This week we were privileged to host Dr. Michael Alkan in a joint program with the American Association of Ben Gurion University. Dr. Alkan is a professor emeritus of Medicine at Ben Gurion University and headed the infectious disease department at Soroka hospital.
Dr. Alkan has dedicated his career to bringing medical relief to communities facing the effects of natural disasters around the world. In 2005, he watched the news and heard the story of communities in need in New Orleans. He decided he needed to be there “we can sit here and say that it’s terrible, or we can act” - a few days later he was in New Orleans. He was on the ground in Nepal after the earthquake in 2015, in Macedonia in 1999 helping refugees, and in Southeast Asia in 2004 providing aid to survivors of the Tsunami.
Dr. Alkan’s story is a perfect example of the Jewish concept “Tikun Olam”, literally meaning repairing the world. The Foreign Ministry takes part in with its MASHAV division, Israel's official international development cooperation program. MASHAV focuses on poverty alleviation, food security, and upgrading basic health and education services for communities in need. They coordinated the Israeli delegation to Nepal after the earthquake where their efforts included the construction of a field hospital.
In earlier natural disasters, MASHAV has worked with other Israeli entities like the IDF’s home front command, helping people in need in Haiti, the Philippines and Western Africa. These actions are being done not only by the Foreign Ministry but also by Israeli organizations like IsraAID and Tevel B’tzedek. All of which can be reflected in the famous saying from the Mishnah, “whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world”.