24 | JANUARY 4 • 2024 J
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OUR COMMUNITY

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sraeli native and current West 
Bloomfield resident Dany 
Saar, 71, who served in the 
IDF for four years, knew he had 
to do something after Hamas’ 
attack on Israel.
“I felt the urge to go,
” explains 
the rehabilitation specialist, who 
has lived in West Bloomfield since 
the early ’90s. “I spoke to my wife 
about it, and I decided that I want 
to go and volunteer.
”
Saar, who was born in a kibbutz 
in northern Galilee, maintained 
many connections in Israel and 
got in touch with leadership at 
Sheba Medical Center in Tel 
HaShomer, near Tel Aviv.
As a specialist in hydrotherapy 
and other rehabilitation services, 
the hospital system quickly deter-
mined that Saar’s expertise was 

necessary to help treat injured 
and ill soldiers and civilians.
Not only was there an uptick in 
service requests with the ongoing 
war, but numerous industries 
across Israel faced staff shortages 
as many joined the Israel Defense 
Forces.

ONE-WAY TICKET
On Oct. 16, Saar packed his bags 
and flew on a one-way ticket to 
Israel.
He didn’t know how long he 
would be there or when he would 
return, but Saar, who was admit-
ted to the hospital staff as a vol-
unteer, was determined to help as 
long as needed.
On a day-to-day basis, the reha-
bilitation clinic saw some 60 to 70 
patients.

Israeli native and West 
Bloomfi
 eld resident volunteers 
rehab services in Israel.

Giving Hope to 
Injured Soldiers 
and Civilians

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

The rehabilitation clinic at 
Sheba Medical Center in Tel 
HaShomer (near Tel Aviv)

Dany Saar (wearing the 
Michigan shirt) poses 
with a patient at Sheba 
Medical Center.