From light to darkness

Where: Beit Halochem. When: At the end of Hanukkah. The team: Ophthalmology Department staff, led by Dr. Beatrice Tiosano. Event: A meeting and joint game with members of the Israel National Goalball team, who are blind and visually impaired.

Director of the Ophthalmology Department at Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, Dr. Beatrice Tiosano, department physicians Dr. Eran Berkovich and Dr. Yonatan Hermon and departmental senior nurse Aviva Golan, removed their white coats for one afternoon, left the hospital and went to Beit Halochem in Tel Aviv for a meeting with the goalball players.

During the meeting, the guests demonstrated a sporty spirit, tried their hand at the game, did not hesitate to put on eyeshades and lie on the floor to prevent the women from the national team from scoring goals. The purpose of the eyeshades is to allow all players to compete on equal footing in terms of vision. They know the location of the goal according to a marking on the court, and the location of the ball - due to bells embedded in it.

Doctors of the Ophthalmology Department and members of the Israeli National Goalball team

The objective of the meeting, which appropriately was held at the start of Hanukkah, was to enable the eye specialists to understand the essence of the game and, when possible, to refer patients to sports activity suitable for blind and visually impaired people, and to heighten awareness of the annual fundraiser by the Friends of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, which will be held in about two weeks.

Friends of Hillel Yaffe Medical Center has worked this year for the construction of two new operating rooms equipped with some of the world's most advanced equipment for the Ophthalmology Department, at a total cost of NIS 400 million. The organization plans to raise approximately NIS 2 million of this amount, with the balance coming from the hospital budget.

The annual fundraiser will be held at Ma’arava on Kibbutz Gaash on Monday, December 17, 2018. The event will include a rich meal prepared by the chefs Ran Shmueli and Nof Atamna, an exhibition of Israeli art, a fashion show of designer Sasson Kedem's designs and a performance by singer Sivan Talmor. Ticket price: NIS 600.