer, Israel; Shoshana Djavaheri Zar, Chair and Board Member; Parham Zar, President; Yoel Hareven, Chief of Staff, Sheba Medical Center; Professor Mordechai Shani, Head of the Sheba Medical Center Foundation in Israel and Director General Emeritus, Sheba Medical Center, Tel HaShomer, Israel-photo Sheba Team

The Honorees

Just a week ago the UN announced it is looking for doctors in Israel and the head of the United Nations' medical department is to arrive in Israel for a campaign aimed at signing up Israeli doctors to the UN.

So why Israel, one may ask, when the UN is knowns to be generally bias and hostile to Israel? Because of Israel’s merit in the medical field, knotted into Jewish values, a large portions of this excellence is filled by the doctors of Sheba Medical Center.

To that attests Dr. Shani Paluch, the Head, Breast Cancer Service for Young Women, Oncology Institute at Sheba Medical Center who was the keynote speaker at the, I must say, with the deeply committed Beverly Cohen contribution, one of the loveliest luncheon I remember to have attended.

Keynote speaker Dr. Shani Paluch, Head, Breast Cancer Service for Young Women, Oncology Institute, Sheba Medical Center Tel Hashomer, Israel-photo Sheba Team

At Sheba Medical Center there is a great emphasis on finding the cure for the harvesting life disease cancer.

Sheba’s cancer research team trajectory is to shift from the common cancer toxic treatment course to more compassionate and personal approach, though it is still most challenging. The Sheba medical team is attempting to be more accurate when attacking the cancerous cells while sparing the healthy cells, finding the targeted address, the cancer cells, in the best and shortest way. This method is call immune therapy, or immunology. And Sheba Medical Center owns the largest cancer clinical trials program in the state of Israel, which echoes worldwide.

The cause of eradicating cancer

Though no need to remind the savvy reader, I see compelled to mention that to support all that Sheba does in making progress in the medical fields, in this case finding cure for cancer, it requires adherence to social responsibility, government of public support. It other words, it requires financial support which sustains the continuation of the medical miracles that come about from first knowledge, but above all from having caring and compassionate approach to healing.

L-Nina Lieberman, Executive Director; Shoshana Djavaheri Zar & Adrian Miller, Luncheon CoChairs; Adi Hepner, Director of Development-Photo Sheba team

In the Jewish people’s world Shabbat is the holiest day of the week when one takes a deep breath, relaxes and does no work, as God rested from His creation of our world. One is allowed to break Shabbat when one is called to save a life. At Sheba they break Shabbat each day of the week when they are called to save a life and preserve the sanctity of life.

I will be remiss not to mention the remarkable work of every supporter and volunteer and the staff at the offices of Friends of Sheba, in Los Angeles, all helping to move forward the discoveries in medicine that will help all mankind.

Many parents may attest that it is no picnic to raise a daughter of achievements, as they walk, talk, act to a different rhythm and so does Sheba Medical Center from it we can expect, almost daily, miracles in the medicine.

Whoever you are, take responsibility.