The International Fellowship of Christians and Jews Dedicates New Fortified Dialysis Unit at Israeli Children’s Hospital
April 2, 2024
As the war and escalating regional tensions highlight the daily threat to Israel, the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews (The Fellowship) marked the opening of a fortified unit for pediatric dialysis at Schneider Children’s Hospital in Petach Tikvah, Israel.
The unit, named in memory of The Fellowship’s founder, Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, was made possible with a gift of more than $1.4 million from The Fellowship, with the specific purpose of enabling uninterrupted dialysis treatments amid the threat of rocket and missile attacks.
The gift was marked at a dedication ceremony attended by representatives of the hospital and The Fellowship, along with families currently receiving treatment in the hospital’s dialysis center. The new space joins the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and other sheltered areas that are outfitted for continued operation even under the threat of direct attack.
Schneider’s Dialysis Unit is recognized as Israel’s leading center for addressing pediatric nephrology disease and treats a wide variety of kidney related complications through multiple clinics and treatments. The hospital’s activities have increased significantly since the outbreak of the war with the influx of many new patients who had been evacuated from their homes along Israel’s northern and southern borders.
Dr. Efrat Baron-Harlev, Director of Schneider Children’s Hospital, addressed the ceremony saying, “Since October 7 we have been actively working to ensure maximum physical protection for all our patients, staff, and visitors. This new unit, provided through the support of The Fellowship, will be critical for enabling our dialysis services to continue despite what might be going on beyond the hospital walls.”
Fellowship President and CEO Yael Eckstein added, “Because this war has confronted Israel with all sorts of constantly changing challenges and scenarios, our focus and dedication has been on raising and distributing the funds necessary to respond to these new realities. We see it as a great source of pride that we are able to partner with Schneider in this important project. I am particularly honored that this unit will bear my father’s name, as his life’s work was all about this quest to defend and promote the welfare of our nation’s children and families.”
The Fellowship is the largest provider of humanitarian aid in Israel and for more than 40 years has supported needy populations through a variety of projects and initiatives aimed at strengthening the country’s security, immigration, and poverty relief. Among its many security projects, The Fellowship has supported the purchase of fortified vehicles and hundreds of first responder medical kits, helped establish sheltered emergency department in the French Hospital in Nazareth, and helped fortify the NICU and MRI Units at Barzilai Medical Center in the southern city of Ashkelon.