[PHOTO LINK & LIVE UPDATES BELOW] 12:00PM EST: Port-au-Prince, Haiti – The only operating room (O.R.) in earthquake-ravaged Haiti is that of the Israeli Field Hospital.
YWN has spoken to the IDF Field Hospital Deputy Commander Danny Moshayov on the ground in Haiti just a few moments ago, along with veteran Hatzolah Paramedics Shlomo Zakheim & Eli Rowe — who described the scene in great detail.
Although many many government’s across the globe have sent search & rescue teams, aid, and funds to the area, what is most notable is the fact that Israel came from halfway across the globe and was from the first countries to establish a fully functioning hospital.
“Our hospital has the only functioning O.R. in Haiti currently, and we have treated well over 100 people since we started,” Moshayov told YWN.
“Israel is from the smallest countries in the world, and yet we have close to 200 Israeli’s working aggressively to save & preserve lives. We have a full staff of surgeons, pediatricians, internal physicians, and emergency medicine physicians working round-the-clock on victims of the 7.0 earthquake, he said.
“I am proud to be a part of this tremendous Kiddush Hashem”.
Meanwhile, two veteran Hatzolah Paramedics, Shlomo Zakheim (Flatbush Division), & Eli Rowe (Queens Division), made the trip to Haiti, and are working at the hospital assisting patients with a multitude of injuries.
“What the Israeli Government has done in Haiti is truly amazing,” Zakheim told YWN.
“I can’t begin to describe you the incredible amount of equipment they brought with them in such a short time, and established so quickly.
“Everything from incubators (for premature births), to a full-blown ICU, an O.R.”…. It’s just incredible. They plan on being here for a month. They even came with a Rabbi and Shul so they can daven with a Minyan and say Kaddish.”
“The word is out in Haiti,” Eli Rowe told YWN.
“The victims have heard that the best care available currently is that of the IDF, and people are streaming to their hospital.”
So far, Shlomo Zakheim & Eli Rowe have treated over twenty victims – in just a few hours.
“The scene is horrific” Zakheim said.
“People are burning bodies in the streets to prevent epidemics, and there is still no electricity and no running water in the area. One time our vehicle stopped for a moment, and dozens of people tried to break into our car – just to get water. Everywhere you look there are children standing and crying – with no parents standing with them. ”
Additionally, three Search and Rescue units were sent to areas damaged by the earthquake in Port-au-Prince. The units are under the command of company and division commanders of the search & rescue unit of the Homefront Command and include rescue officers, security officers, and the famous Oketz canine unit which utilizes dogs in order to find survivors.
At this very moment of posting, the crew is working at a building where search & rescue teams hear someone alive, and are frantically working to free the trapped victims.
UPDATE 1:32PM EST: We were out treating patients in the streets, when the UN informed us to immediately return to our base after gunshots rang out in the area….
UPDATE 1:45PM EST: They just brought a baby not breathing into our base, and we assisted in intubating the child…..
UPDATE 2:02PM EST: The Hatzolah volunteers tell YWN that an aftershock just struck lasting 30 seconds, and caused a building to collapse. “The entire building just collapsed just down the street from where we were standing. We rushed over, and sadly, there are seven people confirmed dead. It’s so tragic how they survived the main quake last week, and now were killed in an aftershock.”
“We assisted a search & rescue team with the initial search, but have been called away to treat victims further up the street with injuries.”
UPDATE: 2:33PM EST: The 2 Hatzolah volunteers have just taken a break from treating victims, and are distributing candy to the children of Haiti – a true Kidush Hashem! (See photo album link below for the exclusive images).
YWN will continue to bring you exclusive further updates & photos from the IDF Field Hospital – and live from the devastation in Haiti.
YWN PHOTO LINK: Click on the following link for exclusive photos from Haiti [WARNING – GRAPHIC IMAGES] http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/photos.php?albumid=5427757008463355809
(Yehuda Drudgestein / YWN-008 / YWN-32)
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24 Responses
all we hear about is the rescue crew from russia and new zealand. about time we something about the heros of israel and the jewish people!
Ashrecha! Amazing work!
Rumor has it that the esteemed YWN Editor and staff will be travelling to Haiti to bring us inside info, just as they did during the Gaza War last year.
Can you confirm this?
hatzolah should send down 100 volunteers!
imagine the amazing kiddush hashem that would be
not one word on CNN of this whatsoever….just amazing.
HPO.
Nuff said.
(All those who understand that, understand it!)
Once again YWN has the real news. Kudos.
You should be proud of yourselvs.
WOW! What a kidush hashem
Soon, very soon, the news will be the bad Israelis, no sign of a peace agreement in sight, if only they would agree to concessions, etc, etc, etc…..
PHENOMINAL! WHAT AN AMAZING KIDDUSH HASHEM! MAY H’KBH KEEP ALL THE ISRAELI AND JEWISH VOLUNTEERS SAFE AND SOUND! ONLY A YIDDISHE KUP CAN DO ALL OF THIS, WITH HASHEM’S HELP!
THANK YOU YWN FOR THE EXCELLENT NEWS! MUCH HATZLACHA!
I have been so divided about this tragedy from the beginning and really at first felt nothing much. Having come into contact with Haitians in my work, I have met more than my fair share of reshoim. Many of them are into vodoo,and to say that they despise yidden is an understatement. Still, they are now suffering and as I watch my people helping them and sacrificing themselves in the most difficult of circumstances it still makes me so proud to be a part of the greatest nation on earth, rachamim bnei rahamim, the light onto the nations. Bli neder, I intend to find a way to help in some way too.
Hopefully the world will hear of this. We deperately need some kiddush hashem. I sent some details of this operation to the BBC but they have yet to report it! Hopefully the Haitian people will have some hakoras hatov and make it known themselves when they speak to the press.
Q-8 A.L.S. YOUR THE BEST!!! a person who would help anyone!!
finally http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/8464274.stm
It’s something like this that makes me wonder where all the compassion of America is. Haiti is practically in our backyard and Israel, half way around the world, is leading the charge in the humanitarian effort. I guess Obama is too busy campaigning in Massachusetts to be concerned with the people of his own color. And to think of it that the dems bashed Bush in being too slow after Katrina.
# 14- what’s finally? The only reference to the wondrous assistance Israel is providing is the line under that picture on top of the page. Never mind that I couldn’t view the picture but nowhere in that entire article was there a mention of their work!
Back to the real news though. What a beautiful kiddush Hashem. Mi k’amcha Yisroel.
Just curious, is there any recognition in the main stream media about the Israeli presence there and the great work they’re doing or is it only on these Jewish websites?
In searching the pics online of the rescuers in Haiti…
I find the IDF, I find Chabad chasidim, I find the chareidi Zaka members, I find frum Hatzalah members from New York, but… I can NOT find the “courageous” women of Machsom Watch, or B’Tzelem, and no where can I find Yariv Oppenheimer of Peace Now! Where are those human rights heroes!!! LOL!!!
Next we take care of the Jews of Gush Katif! Right? Wrong!! Misplaced Rachmanut!!!
Fox News has the story: http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/01/16/israeli-team-to-set-up-hospital-in-haiti/
Why don’t we ever hear about the ARAB Countries offering assistance?
What i meant above is why don’t the ARAB States ever seem to step up to the plate and provide assistance or resources?
There are several pictures from the photo link that need to be removed for tznius reasons. It is a little bit surprising that photos with non-tznius women made it to this site. I am not referring to the pictures which pose a question of whether the YWN symbol blocking unclad children is appropriate.
#23 – Thank you for researching this for us. Which pictures have you concluded are not tznius-dik and should not be looked at.