Sara+E

toc __** Making a difference **__



=Rationale: For Profile:=

In every community there are people who spend their time helping others. In Rehavia, that person is Dr. David Hammer. Dr David Hammer, is a former doctor who now dedicates his time in order to organize a bike-a-thon that raises money for the children rehabilitation hospital, Alyn. As I interviewed Dr. David Hammer I learned so much about him, that I did not know. I never realized how much volunteering he does out of his own will, on his own time. By meeting a man so dedicated to good causes, it inspired me to want to do the same. I hope that now and in my upcoming future I will give to the world as much as I can. In addition I hope this article will awaken readers as well to find the goodness in themselves and share it with the world.

=Profile=

"My wife, Florence, always felt we were very fortunate to have a Jewish, religious background and proper schooling. Therefore, we felt it was important to be supportive of as many worthwhile causes as we could." This is a quote from Dr. David Hammer, an anesthesiologist who made aliya from New York. He presently runs the Wheels of Love volunteer program at Alyn hospital. He himself is a volunteer, but having a background as a medical director and hospital administrator, he is able to bring his medical and administrative skills to this Israeli hospital. Alyn Hospital in Jerusalem is the only complete rehabilitation hospital for children, in Israel. It treats children, from birth through their teens, who are victims of terror, auto mobile accidents, or who have birth or congenital defects. Alyn's accomplishments and techniques are well known worldwide.

The Wheels of Love Ride is an annual fundraising bike ride throughout Israel. About three hundred riders from Israel and abroad, ride for the benefit of Alyn hospital. This takes a lot of planning and organizing. Dr. Hammer works on many aspects of the ride as a member of the Riders Organizing Committee. The committee works year round on planning the logistics for the ride. Dr. Hammer supervises 30-35 volunteers who give food and drink to the riders, direct traffic, help organize the overnight stay and assist in all general activities that are required to help the riders. As an experienced physician, Dr. Hammer serves on the medical committee. In addition as a religious Jew, he serves on the kashrut committee as well. He first heard about Alyn from his son and grandsons who participated as riders. He felt it was a good way to combine many of his past experiences. His first impression was that a group of very pleasant, dedicated and enthusiastic people work and volunteer for the Ride. As the time passed, Dr. Hammer has noted that riders think they come to experience a bike ride and see some of Israel, but after observing the miracles that occur at the hospital they quickly learn that they come to participate for the benefit of the children helped by Alyn. He is amazed at how many people return year after year and work so hard as riders as well as fund raisers. Dr. Hammer was born and raised in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He studied in a public school and learned in an afternoon Talmud Torah. As a teen he went to study in a yeshiva high school and at Yeshiva University as an undergraduate in New York. He was in the second graduating class of Albert Einstein School of Medicine. He worked in a hospital in Brooklyn, New York and then completed his residency in Anesthesiology in the U.S. Navy in California. As someone who did not start his Jewish education in his

early years, he helped start the first Jewish day school in San Diego. This was one of his first volunteer jobs together with his wife. Dr. Hammer also stated that he went into medicine because he was interested in the field and always wanted to help people. After returning to New York and working as director of anesthesia and medical director in Joint Diseases as well as North General Hospital, Dr. Hammer helped start a religious boy's high school, followed by a girl's high school for his children in Monsey. He has been continuously involved in various community projects as well as helping charities from all over the world. As for the future, Dr. Hammer sees himself hopefully healthy and thus able to continue his charitable work. His work at Alyn is a continuation of his life's work in charity and volunteering. Since joining Alyn's volunteer team, Dr. Hammer has seen growth in the organization and how they have developed from past experiences. He has seen the improvement of many children's development, because of the support of the Wheels of Love. Two young teens treated with serious brain surgery a few years back, were able to join in the whole ride this year.

This year Dr. Hammer was thrilled to have senior high school students join the volunteers. They added energy, enthusiasm and excitement. He feels that teens should include themselves in the elevation of character that helping others produces. His advice for teens is, “Work hard at school to gain knowledge. Work hard for the sake of helping others, in order to take that knowledge further. Work hard at building a family, to continue this type of living for the sake of all of Israel In addition to volunteering, Dr. Hammer also donates funds to the cause. The ride raises approximately $2,000,000. Many people throughout the world donate and are involved in this cause. Wherever he is in the world, Dr. Hammer always seems to meet someone who has either joined the ride or had a friend or relative who was on the ride. "I have learned that I received more than I have given" Hammer says of his volunteer work. "Volunteering does a lot of good for the needy, but even more so, it develops and expands the mind, body, and soul of the person fortunate enough to be able to help." = =

=Rationale: For Research Article:= As a proud Jewish girl, I feel the Holocaust is as much my own personal history as that of the six million Jews who were mercilessly murdered during the war. For that reason, I think Yad Vashem is a very influential and important organization. In my opinion, Yad Vashem is one of the many organizations that presents our history as Jews. The Holocaust was a big degradation in Jewish history, but from it we learned how to be stronger. Yad Vashem reminds us of that strength every day. In addition, it reminds us  of the heroic “Righteous Gentiles”, who risked their lives and one of the biggest reasons we became a state. These are a few of the many reasons why I admire Yad Vashem. I hope readers enjoy and come to appreciate Yad Vashem as much as I do.

= = =Yad Vashem= Holocaust is a word that you hear and immediately think of suffering, killing and death. But what about heroes, survivors, and proud Jews? The holocaust is a significant event in Jewish history and Jewish life. It reminds us Jews, that people all around the world want and have even tried to destroy us, but never fully succeeded. This is something we should be thankful for and never forget. In order to remember the Holocaust, the museum, Yad Vashem, was built as a memorial for the Jewish victims of that time. “The origin for the name is from a Biblical verse from Isaiah 56:5: “And to them will I give in my house and within my walls a memorial and a name(Yad Vashem) that shall not be cut off”” [1]. This name is appropriate because it is a memorial to those who perished or suffered. In addition, it is symbolic to our continuity and our everlasting name. The name

encompasses what the museum is trying to do. “The task of Yad Vashem is to perpetuate the memory and lessons of the Holocaust for future generations.” [2] Yad Vashem was established in 1953 and is located on Mount Herzl in Jerusalem. It is the most visited tourist site in Israel after the Western Wall. Yad Vashem has memorial sites such as the Hall of Remembrance and the Children’s Memorial. The Children’s Memorial is in memory of the approximately 1.5 million children who perished in the war. Furthermore, Yad Vashem includes an exhibit of Holocaust art in the form of paintings, sculptors, photography and outdoor commemorative displays. Yad Vashem provides global support for any matter involving the Holocaust. It is a memorial that helps people learn about the holocaust and helps Holocaust survivors in many areas. It gave Holocaust survivors stability after they lost everything during the war. It also keeps track of all Holocaust survivors, victims and righteous gentiles. By keeping track of all this, Yad Vashem is able to aid Holocaust survivors in finding out about family they were separated from during the war either by force or by choice to protect each other.

“The Righteous Gentiles were defined as non-Jews who risked their lives to save Jews during the Holocaust.” [3] “Righteous Among The Nation” is a program which hands out awards to these heroes that sheltered the Jews, or saved them by risking their own lives(so far 23,700 individuals have been honored since the 1960s). Some of the righteous gentiles after the war became poor and they were found by the Jew/s they sheltered and helped by Yad Vashem. “Due to the increase of international interest in the Shoah, the desire to encourage and support worldwide scholarly research on the Shoah and related topics, Yad Vashem established the International Institute for Holocaust Research in 1993.” [4] Yad Vashem offers an education by operating the International School for Holocaust Studies which also includes online courses. It provides courses for educators both in Israel and throughout the world. In addition, it has age appropriate study programs for Israeli and foreign schools, in order to teach students of all ages about the Holocaust. Yad Vashem holds memorials and commemorations, to be certain that no one forgets that horrific period. It also preserves the memory and names of the six million Jews murdered as well as, the Jewish communities which were destroyed during the Holocaust.

Yad Vashem develops workshops, international conferences and undertakes research projects. Furthermore, Yad Vashem collects resources, photos and documents. It publishes memoirs, albums, research and diaries making peoples experiences available to the general public. This assists holocaust survivors in finding family or friends they were separated from during the war. A lot of the times they were told, as they expected, that their relatives perished in the war. Although many Jews died in the Holocaust, in quite a few cases they were reunited with their loved ones, after the war. During the Holocaust our people were not as fortunate as we are today. They did not have a country to escape to when they were in danger in their variuos homes. This is the first era in a long time that the Jewish nation has the land of Israel under their rule. We should really appreciate how lucky we are to have our own nation the State of Israel. Our shared history, along with the experience of the Holocaust, strongly connects the people of our nation. Having Israel, our nations promised land from the time of our forefathers, gives us a chance to be united and have a place we can be proud to call our home.

[1] <[]> [2] <[]> [3] < []> [4] < []> = = =Rationale: For Literary Connection:=

I chose to write about “Hatikva” because to me that is what connects me to my roots, nation and religion. This song was written at the time of the establishment of the state. It makes me feel a part of something big, special and important. I feel, that “Hatikva” is more than just words you sing at the end of Jewish assemblies. To me, it is words of hope for the present and future that help me get through tough times. For that reason I choose it for my literary connection. I want people to not only know the words of the anthem but to really understand the true meaning and their power the next time they sing it. I hope when readers see how I feel about the song they will understand and identify with me.

A Jewish soul still desires. And forward, towards the east, An eye still looks towards Zion; Our hope is not yet lost, The hope of two thousand years, To be free people in our land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem. || כל עוד בלבב פנימה   נפש יהודי הומיה,   ולפאתי מזרח, קדימה,   עין לציון צופיה:   עוד לא אבדה תקותנו,   התקוה בת שנות אלפים,   להיות עם חפשי בארצנו,    ארץ ציון וירושלים. ||  || Hatikva is the national anthem of Israel, written by Naphtali Herz Imber. The author wrote ten stanzas for the song, but only the first two are used. This poem was submitted as anthem at the same time that Shir Hamalot (psalm 126 ) was submitted. Hatikva became the official anthem amongst Jews throughout the world as of 1905 when it was sung at the seventh Zionist Congress. When I hear Hatikva, the national anthem of Israel an exciting feeling bubbles up in my heart, a feeling of connection to Israel, a feeling of connection to my people. This song represents every Israeli and Jew, no matter where he is in the world. Israel for me is that connection. Knowing anytime it is hard or there are wars, hope is what carries us through. Hatikva = The Hope! It is hope for now, for the future, and for anyone personally. It is the hope of the Jewish nation. It is the hope that brings us up when we’re down, because we know we have each other. We are one of the only nations who is a nation but joined by our common religion as well. Although a lot of the other nations think otherwise that makes us strong as well. An interesting point about this song is that it is sung in a low key, so some might find it sad and depressing, but in fact, it is a happy song. I think the low key makes it interesting, beautiful, and unique. Even if the low key makes you cry, I think they are tears of happiness.
 * =The Hope= || As long as in the heart, within,

=Reflection:=

After working on this project I feel I have gained a lot. I have learned so much about Yad Vashem and how it really helps Holocaust survivors, righteous gentiles, and even just people that want to learn about the Holocaust. I have learned new things about Yad Vashem as well, such as; the meaning of the name and all the ways they help remember. Additionally, I have seen that there are amazing people in the world that dedicate their time in order to help others, such as Dr. David Hammer. Furthermore, after doing some research on “Hatikvah”, which is the Israeli anthem, l learnt that the song was originally ten stanzas although we only know two. As I advanced forward in the project, I realized how this project is trying to teach us that we were brought to this world by God in order to give of ourselves and do as much good as we can. While working on this project I saw how meaningful it is. It made me realize how much good I have surrounding me and how I should take time to notice it more in order to really appreciate it. It has been eye opening to see how many people sacrifice their own time and personal needs for others. I hope this project will help my readers motivate themselves to try to give to the world all they can offer.

=Bibliography:=

“Righteous among the Nations”, __Wikipedia__, 27th of November 2011, 17/1/12. <[]> “Yad Vashem”, __Jewish virtual library,__ 17/1/12. <[]> “Yad Vashem” The International Institute for Holocaust Research, 17/1/12. <[]> “Yad Vashem”, __Wikipedia__, 7th of January 2012, 17/1/12. <[]>