‘It Means the World to Me’

The Fellowship  |  January 22, 2025

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(Photo: Arik Shraga)

“Can you play old Israeli songs during my MRI exam?” Yona asks Maisa, a nurse who is preparing her for the procedure.

“Yes, of course!” Maisa replies, giving Yona a gentle smile.

This is Yona’s first-time visiting Herzog Hospital for her MRI check. For the past 20 years, she has been undergoing her oncology-related regular check-ups at another hospital. However, this time, she could not be admitted there due to a scanner malfunction. Yona was nervous — she couldn’t afford to delay her check-ups. Fortunately, she learned about an opportunity to perform her MRI exam at Herzog Hospital, where a brand-new scanner, purchased by The Fellowship, had been installed just a month ago. She was admitted quickly enough to undergo the check-up on time.

Yona will be celebrating her 89th birthday in a month. She was born in Lviv, Ukraine, and when World War II began, she was forced into a ghetto. She lived there from 1939 until 1943, when, by a stroke of luck, she managed to escape. Yona fled to Warsaw and was rescued by Christian nuns in a monastery.

Yona didn’t see her mother for several years, as her mother was serving as a doctor. Shortly after the war ended, in 1946, Yona arrived in the Holy Land, two years before the modern state of Israel was founded. It was there that she was finally reunited with her mother.

In Israel, Yona studied literature at the University of Tel Aviv, where she met her future husband. After completing her studies, she worked as a teacher all her life until her retirement.

The war in Israel, which began on October 7, 2023, is the seventh war Yona has lived through. Having experienced every military conflict in Israel’s history, she admits that the current one is the most draining and difficult for her. She lives in a relatively old building in Jerusalem, and her apartment doesn’t have a protected room. When a siren goes off, the best she can do is hide in the stairwell. For an 89-year-old woman who moves very slowly with the help of a walker, this is extremely challenging, especially during the night. Yona is deeply worried about the fate of the kidnapped Israelis and was profoundly shocked and frightened by the scale of the 2023 invasion.

Yona lives alone and relies on the assistance of a homecare worker. She has two grown children and five grandchildren, who live in various parts of Israel. As a cancer survivor with numerous health issues, she can hardly walk. Easy access to medical services is vital for her, and the fact that she was able to quickly arrange an MRI scan at Herzog Hospital means a great deal to her. “I want to thank The Fellowship for purchasing this machine,” says Yona. “I need my check-ups on a regular basis, and it means the world to me.”