This Week
Cover Story
In
Way
New Detroit chapter of Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans
dedicated to helping victims of war.
BILL CARROLL
Special to the Jewish News
he news from Israel is full
of tragic headlines about
combat action and frequent
suicide bombings. The
dead are eulogized and their stories
are told as grief-stricken families bury
them almost immediately. But what
becomes of the injured and disabled?
In the nearly two years since the
latest Palestinian intifada (uprising)
started in September 2000, close to
500 Israelis — soldiers and civilians
— have been killed and almost 4,000
have been wounded in combat or in
more than 12,000 terrorist attacks.
Most of the stories about the
injured are heart-wrenching.
For example, Danny Wagner of Tel
Aviv and Yuval Wagner of Petach
Tikvah, a father and son who both
were helicopter pilots, now are both
in wheelchairs. The father was
injured in an army-vehicle accident in
1957, resulting in the paralysis. The
son was paralyzed in 1987, when a
bird caught in the engine of Yuval
Wagner's helicopter caused a crash
into trees during a test flight.
There are other sad stories. Dr.
Kuti Gershoni of Ramat HaSharon
lost his hands and was blinded when
a bomb he was defusing exploded.
Boaz Tabib suffered severe burns dur-
ing a tank blast and was disfigured,
requiring many surgeries. Haim
Yifrah of Tel Aviv had become almost
paralyzed from years of combat. Sorin
Hershko of Tel Aviv, a survivor of the
famous Entebbe, Uganda, raid of
1976, has been a quadriplegic ever
since. Michal Ganon of Hadera, a
civilian woman, became a double-leg
amputee after one of the early suicide
bombings.
In Israel, the Zahal Disabled
Veterans Organization aids the vic-
tims of war. Zahal is an acronym for
"army for defense of Israel." The
organization helps eligible vets
T
<Ott
//24
2002
14
Michal Canon lost both her legs in a recent suicide bombing in Hadera.
She receives help from the Zahal Disabled Veterans Organization.
through Beit Halochem
Rehabilitation Centers in Jerusalem,
Tel Aviv and Haifa. The Beit Kay
Rest and Recreation Center is in
Nahariya. Patients receive a variety of
treatments and psychological counsel-
ing at the centers during the day, but
return home at night. Recently, serv-
ices were extended to civilians as well.
Druze soldiers, who are not Jewish,
but mostly Israeli citizens, also are
assisted.
Starting A Detroit Chapter
Now the Detroit Jewish community
will have an opportunity to aid in this
humanitarian effort through a branch
of Friends of Israel Disabled Veterans
(FIDV). The FIDV has been operat-
ing since 1987, with branches in New
York City and southern Florida, but
officials now want to expand to every
major city in the United States.
A group of prominent Detroit Jewish
leaders is forming a local chapter to raise
money that will help provide support to
about 50,000 disabled veterans in Israel.
Lisa and Hannan Lis of Farmington
Hills, Robin and Howard Schwartz of
West Bloomfield and Shelly Komer
Jackier of Birmingham recently held
receptions in their homes to launch
the Detroit-area chapter.
"We cannot forget the tremendous
price that Israel's heroes have paid, and
we must do all we can to improve
their quality of life with dignity, self-
confidence and inspiration," said
Hannan Lis.
Born in Haifa, Lis was a paratrooper
in the combat against Lebanon in
1982. He came to Detroit in 1986,
and now is chief operating officer of
Farmington Hill-based Weight
Watchers.
Howard Schwartz, who is in the
commercial real estate business, said
the services FIDV provides for Israel's
disabled soldiers — "and now, for the
first time, for many of the seriously
injured civilians" — are critical,
including help for those who have had
amputations or are paralyzed or blind.
Other sponsors of the local chapter
are Rick Rosenhaus of Farmington
Hills, Uri Segal of Southfield, Zvi
Golombek of West Bloomfield and
Avi Zecharai of Bloomfield Hills.
"The FIDV is the sole support sys-
tem of disabled veterans and now
injured civilians," said Regina
Gottfried, FIDV's national executive
director, based in New York City. "In
Israel, almost everyone is a veteran.
Now, the need is even greater because
of the many civilians affected by the
homicide attacks."
Gottfried cited several special pro-
grams at the three rehabilitation cen-
ters that deal with amputees and those
suffering from brain damage. "Other
treatments include physical therapy,
hydrotherapy, special fitness treat-
ments, social rehabilitation programs,
sports training and cultural activities,"
she said.
The people involved in the local