Amid the violence that has erupted between Jews and Arabs across Israel, the country's medical community continues to set an example, proving that coexistence can work despite all differences.
In the latest example, two Jewish emergency medical technicians (EMTs) volunteering with United Hatzalah saved the life of a 45-year-old resident of east Jerusalem early Sunday while putting themselves in danger.
Shimon Afgin and Avi Gian were on their scheduled ambulance shift in Jerusalem when they were alerted to a nearby emergency in the heart of the Sheikh Anbar neighborhood of east Jerusalem.
Considering the information provided to them by the dispatch, and taking into account the danger of entering east Jerusalem during the continuous violent riots that have spread across the country, the two volunteers did not hesitate, considering that a life was on the line, and rushed to the scene as fast as they could.
Arriving to the scene on A-Sahl Aljadid Street at around 3:20 a.m., along with another mobile intensive care ambulance, the team found the pulseless 45-year-old on the floor of his apartment. Following a quick vitals check, Afgian and Gian decided that this was a case of cardiac arrest and began performing CPR.
It took them 40 minutes of intensive CPR efforts before a pulse was detected.
Luckily, the early hour meant that the streets were empty and the paramedics were able to rush the patient to a nearby hospital safely.
“There is one thing I live by as an EMT when a life is on the line: I do whatever it takes,” Afgin said. “I am from Jerusalem, I receive many alerts of emergencies in east Jerusalem and I always respond. I don’t see religion, race or ethnic background as a reason to refrain from doing what is right. All I see is a person who needs help."