A year ago I had the privilege of meeting Shmuel Blumenfeld, a man of testimony, a hero and a lover of man, who worked all his life to remember and preserve the memory of the Jews of the town of Pruszowicz in Poland, where he grew up.
One day, Shmuel was invited to the president's house, then Ruby Rivlin, but his heart could not stand him and he soon collapsed and lost consciousness next to statue number 9 - Shimon Peres - on the green lawn in the president's courtyard.
The GP's quick response brought him back to life, but he did not have time to meet President Shmuel and ended the festive visit to his disappointment at Shaare Zedek Hospital in Jerusalem.
When he was released from the hospital, he was instructed to see a cardiologist soon.
All attempts by Aryeh, his son, to find a free appointment within a reasonable period of time came to naught.
The search led him to the "For Their Sake" organization, and he "married" Professor Roy Bagel, director of the cardiology department at Sheba Hospital in Tel Hashomer, a doctor who is wholehearted. Shmuel. He sat with him for hours and next to the medical treatment he submitted, swallowed his stories.
Samuel was chosen to light a beacon this year.
Two weeks ago, Arieh, his son, called me and said - "Dad collapsed."
I hurried to the hospital, and found Shmuel as clear as ever, after undergoing prolonged and difficult resuscitation.
I asked him, surprised: "Samuel, what material are you made of?", He thought for a moment and replied: "Me? I am made of Auschwitz material".
Shmuel is one of thousands of Holocaust survivors treated by our doctors in "for their sake."
There are 165,800 Holocaust survivors living in Israel today.
Their average age is 85 years.
About 1,000 survivors have crossed the age of 100. Over 40 Holocaust survivors die every day.
But, in the Israel of 2022, a large proportion of them are untreated, medically neglected.
About three years ago I started making pro-bono home visits to elderly Holocaust survivors, a personal encounter and a life-changing encounter with a vanishing generation.
From the personal experience, I turned to other doctors in the Facebook group, and together we set up a dedicated and free specialist medical system for Holocaust survivors - "for their sake - doctors and doctors for Holocaust survivors."
For their sake, about 1,000 doctors and doctors volunteer, and hundreds more from the various health professions, including physiotherapy and nursing.
Recently, thanks to good and generous people, we have even set up a mobile specialist clinic, which will make our medical service accessible to home-bound Holocaust survivors and in the geographical periphery of Israel.
The gratitude of the survivors and their families for our medical response illustrates the great vacuum that exists in Israel on the issue of medical treatment for Holocaust survivors (and the elderly in general).
On the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day, we must act immediately to promote and strengthen the social initiatives that help survivors live their last years in welfare, health and an outstretched hand.
It is our duty to care for those who have survived the dark and difficult hours of human history.
For them and no less - for us.
A call center for them operates 5 days a week, at * 3191.
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