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Giving Peace A Chance

Local Jews, Christians, Muslims unite to help Jerusalem's 'Hospital with a Heart.'

Judith Doner Berne
Special to the Jewish News

T

his room reflects the hospital;'
said Alison Pure-Slovin, as she
looked out over the audience
of Jews, Christians and Muslims at the
inaugural gathering of Friends for Middle
East Peace through Medicine at Pine Lake
Country Club in West Bloomfield.
By banding together to raise funds for
Shaare Zedek Medical Center, a Jerusalem-
based hospital that serves all religions and
ethnicities, the diverse group hopes to set
an example for Middle East peace, said
Pure-Slovin, Midwest region director of the
American Committee for Shaare Zedek.
"I've come to appreciate the concept of
peaceful coexistence': said Steven Cole, a
Jewish attorney and self-described political
conservative, who recently joined his friend
and West Bloomfield neighbor, Dr. Shukri
David, M.D., to sponsor the fundraiser.
"The hospital is a symbol for co-exis-
tence said David, a Christian Arab who is
head of cardiology at St. John Providence
Heart Institute in Southfield.
For more than a century, Shaare Zedek
Medical Center has been known as 'the
Hospital with a Heart:' Pure-Slovin said.
"Patients of all backgrounds and faiths
consistently come to this hospital seeking
top level treatment in a compassionate,
supportive and nurturing environment?'

'No Checkpoints'
During a recent visit, David experienced
firsthand that Shaare Zedek, founded 108
years ago by German Jews, is a micro-
cosm of what could be if a solution to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict is achieved.
"After spending half a day going through
checkpoints, I found no checkpoints at
Shaare Zedek," David said. "I saw Arabs and
Jews sitting side by side. The head of cardi-
ology is a Palestinian who saved the life of
an Israeli girl who was hurt in a bombing.
"When I came back, I thought I should
do something to support what they are
doing."
It was only natural to bring in Cole, a
partner in the law firm of Lipson, Neilson,
Cole, Seltzer & Garlin in Bloomfield Hills.
Cole and his wife, Becki, consider David,
his wife Dunia and their children as "part
of our extended family:'
The Coles' three boys and a girl and the

"It's a dream of many of us to bring peace to that part of the world," said
Dr. Shukri David, organization co-founder, before introducing Florine Mark.
"I think we're going to see it in our lifetime."

Peace intiative co-founder Steve Cole says peace

between Jews and Arabs can be approached on a
non-political basis.

"I saw Arabs and Jews sitting
side by side. The head of
cardiology is a Palestinian who
saved the life of an Israeli girl
who was hurt in a bombing.
When I came back, I thought
I should do something to
support what they are doing."

MSU senior Andy Lederman, right, headed a student fund-raising effort as

part of the initiative to help "Palestinian and Israeli children alike."

Davids' three girls and a boy "are roughly
the same age Cole says. "Our oldest sons
are rooming together at Michigan State
University.
"This [organization] is something he's
approaching as an Arab leader?' Cole said.
"He saw what the hospital does for the
Arab community:"
Funds raised through the dinner —
the goal was $50,000 — are targeted
for Shaare Zedek's genetics department,

which researches childhood diseases
found in Israeli and Palestinian children.
"Genetic disorders exist in both popula-
tions," David said. "This will help in their
detection and early intervention:'
Three of the more than 100 dinner
guests — Florine Mark, Michael Traison
and Tim Attalla — were already familiar
with Shaare Zedek Medical Center, hav-
ing been honored in recent years for their
contributions.

-Dr. Shukri David

Culture Of Respect
"Ifs not only about the hospital, it's
all about the culture — the Israelis,
Palestinians, Arabs and Jews treating
each other with honor and respect:' Mark,
president and CEO of The WW (Weight
Watchers) Group, Inc. in Farmington Hills,
told the crowd.
"Peace is about letting every person live
his life. I believe while the politicians are
trying to make peace, someone has to be

Giving Peace on page 30

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October 21 • 2010