My wife and I just arrived back from Israel after 3 amazing weeks – 5 days on the Beit Halochem “Courage in Motion” bike ride in the Galilee and then 2 weeks in Jerusalem working at the DVI clinic. The eighth year for us, it is always a wonderful experience being in Israel but this time, I was greatly affected by my experiences.

I always look forward to challenging bike rides in Israel – so many spectacular vistas as we pedal up and down mountainous terrain. But, the experience of meeting and riding with the war veterans who were with us, made a most profound impact on me. Men and women who had suffered injuries we can not comprehend, who have managed to piece their lives back together and who don’t consider themselves “disabled”, makes me appreciate how lucky we really are. These people are the heroes of Israel and I felt honoured to have met some of them.

After our ride, we had a tour of the Beit Halochem facility in Tel Aviv and again met and talked to a number of the veterans. The sports complex may have a “country club” appearance with a 50 metre pool, basketball courts, table tennis, shooting range and more, all available to the veterans and their families 7 days a week, but it is refuge and healing ground for the physically and mentally wounded. Unfortunately there was a need to add a new facility in Beer-Sheva along with those in Haifa and Jerusalem to accommodate the increasing number of men and women who would really prefer not to be members of this “country club”.

While I was working at the DVI clinic in Jerusalem, we hitched on to an organized tour of the Beit Halochem complex there. Cycling is a big part of the rehabilitation program with disabled veterans riding the rear seat of tandems manned by strong riders or riding recumbent style bikes with “hand pedals”. They ride regularly at least three times a week into the Jerusalem forest. Art classes also provide a healing outlet for these veterans and when we viewed an art class in action, two of the veterans offered up their beautiful work to two people in our tour group.

Doing dentistry at the DVI clinic is always a rewarding experience for me – so many children to treat. Even though it seems the economy in Israel is picking up, particularly with tourism being at record levels, poverty is still an ever present issue and so many families cannot afford the dentistry that is so needed. One patient I treated three times over the two week period moved me emotionally. This quiet 14 year old girl had so many broken down teeth including all her front teeth that I was at a loss as to how we could help her at the clinic. I suspected that were other factors that allowed this kind of damage to occur, and I was right. She had been taken away from her family, having suffered abuse of one form or another and now lived at an orthodox school/shelter with other girls. She reminded me of the wounded war veterans as not only does she suffer great discomfort but she must feel alone and disfigured. How would it be possible to restore her mouth so she could smile with confidence and not feel “handicapped”?

I realized that the amount and extent of her treatment is beyond the scope of the DVI clinic and would probably not be available to her in Israel. Before I left the clinic, I offered to do all the necessary dental treatment for this child here in Toronto, providing she gets approval from the necessary agencies in Israel, medical clearance, air transportation and housing with an orthodox family for the several months it will take to complete treatment. If we in the Jewish community and through the Alpha Omega dental fraternity, can assist in housing, transportation, specialist treatment (endo), etc, perhaps like the injured war veterans, we can assist in making this young person whole again.

Anything is possible.