At the call center at Lemaanam, an organization of doctors who volunteer with Holocaust survivors, phones are ringing nonstop. Thousands of elderly survivors cannot leave their homes, even to receive medical attention or treatments.
In an effort to expand the treatment options and procure a medical emergency services vehicle to make their services more available, the doctors are enlisting the help of the people and for the first time are starting a fundraiser.
Some 174 thousand Holocaust survivors live in Israel today and over 1,000 pass away every month. Data collected by the organization reveals that ever since the coronavirus outbreak, one out of every 30 Holocaust survivors can't leave his or her home to receive appropriate medical care.
Lemaanam, meaning "for them", was established in April of 2020. The group reports 6,000 calls so far from Holocaust survivors who requested the organization's assistance in receiving medical treatments at home or at a clinic, most of them encountering difficulties with leaving their houses and/or requiring assistance in reaching medical centers.
With the expansion of the organization and the rising demand for its services, the volunteering doctors this week embarked on a campaign, at the end of which they hope to raise enough money to improve and expand the group's activity. According to Lemaanam, they have already responded to over 1,000 appeals.
The organization was formed by Dr. Tamara Kolitz, who received the Presidential Award of Volunteerism in July. The organization conducts house visits, clinic visits and "telemedicine", over-the-phone consultations, as well as providing assistance with bureaucracy and transportation of the Holocaust survivors to and from the clinics.
Lemaanam has accumulated a wide network of volunteers counting over 1,200 people, 800 of whom are doctors and workers in the medical fields.
"Our goal is to assist, to improve and to better the lives of the Holocaust survivors, but it is not enough and we have many more goals to reach," says Dr. Kolitz. "We've started this fundraiser in order to reach and help as many survivors as possible."
You can click here to donate to their cause.
Translated by Hadas Labrisch.