PRESIDENTIAL REFLECTIONS- Israeli Chapter Visitations- PART ONE

PRESIDENTIAL REFLECTIONS—Israeli Chapter Visitation- Part One
Greetings from Tel Aviv! As I sit down to write this week’s blog, I want to share with you my observations and insights that I have gained in these last few days in Israel. Having departed from JFK International Airport on Sunday evening, our flight was delayed due to runway construction. Unfortunately, we then missed our connecting flight from London’s Heathrow to Israel, and instead of leaving London on Monday morning at 8:30 am, we were rescheduled onto a flight that left London at 3:30pm, instead of arriving in Israel at about 3:30pm, we ended up arriving at about 11:30pm. Unfortunately, my bag ended up on another vacation, and arrived two days later!
Early Tuesday morning, Regent David Ash promptly picked me up and we arrived at the AO Tel Aviv Chapter’s annual Zicher day meeting, where we joined approximately 250 attendees. I was warmly greeted by Tel Aviv Chapter President Shahar Blachash, and all the others in attendance. This meeting was excellently organized, with more than a dozen sponsors, and prominent international speakers. David Ash gave an outstanding and thorough presentation, utilizing the Power Point presentation designed by Wendy Spektor, speaking passionately of the importance of Alpha Omega. It was also good to see Hebrew University Hadassah University School of Dental Medicine, Founded by Alpha Omega’s Dean Adam Stabholtz, in attendance at this meeting as well. I was given the opportunity to address the gathering, and bring greetings from AO International, and stressed the importance and significance of this year’s theme “ the Year for the Member” , and communicating the unique nature of AO on a local as well as an international level. One of the speakers, David Manton from Melbourne Dental School, is a pediatric dentist who specifically inquired about Fred Margolis, and was saddened to both have missed his much anticipated lectures in Australia, and made a point of wishing Fred a speedy recovery. One of the young dentists that I had the pleasure of meeting at the lecture was Dr. Dudu Jagudaev, who has recently opened his new office, a graduate of the University of Lithuania, with family in Russia and Tel Aviv, Dudu wanted me to know that it meant a lot to him that Shahar (the Tel Aviv chapter President) has been such a meaningful and powerful mentor to him. Interestingly enough, Shahar spoke glowingly of Dr. Joseph Fish, who has meant so much to him as a mentor. In a 6 degree of separation Alpha Omega way, it is interesting to note that Dr. Fish was the original member of the student chapter at Tel Aviv University.
Our incredibly attentive, passionate, punctual, sensitive and kind host, David Ash, picked us up and we joined approximately 25 members of the Tel Aviv chapter for a wonderful, fraternal evening. It was great seeing Danny Kaufman and Hagay Slutsky, and rekindling old friendships. This brought about memories of the first Alpha Omega International convention in Israel, when Richard’s father, PIP Eli Brody, was International Treasurer and Convention Rep, and the late PIP Yehuda Kaufman was Convention Treasurer, and Richard worked with a small group of Israeli fraters, led by the late Dean Jack Lewin-Epstein, and worked with Yehuda to assure that all details, including registration went smoothly. I had the opportunity to speak to Ephraim Winocur, the Coordinator of the Orofacial Pain &TMD Clinic at Tel Aviv University, who told me that his daughter was beginning her MBA at Columbia University in September 2010, and I made a point of telling Ephraim and his wife to have his daughter contact me when she came to New York, and that she was welcome to join us for the Jewish holidays. It was great sitting next to Oran Abramowsky, Hagay’s partner, and professor at Hebrew University. Tel Aviv University Dean Haim Tal was nervously looking forward to the next few days, when the Israeli government was to give him the word on the status of the dental school. When David Ash had some car trouble, Haim drove us to our hotel from the restaurant and we shared a wonderful conversation, and Haim let me know he was looking forward to my visit to the dental school the following day.
Shahar Blachsash picked us up the next morning, and we made a brief stop at one of his offices, and had the opportunity to meet the inimitable Dr. Fish, and soon realized why Shahar felt so highly about him. Shahar then took us on a tour of Rabin Square, amongst other areas, before taking us to the dental school. At the dental school, we had a meeting with Dean Haim Tal, Head of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Editor of the Journal of the Israeli Dental Assoc. Benjamin Peretz, and Executive Director Haim Naor, and had an open and thorough discussion about the status and obstacles regarding the dental school. Although it was obvious that these men were under incredible stress waiting for the government’s decision, they were excellent hosts, and Haim Tal promised to call me as soon as he knew anything regarding the school’s status. After being taken on a tour of the school, I had the opportunity to meet with the 5th Year students and faculty and emphasize how important AO was to their future, what AO has done for the profession, especially in Israel. I advised them to look on all of the walls and rooms, etc. where Alpha Omega is prominently mentioned, let them know that the people attached to those names were giving ,caring AO’s and answered their questions. I emphasized that the members of the Tel Aviv chapter were willing and eager to mentoring them, and reviewed the details of the Holocaust Survivors Program being done by the Tel Aviv chapter members, and what a great community service project this was for them to participate in. We were taken to a working lunch on campus, where discussions continued. Late that afternoon, having “missed us,” David Ash unexpectedly called us and insisted on picking us and taking us to another wonderful dinner, and great AO conversation.
At 7:30 am on June 24th, David Ash and his charming wife Haya picked us up for our visit with the Haifa chapter. Our first stop was at Rambam hospital, where Haifa chapter President Josef Herskovits joined us. He has enthusiastically lead and help grow the Haifa chapter for the last two years. Frater Dror Aizenbud, the Director of the Orthodontic & Craniofacial Unit, escorted us around the health care facility, and showed us all the great work and new construction they were doing. Dror is so energetic and such an incredible “force” that he is also on the faculty of The Ruth & Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine. Approximately two years ago, Rambam Health Care Campus started The School of Graduate Dentistry, and we were soon joined by Prof. Eli E. Machtel, the Director of the School. Between David Ash’s persistence and insistence, and Dror’s vitality and commitment,and my encouragement Professor Machtel has become an Alpha Omega “believer’ and new member . This program is unbelievable because it was started with the vitality, commitment and vision of Eli ,with Dror and the faculity’s help.They will succeed because of the great work they are doing in serving the large underserved population in the northern part of Israel. Since both Hebrew University and Tel Aviv University are in the central part of the country, this program treats many people who otherwise might never receive adequate treatment, and the new graduate school is training specialists for Israel, where there is a great need for dental specialists. We also had the pleasure of witnessing some of the incredible work and cases they are treating. Their results with Cleft Palate patients were truly inspiring. This is a great program led by terrific people, and the Haifa fraters are a terrific group! They then introduced me to Ido Perlman PhD., the Dean of the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, who emphasized how valuable the efforts of Dror and Eli and the graduate program and dental clinics were to his overall medical curriculum.
Through the efforts of Frater Nelly Steinbock, whose patient is the Medical Director for the Baha’i Center, we were given a private, breath-taking, inspirational tour of the Baha’i World Centre and Gardens. My friend and former patient, Helen Gantz, who has moved back to Haifa, joined us, and has now become Nelly’s patient. We were joined by about a dozen Haifa fraters, as well as David and Haya’s son and daughter-in-law. To make the visit even more amazing, I received a “happy call” from Haim Tal, giving me the good news that the government had approved the Tel Aviv dental school’s plans to accept a new first- year class. David and Haya brought us to check in at our hotel in Haifa, and I immediately sent e-mails informing some of the fraternity and US AO Foundation leadership that the school received its much anticipated and awaited approval to continue! That evening Dror Aizenbid and his wife opened up their beautiful home and gardens and hosted a dinner for close to fifty Fraters and spouces. In additional to delicious food, and spectacular hospitality, Dr. Josef Herskovits gave meaningful and heartfelt greeting, and introduced me to the Haifa fraters. I spoke about Alpha Omega on an international level, and how important each and every member was to our fraternity, and brought them up to date on some items I believed were relevant. After we ate, Dror gave an exemplary scientific presentation and Power Point presentation. After a very full and satisfying day and night, David and Haya, Richard and I returned to our” hard to find “Haifa hotel.
As I am writing this, it is now approximately 10 PM Israeli time on June 25th. Today, we visited the Ziv Medical Center in Zefat, Israel. This program, under the Directorship of Dr Oscar M Embon, serves one of the poorest areas of Israel. This area of Israel has been often attacked from the close by Lebanese border, and treats the “risky” Golan Heights/ Galilee area. I was the recipient of two lovely books from him, a history of the hospital and a local cookbook that’s sales benefit the hospital. Dr. Alejandro Roisentul is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, who has had the vision and vigor to open a small program to treat the oral and dental needs of the under-served of this area at Ziv Medical Center. Alejandro, and his wife Juliana, who is both an educator and a Dental Hygienist, moved to Israel from Argentina, and have truly made a difference in the Zefat region by selflessly serving and educating the healthcare professionals of the area and the population! By the way, I would recommend you looking at Chapter 6 of the Quintessence publication of Current Concepts of TM Disorders, where Alejandro is a co-author of the chapter. After our hospital tour and meetings, Alejandro arranged for us to be a given a personal tour of the old city of Zefat by the city’s Mayor. We were able to observe both beauty and history simultaneously. The old city is the founding home of spiritual Judaism (Kabbalah), and has incredible Jewish roots! We were welcomed into their home and met their children and pets before setting off back to Tel Aviv.
This week began to reopen my eyes to the complexities and big picture of Israel, and Israel healthcare, specifically dental and oral care. All of the Israeli population have important oral health needs, and while the dental schools in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv are incredibly important programs, these programs I have witnessed in the north are essential to the overall quality of oral health care in Israel. I look forward to reporting more to you in next week’s blog, and will report on my many visits during the upcoming days. All of us in Alpha Omega should recognize the important work being done by these great fraters, and hopefully support them in any way we can. We have the opportunity to address all of Israel’s population’s issues, and should realize the important place this concept is in our overall GOHI visualization. One of Our Global Oral Health Initiative’s goals is to help bring dentistry to the underserved around the world, and I have found great Fraters doing it right here in Israel and they deserve our help and a better understanding of their programs and aims.


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