The South rises: Rehabilitative medicine will change the Negev narrative

• Author: SHILOH KRAMER
• Published date: 06 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

But our "big move" from Woodmere, New York, to Ramat Beit Shemesh amid a pandemic was about more than returning to our roots. Having discovered a golden opportunity in the Negev, I was determined to help build the future of Israel – a brilliant national metamorphosis powered by rehabilitation.

A Jerusalemite by birth, I spent my childhood in Samaria before my family moved to the US. Years later, when it was time to plan our family's triumphant return to Israel, we turned to Nefesh B'Nefesh for guidance regarding communities and employment. It was then we were introduced to the ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran Rehabilitation Village, an extraordinary community where people from diverse backgrounds and all levels of ability can live, heal and grow together.

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As a rehabilitation physician specializing in cancer rehabilitation, sports and regenerative medicine, I was intrigued by the village's plans to establish the first-ever rehabilitation hospital in Israel's south. As a proud Israeli, I was excited by the prospect of helping to bring quality care, housing and employment opportunities to the Negev. And as a devout Jew, I was overcome with pride when I heard about (and later witnessed) the acts of heroic humanity performed daily by the ADI staff and volunteers who care for and empower hundreds of children and young adults with severe disabilities.

I immediately recognized ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran (formerly ALEH Negev-Nahalat Eran) as the gold standard in rehabilitative care and Jewish responsibility, and I saw a chance to make my mark by providing the most underserved populations in Israel with the care and attention they deserve.

A year later, I not only stand by my decision but revel in it.

Having trained at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, a host of top hospitals clamored to add me to their rosters. But it wasn't until I arrived in the Negev that I knew I'd found my place and my purpose.

Here, I run the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit, which serves adults with orthopedic and neurological disabilities, and our diverse yet cohesive family of medical and therapeutic professionals changes and saves lives with a proprietary blend of rehabilitation, research and respect. We not only provide state-of-the-art rehabilitation services previously nonexistent in southern Israel, but successfully keep families together...