Middle East

Worth The Smile

Local dentist volunteers
his services to Israeli youth.

Keri Guten Cohen

Story Development Editor

D

r. Murray Baruch is a
dentist who chooses
to heal the world one
mouth at a time.
For two weeks in July, just
as the war with Lebanon was
beginning, Baruch worked with
other volunteer dentists at a
free clinic in one of Jerusalem's
most needy neighborhoods.
Their patients — Jewish and
non-Jewish — all were children
18 or younger. The need was
so great, the flow of kids was
nonstop, said Baruch, of West
Bloomfield.
He traveled to Israel with
Dental Volunteers for Israel
(DVI), which draws Jewish and
gentile dentists from all over
the world. Baruch worked with
volunteers from Denmark, New
Zealand and Philadelphia.

"Unfortunately, there is a
lot of need," said Baruch, who
explained that Israeli dentists
make the diagnoses; Israeli
hygienists do the cleaning;
and the volunteers do fillings,
crowns and root canals.
"We saw all kinds of kids —
Haredirn (fervently Orthodox),
Ethiopian, Russian and
Sephardic Jews, and Arabs and
Christians:' Baruch said. "It's a
wonderful humanitarian project
and an opportunity for outreach
to all. The medical system is a
great bridge-builder."
DVI was founded in 1980 by
the late Trudi Birger, who was
a child during the Holocaust
and a survivor of the camps.
She moved to Israel, became a
microbiologist and noticed the
severe dental problems of needy
children.
Wishing to leave no child in
distress, as she had been during

the Holocaust, Birger
came up with the idea
of the DVI and the free
clinic, which monthly
provides more than
1,000 treatments to
children ages 5 to 18
and sees more than
600 children and
parents at its preventa-
tive health care unit.
Without the clinic,
no treatment would
be available for these
Murray Baruch volunteered at the Trudi Birger Dental Clinic in Jerusalem.
patients.
While in Israel,
Baruch was able to see his sons.
longer for teacher training at
this was a different experience.
Jeremy, 20, was doing research
the Shalom Hartman Institute.
It was a pleasure to do. I'd do
for his University of Michigan
Daughter Sarah, 16, was in Alaska
it again and will continue to
honors thesis and studying to
on a Tamarack Camps trip.
encourage others to consider
be a tour guide at the Western
"Working with Dental
this wonderful service." E
Wall Tunnel, and Adam, 19, was
Volunteers for Israel is a great
volunteering as a first responder way for someone to be part
For more information about
with Magen David Adorn.
of Israeli society and not just
DVI, go to www,dental-dvi.
Baruch's wife, Linda, was able
a tourist," Baruch said. "I've
to join him in Israel and stayed
been to Israel many times and

Statesman Visits

Staff photo by Harry Kirsbaum

Shimon Peres drops in for private chat.

Harry Kirsbaum

Staff Writer

0

ne of the most endur-
ing names in Israel's
history made an
appearance at a private event in
Franklin on Sept. 19.
Former Israeli Prime Minister
Shimon Peres shared his thoughts
of the Middle East and the future
of warfare to 250 donors of
$25,000 or more to the Jewish
Federation of Metropolitan
Detroit's Annual Campaign.
"The war in Lebanon has
uncovered a lot of problems that
we are facing," he said, adding
that he wouldn't go into details of
the war. "Personally I have very
little patience for history. You
cannot change the past, so why
bother."
Looking towards the future,

Peres sees the world no longer
divided between East and West or
the United States and Russia. He
sees the world divided between
Muslim terrorists and the mod-
ern world.
Iran is not so much horrible as
it is weak and poor.
"They grew in 15 years from
30 million to 70 million people
he said. "They didn't create more
jobs in 15 years, they created
more poverty, more corruption
and more protests. And what
makes them strong? The weak-
ness of the international com-
munity."
He said he's always been skepti-
cal of foreign aid.
"You take the money from the
poor people in the rich countries
and you hand it over to the rich
people in the poor countries,"
he said. "When you give money

to politicians, they build up
administrations. The Palestinian
administration is 160,000 strong,
and they do nothing. They don't
cultivate the land; they don't
produce any goods, and yet every
month they have to write 160,000
checks."
Israel tried four times to make
peace and was successful twice:
with Egypt and Jordan.
"We gave them back their land,
their water and their oil, he said.
"We tried with the Palestinians
and the Lebanese and we failed:'
he said, explaining that both
countries were ruled by two gov-
ernments.
In Lebanon, it's the Lebanese
and Hezbollah; the Palestinians
have Hamas and Fatah — the
governments within the govern-
ment.

Statesman on page 16

Shimon Peres speaking in Franklin

September 28 • 2006

15