Targeesh Tov - Feel Better: the Hadassah Hospital Pediatric Oncology Ward

At Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, Arabs, Jews, and Christians are united towards one common goal - becoming healthy again. This morning, I visited the Children's Oncology wing with a group of NFTY in Israel participants who have spent the past week doing Mitzvah projects throughout the Jerusalem area. We spent a morning with residents at Keren Or, a home for blind and severely disabled youth; visited with the elderly workers at Yad L'kashish - Lifeline to the Old - who spend their mornings creating beautiful and intricately painted Judiaca; and did craft projects with residents at a nursing home. The NFTY participants learned how to twist balloon animals and I joined them each day to help them sing with each community they visited. Lacking a common language, singing, smiling, and laughing served as our only means to communicate.

Spending time in the Children's Cancer Ward was particularly special. Most of the Israeli children who spend extended time in the ward were away at day camp - so the majority of children we met today were Arab Israelis. Each child was attached to a machine which provided their treatment for the day, but most seemed unphased by this lifeline. At sight of balloon animals, all of the children ran to us and quickly the NFTY participants went into action - twisting colorful hats and dogs.

I spent most of my time singing with 2 year-old Fatma and his parents. They live in East Jerusalem and he has 5 older siblings. His father spoke to me a bit in English and tried to teach me a few words of Arabic while his mother sat next to us silently, smiling on occasion. Mostly Fatma bounced up and down to the music - we were singing Old McDonald for a very long time and I made sure not to sing about the pig who might have lived on Old McDonald's farm. Another little girl, Maya - who had a severe heart condition and epilepsy joined us and for a moment, it seemed like a basic example of peace and coexistance - until Fatma started innocently pulling her hair.

We tried to sing to the kids to distract and calm them when a nurse came over to give them injections. Surprisingly for the first time in my life, I wasn't squeemish.

My friend and classmate, Brian Immerman, joined me for the day and we spent some time talking to two brothers - Nati and Lior. Nati was receiving treatment through an IV while we hung out . I secretly hoped that Lior was just there to keep him company or maybe to give his brother blood for a transfusion, but it appeared that Lior was also receiving treatment through a similar IV line.

We had the opportunity to visit the synagogue in the hospital which houses THE Chagall Windows. We sang Mi Sheberach, a prayer of healing, and Modeh Ani, which is usually said in the morning to thank God for restoring to us our souls.

One of the NFTY participants reflected on the ways that Jews, Muslims, Christians were all existing peacefully in the walls of the hospital and noted "that's how Israel should be"

-minus the cancer.