“When I hear the words ‘Hope Without Boundaries,’ that tells me Sheba is not here just for the residents of Tel-Aviv and its surrounding areas. Sheba’s mission is for the world.”

We sat down with South Florida couple Joel and Madaline Policzer to discover what inspired them to support Sheba Medical Center.

Joel, a palliative care physician, has been to Israel several times and visited multiple hospitals. He was looking for a hospital in Israel where he could volunteer as part of the ‘American Physicians Fellowship for Medicine in Israel’ when he attended an AIPAC meeting.

“Sheba had set up a field hospital as an exhibit, and I started speaking to someone there about coming to volunteer. They said, ‘Of course! Do you want to come today? Next week?’ So that’s how I was introduced to Sheba.”

When he finally visited Sheba, Joel was thoroughly impressed: from the quality of care to the staff and its approach to medicine. In particular, he praised Sheba’s field hospital program and compared it to the relief efforts in South Florida following hurricanes.

“I find it incredible that a field hospital of that complexity and quality can be put up in such a short period of time. We live in South Florida and suffer hurricanes every summer. Every summer, the Red Cross and other emergency services have to go out and put up field hospitals, feed people, house them, and care for their medical needs. It’s nothing compared to what Sheba was able to put up.”

A while later, Joel’s wife, Madeline, joined him on a visit to Sheba. She had no idea what to expect and feared that, not being a clinician herself, the visit may be tedious for her.

“When I actually got there, I was blown away by Sheba. I was captivated by the lectures we attended and could not get enough. Learning about the field hospital in Ukraine, in particular, was unbelievable. Besides being very innovative, The thing that impressed me about Sheba is that they are open and welcoming. If you have an idea, they don’t say no, they make it happen. How can we do this together? It’s very collaborative. And I don’t see that in the States, it’s very unique. Anyone can turn to Sheba with their medical problems: Sheba serves the world, and to me, that’s incredibly important.“

Summing up why he supports Sheba, Joel added:

“What happens globally eventually affects us all. To improve healthcare, whether it’s basic healthcare, treating congenital defects, or helping victims of hurricanes, earthquakes, and fires, we cannot just stay in our corner of the world, and Sheba knows how to do that. That’s information that needs to go out to the world. Therefore, when we go back to our community, friends, and colleagues, we know how important it is to talk about what Sheba is able to accomplish and encourage them to come to Israel and see for themselves.”

Thank you, Joel and Madeline, for your support!