Overview and my Perspective on the
Israeli Innovation Weekend and the impact for Rambam
Boston 4/30 - 5/1
By Lisa Woliner - Executive Assistant Aforam.
From my perspective, the weekend was a huge success, in that the Rambam name was out there. Now, when Bostonians speak of Israeli hospitals, they will not only think of Hadassah, but will think of Ramban and think of it as a progressive hospital, at the cutting edge of innovation.
Kudo’s to the organizers of this glorious weekend – Nancy and Sid Leifer- it was their brainstorm in memory to Alan Tichnor (Nancy’s father). This is the third year that Nancy and Sid have honored Alan’s memory, a true mensch and a positive force within the Boston community. April 30, May 1st and May 2nd will go down as a weekend for Israeli Innovation and its inventive partners.
A grand event as this one is truly a team effort and cannot be a success without the help and support of many people – I want to name several, but this does not cover the universe. Steve & Wendy Handler and Russell & Rebecca Stein for organizing “Night on Ben Yehuda Street” (details to follow). The Steering Committee led by Sid & Nancy Leifer, and their incomparable committee:
- Robin Blatt – our Rambam Boston Consultant and Principal of Applied Biogenuity Associates
- Jody Comins, Israel Activism Outreach Coordinator – Combined Jewish Philanthropies
- Jamie David, Director of Public Diplomacy – Consulate General of Israel to New England
- Tami Durst, Executive Director – New England Israel Business Council
- Gill Fishman, Owner – Gill Fishman Associates
- Adi Golani, Director of Economic Affairs – Consulate General of Israel to New England
- Hilla Holtash, Director of Public Affairs - Consulate General of Israel to New England
- Nancy Katz – Director of Israel Activities – Combined Jewish Philanthropies
- Ben Shamir, Former Director, New England Region – American Associates, Ben-Gurion University
- Jonathan Shapira, Associate – Goodwin Procter LLP & Founder Boston Israel Cleantech Alliance
- Joshua Shnider, Director of Press & Media Relations - Consulate General of Israel to New England
- Ilana Snapstailer, Director of Academic Affairs - Consulate General of Israel to New England
- Rony Yedidia, Deputy Consul General to New England - Consulate General of Israel to New England
This amazing group of people worked endlessly and gave many many hours of their time to bring together such an event.
THE WEEKEND WHERE RAMBAM SHINED
Robin brought it to our attention as she was on the steering committee and working for Aforam. After we were asked to participate, I went down to the office of Technion to hear Sid's presentation and to learn what the Israeli Innovation Weekend was all about.
Yair decided along with Rafi that this would be good exposure for Aforam/Rambam. The wheels were then set in motion. Robin would handle setting up parlor meetings and making formal contacts for Rafi’s visit to coincide with the weekend. I would handle the liaison between Israel (Talia and her team) from here in New York, and would be in touch with Jody Comins, the Exhibit coordinator, in addition to manning the Ramban exhibit for the weekend.
Saturday, May 1st, my portion of the weekend began. I, along with my husband, came to Congregation Mishkan Tefila in Chestnut Hill, MA. We set up the Aforam/Rambam table with flyers, pledge cards, brochures (Friends Help Other Friends), a beautiful banner and our “red heart” stress balls. I felt like I was at an “Israeli Wedding”. There was music, dancing and drinking and of course, good food. On one side of the room there were vendors selling Israeli crafts and Jewelry and on the other side, where we were situated, were four institutions – Technion, Weizberg Institute, Aforam/Rambam and Combined Jewish Philanthropies.
Whenever anyone walked by I would reach out to greet and say “Welcome to Rambam Hospital” - let me tell you about us. Most would say “I never heard of you”, some would say “I know of you”. I spoke about the Biodiscovery Tower and about the New Fortified Emergency Room underground – people were absolutely amazed at that – I asked them if they wanted more information. Many people were eager to find out more about Ramban and its mission and placed their names and email addresses on a mailing list. I handed them material and the “heart” and asked them to remember Rambam.
On Sunday morning, the “real” part of the weekend began for me. The exhibit that Rambam’s team led by Dr. Ora Israel and Talia Zaks was an interactive tool that was hands on and so enjoyable, for the children and for adults alike.
While I was downstairs at the Boston Science Museum, Rafi was giving his presentation on “Life Science Innovation at Rambam Medical Center” (A special thank you to Rafi) after his presentation and along with the others, people started coming down to the exhibits – I kept hearing how wonderful Prof. Beyar’s presentation was especially his description of the Underground Emergency Room.
Robin worked the room, introducing Rafi to everyone she met. Throughout the course of the day, hundreds of people passed our exhibit. I was busy with school groups, teachers, and parents. The highlight was the sparkle in the children eyes when they finished the "operation on Lily” the interactive patient who required cardiac surgery. When they finished, I would hand them a “red heart” and thank them for saving Lily’s life. Then the teachers, parents and grandparents would take our literature. Many people took pictures of their children/grandchildren “operating” on Lily. I made a connection with the husband and wife couple, who publish Shalom magazine, and who had their son complete a “successful” procedure on Lily. They said that they will put the picture they took of the exhibit in their magazine. As they say in marketing : "free publicity is better than paid advertising".
At 5pm – the museum was closed and then it was off to Mishkan Tefila for dinner, a panel discussion and cocktail party where our table was waiting with more handouts.
Between 7:30pm and 10:00pm – was the panel discussion – the distinguished panel consisted of:
- Saul Singer – co-author of “Start-Up Nation” the story of Israel’s economic miracle –
- Prof. Eilon Adar – Director, Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research, Blaustein Insitute for Desert Research – Ben-Gurion University of the Negvev
- Prof. Uri Alon – Depts. Of Molecular Cell Biology & Physics of Complex Systems, Weizmann Institute & Harvard University
- Dr. Rafi Beyar, CEO - Rambam Health Care Campus, Haifa, Israel
- Prof. Peretz Lavie, President, Technion – Israel Institue of Technolgy
- Prof. Yosi Shachman-Diamand, Bernard L. Schwartz Chair for Nano-Scale information Technologies, Tel Aviv University
The wonderful weekend concluded on Sunday evening with dessert and conversation, and I would say that everyone then knew the Rambam name.
But the weekend didn’t end there for Rafi. Irma Spencer, the wife of our esteemed board member Aaron Spencer, arranged for a series of meetings with several doctors from Children’ s Hospital in Boston including the President – James Mandell.
I would like to say thank you to Robin Blatt for her hard work from beginning to end for making Rafi’s trip to Boston a memorable one and for supporting me when I needed it. Thank you to our amazing board members Relly & Brent Dibner for opening their hearts and house for Aforam/Rambam. And thank you to Irma Spencer for opening the door to Children’s Hospital for Rambam. And a special thank you to Rafi for your endless strength and passionate devotion to Ramban. Lisa Woliner
A RAMBAM CELEBRATION
NEW YORK – “When you travel to developing countries, you see people dying that really could be saved. They don’t have access to
from l. to r. Adam O. Emmerich, Dr. Rafael Beyar, Sanford I. Weill, Joan Weill, Yair Kagan |
lifesaving technology (and) they don’t have the doctors,” said Sanford I. Weill,Chairman Emeritus of Citigroup Inc., elucidating the expansive social awareness that motivates his philanthropy.
Added Joan (Mrs. Sanford Weill), “I tend to hear something about a child or an elderly person in need of medical attention and I want to do something, but to be effective, you need to focus your energy – Sandy taught me this. We talk about how we can make a difference. You have to have a passion, and we really give it our all”
Indeed they do. Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences, whose Board of Overseers is chaired by Mr. Weill, has borne the couple’s name since 1998 in recognition of their endowment gift. They are also generous patrons of the arts.
On March 3rd, Mr. and Mrs. Weill opened their home to members of the American Friends of Rambam Medical Center (AFORAM). The occasion was honored by the presence of cardiologist Prof.Rafael Beyar, Director General of Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, Israel.
An ardent discussion ensued among hosts and guests concerning medicine’s promising role as a bridge for achieving a peaceful Middle East.
In gracious remarks to the assembled company, Mr. Weill recalled that almost exactly two years prior, in February 2008, he and cardiologist Dr. Antonio Gotto. Provost for Medical Affairs and Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College had stopped at Rambam on their way to Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (est. 2001). Mr. Weill told his listeners how impressed he had been by the spirit of harmonious Arab-Jewish relations and the exemplary practice of ethnic and religious tolerance prevailing at Rambam and in Haifa.
Among the guests at the event were AFORAM President Adam Emmerich, Senior Partner, Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, AFORAM Executive Vice President Yair Kagan, and Board MembersHarold Magid of New York, Relly Dibner and her husband Brent of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, and Bostonians Aaron Spencer and his wife Irma (he is Director and Chairman Emeritus of UNO Chicago Grill, and the couple has funded the academic educations of hundreds of nurses at Rambam). Board Member Alan Mendelson, Partner, Latham & Watkins LLP, flew in from Northern California for the event. Economist and financial analyst Abby Joseph Cohen of the Goldman Sachs Group Inc. also attended.
The evening included an invitation from Prof. Beyar to the Rambam Summit – “Where Medicine, Technology & Humanity Intertwine” slated for June 10th at Rambam. “The event will provide an insider’s look at Haifa and the North, a cradle of ancient Jewish and modern Israeli civilization,” he promised his listeners, “and will be followed by a full day of outstanding lectures by international medical leaders and by a Gala Dinner.”
For more pictures from the event visit our photo gallery
The Never Ending Story
We would like to recognize the Women's League for Israel. They have been a great supporter of Aforam and so far have donated over $1.200,000 to Rambam.
Please read about the history of 'Women's League for Israel and their donation to Aforam/Rambam, in our section of RECOGNITION.
CALLING ALL BABIES
A Special Birth at Rambam
Dr. Henry Guralnick was born at Rambam Hospital many many years ago.
In October, his daughter Dr. Amy Giannotti-Guralnick- called The American Friends of Rambam in New York to discuss a special gift for a special birthday.
Dr. Guralnick initially wanted to purchase a bench in the gardens at Rambam with a plaque for her father, unfortunately, there is major renovation being done and the garden has been removed temporarily.
After hearing of this Dr. Giannotti-Guralnick with the assistance of American Friends of Rambam, www.aforam.org decided that the symbolic gift would be to purchase a “sofa” with a plaque in the “Maternity Ward” The sofa along with the plaque will be placed in The Premature Babies Unit for the mothers to sit in comfort while feeding their newborns.
This lovely gift by Dr. Henry Guralnick’s family, his daughter Amy, her husband Giovanni, and their daughter Sasha has made moments like these one to treasure. In May, Dr. Henry Guralnick and his daughter Amy will visit Rambam for the dedication.
If you would like to celebrate a special birth with Rambam, please make a donation today!
VOICES SING IN SUPPORT OF RAMBAM
The KOL HANESHAMA (meaning the voice of the soul in Hebrew) Music Festival proved to be a resounding hit for American Friends of Rambam (AFORAM) In the Greater Boston Metropolitan Area this Chanukah season.
"Now in it's fourth year, KOL HANESHAMA has raised not only our community's spirit but also thousands of dollars for Rambam Medical Center" says TRUDY FAGEN, Arts Coordinator at Solomon Schechter Day School of Greater Boston and the Festival's organizer. "It teaches our children that through their artistic efforts, ‘TIKKUN OLAM’ can be accomplished."
And the fund-raising efforts at the concert, along with all donations made to AFORAM, have a direct impact on Rambam Health Care Campus' ambitious plans. Under the leadership of DR. RAFAEL BEYAR, CEO and Director General of Rambam, the Health Care Campus is reinventing itself as a 21st century “hospital of the future”: A three level underground garage that converts into a fortified, emergency hospital is in the works; A revolutionary Robotics Center to perform complex, minimally invasive procedures is being established; A Biomedical Discovery Tower is planned for the years to come.
The money raised at the Kol HaNeshama Music Festival gives children in a place as far from Israel as Boston a chance to participate in the life-changing care that Rambam Health Care Campus practices in Haifa. For the full story of the festival and its impact on Rambam and the Boston Jewish community, as written by Robin JR Blatt, please click here.
Welcome ETI GANIN, Our Midwest Volunteer Rep!
Eti immigrated to Israel in 1972 from the former Soviet Union. She has an undergraduate degree in Physics from Leningrad (St. Petersburg ) Technical University and received a Master of Science degree at the Technion, under the supervision of professor Abraham Rosen in 1976.
Eti lived in Geneva, and London in 1977-1980, where her husband Alex worked as a Service Manager for Elscint.
She returned to Israel in 1980, and in 1984 she was awarded her Doctorate at the Technion, Material Engineering Department. Her thesis advisor was Professor Yigal Komem. Eti then completed her post-doctorate studies at IBM, Thomas Watson Research Center, New York, and remained at IBM as a Research Staff Member and Advisory Engineer until 1994.
She spent a one-year sabbatical at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she was as a Visiting professor in 1991-1992. Eti then took a job with GE, Medical Systems (currently GE Healthcare) and moved to Wisconsin in 1994, where she worked as a Senior Materials Engineer in the X-ray tubes, and CT Detectors divisions.
Eti has been awarded 6 patents and while at IBM published over 40 scientific papers. She has been a recipient of numerous Technical Awards both at IBM and GE. She has taken an early retirement option to be able to join her husband Alex in his extensive travels as a chief engineer at General Electric Healthcare.
Eti and Alex have raised two sons, Hagai and Dan. Both sons were born at Rambam Hospital in 1974 and 1981, respectively. Both sons were born prematurely (at 32 weeks of pregnancy) by a C-section, and remained hospitalized at the incubator for a number of weeks.Eti and Alex are forever grateful to Dr. Peretz and Rambam for the medical miracle they accomplished.
If you’re in the Mid-West, and you want more information on American Friends of Rambam, please contact Eti!
Telephone: 414-964-2727
Email: etiganin@gmail.com
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