Gel manicures from a surprising source

Eli Dahan, 25, from Hadera works as a stretcher bearer at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center. People who do not know him well would have a hard time imagining what Dahan does in his spare time. Dahan made his way to the beauty industry purely by chance. His former girlfriend was allergic to acrylic, and he investigated the issue in depth, fell in love with the profession and underwent professional gel manicure training. Since then, he has adopted the profession as a hobby and regularly gives free gel manicures to women who otherwise could not afford them, single mothers and others.

Eli Dahan working with a displaced woman from the Gaza Envelope staying at a hotel near Hillel Yaffe Medical Center

In recent weeks, alongside his work at the hospital, Dahan has been spending time at the centers for displaced persons from the communities in the south and pampers the women from the Gaza Envelope with gel manicures, just to make them smile a little. “Since the war started, I try to go from place to place where displaced families from the south and Gaza Envelope are staying to try to make them smile and lift their spirits. I have already visited several hotels and military bases and have given manicures to women soldiers, female Border Police officers and security forces and women who have sadly lost their husbands and/or whose partners were kidnapped. Their responses and gratitude are heartwarming,” said Dahan.

In his military service, Dahan was a combat soldier in the Kfir Brigade. In 2018, he sustained a leg injury during a military operation and was defined as an IDF disabled veteran. When the COVID-19 crisis began, he started working as a stretcher bearer at Hille Yaffe Medical Center. Since the outbreak of the war and given the shortage of personnel facing the hospital's security staff, Dahan also began working with the security team. “It’s important for me to do my part in everything possible – be it at the hospital, to support the security team or to bring a smile to the faces of women whose lives have been shattered. Every day I hear difficult and painful stories and, in my own way, try to give them as much strength as I can.”