The Israeli Government caved in to pressure from the UTJ and has decided to move the emergency room from Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon to its parking lot -- because renovation revealed there are human remains at the current ER's site, where they wanted to expand and renovate the ER and bomb proof it.
The cost of moving the ER: A staggering 135 Million Shekels (about 36 Million US Dollars)
"To protest Sunday’s decision, which will boost costs of the project by some NIS 135 million, cause years of delays due to new planning needs and lead to the much-needed structure being relatively far from the main hospital building, Health Ministry Director-General Dr. Eitan Hai-Am resigned on the spot.
Hai-Am, a respected medical administrator who was appointed by Litzman about half a year ago, previously served as a key Clalit Health Services administrator and director-general of Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba. " (JPost)
What could 36 Million dollars do instead of being used to move a hospital's ER? Don't forget that the bones are:
1. probably those of Roman pagans
2. they could be relocated, respectfully, regardless of whom they belonged to.
As commenter (and personal friend) Avrohom Shimon noted:
Our society does not have unlimited resources.
135 Million NIS could be used to saving hundreds, if not thousands of lives, through upgrading medical equipment, providing life-saving drugs, hiring more doctors and staff, upgrading the hospital, etc.
135 Million NIS could go a long way to helping impoverished families.
If I were buried there, and could be told, "your descendants have a choice -- move your grave or you can save their lives through building a modern ER" -- I don't think its even a question what I would choose.
Obviously we opt to save lives.
I'm embarrassed that Israel's government caved into this pressure and is wasting our money instead of transferring the graves.
PS: I heard this morning that in the parking lot where the ER is supposed to be transferred to, there are newly found graves as well.
The cost of moving the ER: A staggering 135 Million Shekels (about 36 Million US Dollars)
"To protest Sunday’s decision, which will boost costs of the project by some NIS 135 million, cause years of delays due to new planning needs and lead to the much-needed structure being relatively far from the main hospital building, Health Ministry Director-General Dr. Eitan Hai-Am resigned on the spot.
Hai-Am, a respected medical administrator who was appointed by Litzman about half a year ago, previously served as a key Clalit Health Services administrator and director-general of Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba. " (JPost)
What could 36 Million dollars do instead of being used to move a hospital's ER? Don't forget that the bones are:
1. probably those of Roman pagans
2. they could be relocated, respectfully, regardless of whom they belonged to.
As commenter (and personal friend) Avrohom Shimon noted:
The Jewish sources (e.g. Mishna, Tosefta, Talmud) state very clearly that when a city must expanded, the graves (Jewish graves of course) are moved away for the need of the living.Its unfortunate that political askanim (busybodies) distort reality in the way they present their questions to leading rabbis, so that the answer they receive is what they wish to hear.
For example תוספתא בבא בתרא א' יא' "כל הקברים מתפנים חוץ מקבר המלך וקבר הנביא"; Tosefta Bava Batra A, 11. "All graves can be moved except for those of a king and a prophet."
In the time of the Second Temple, this is what happened and archeology shows that when Jerusalem expanded to the north, the burial caves that were in the area were emptied and transferred to new burial caves outside the city.
Our society does not have unlimited resources.
135 Million NIS could be used to saving hundreds, if not thousands of lives, through upgrading medical equipment, providing life-saving drugs, hiring more doctors and staff, upgrading the hospital, etc.
135 Million NIS could go a long way to helping impoverished families.
If I were buried there, and could be told, "your descendants have a choice -- move your grave or you can save their lives through building a modern ER" -- I don't think its even a question what I would choose.
Obviously we opt to save lives.
I'm embarrassed that Israel's government caved into this pressure and is wasting our money instead of transferring the graves.
PS: I heard this morning that in the parking lot where the ER is supposed to be transferred to, there are newly found graves as well.
Visiting Israel?
Learn to Shoot at Caliber-3 with top Israeli Anti-Terror Experts!
Wherever I am, my blog turns towards Eretz Yisrael טובה הארץ מאד מאד
