Rikki's+I_Faces

toc

= = = Rationale = I chose to do my project about Dr. Todd Zalut. The reason I chose to write about Dr. Zalut is that when we were told that the project is about someone who represents Israel and gives a lot of his time to the community, I immediately thought of him. Dr. Zalut is the head of the emergency department at Shaare Zedek, and he serves reserve duty in the army in a helicopter rescue unit. In my project I hope to show how Dr. Zalut contributes to the Israeli community and represents one of the many faces of Israel for me. Dr. Zalut made aliya in 1990. He was the first one from his family to come on alyia. I think it's a very brave thing to do, to move to a new country where you don’t know the language or anyone, and start a new life. I think that in my project I would like to try and find out the reasons for Dr. Zalut's aliya.

=Profile= What do Sean Connery, Teddy Kolleck and Arthur Cahn have in common? Dr. Zalut took care of all of them!

Dr. Todd Zalut is the Director of the Emergency Department in Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem and the head of Terem Urgent Care Center in Modi'in. A few times a year he voluntarily does miluim in the 669 Air Force Rescue Unit, where he is a rescue doctor on the helicopters.

Dr. Zalut was born in Philadelphia in 1959. At the age of one, his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. He went to college at"the University of Arizona" for four years and medical school in "The University of Arizona, College of Medicine" in Tucson, for another four years. Then he trained as a specialist in Emergency Medicine in Chicago for 3 years. In 1990 Dr. Zalut made aliya, where he met his wife, Rashie. Today he lives in Efrat with his wife and four children. Dr. Zalut believes that Israel is the place where Hashem told the Jewish people to live, and where they can do the most mitzvot.

Dr. Zalut likes his job as a doctor. He didn't always want to be a doctor. When he was younger he wanted to be a lawyer, but his father, who is a lawyer, talked him out of it. Now he is happy with his choice. In the ER and at Terem, Dr. Zalut cares for patients, and works to organize and build a system by which patients receive medical care on a high level, and in a reasonable period of time. He is also involved in educating younger doctors, nurses, and paramedics.All, he says, are very gratifying.

After making aliya Dr. Zalut worked in a lot of different hospitals including Shaare Zedek, Hadassah Har Hatzofim and Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot. Six years ago Dr. Zalut came back to work at Shaare Zedek with his friend, Dr. David Applebaum, z"l, who asked him to come and rebuild the ER. When Dr. Applebaum was killed in the Cafe Hillel terrorist attack in September, 2003, the director of the hospital asked Dr. Zalut to continue on in his place.

Dr. Zalut chose to be a doctor in the ER because they treat a wide variety of medical problems, from heart attacks to trauma to broken bones to fever. He likes that intensity and variety. There is a huge difference between being an ER doctor in America, and an ER doctor in Israel. In America, Emergency Medicine (EM) is a recognized and respected specialty where patients who come to the ER are taken care of by one doctor regardless of the problem. In Israel it is a new specialty and most ERs have residents (doctors in training) from different specialties taking care of the patients. This causes delays in patient care for a variety of reasons; residents frequently order more tests, have more difficulty making decisions due to their lack of experience, and many times are in the operating room or admission ward. When Dr. Zalut first came to Israel he worked as a doctor in the ER but he got paid as if he were a resident because EM was not yet recognized. Over the years he has worked to get EM recognized as a specialty in Israel.

Dr. Zalut's favorite part of his job is that he can help people, and every so often, save someone's life. He likes taking care of heart attacks and trauma. These patients require a short period of intense therapy and then are taken elsewhere in the hospital to continue their treatment. Dr. Zalut does not like to treat constipation or nosebleeds, because they can get very messy.

Dr. Zalut likes the people he works with. Most are very dedicated and good at what they do. One of the reasons why he chose EM was that you never know what you will do that day. A clinic doctor comes in the morning, and sees the list of patients whom he knows, who he will see that day. In an ER anything can happen.

Sometimes people come to "visit" Dr. Zalut at home. It doesn’t bother him and most people do not take advantage of this. He looks at the fact that he has the knowledge and skills, as a bracha from Hashem that he gave him so he can help people. Dr. Zalut would not encourage people to come because it is his time with his family but he doesn't mind if people come with **//__real__//** problems! (Once someone came with their dog…) Dr. Zalut wants us to realize that your health is a major bracha. He thinks we all recognize the fact that doctors are human and can make mistakes like anyone else. His job is time consuming and he doesn't have as much time at home as he would like. Because he is the head of the ER he gets lots of phone calls at home after his work hours are over, and people come for medical consultation to his house. This affects his family but, then again, any job will. Just before you come to "visit" him in his house, think twice, because, at home he is a father, not a doctor…

Whenever any member of the American Consulate in Jerusalem has a medical problem they come to the Shaare Zedek ED. In addition, when an American diplomat or president comes on a visit to Israel, the head of the medical unit in the White House or one of his workers comes to make sure that the ER is ready to treat them if anything happens. When President Bush Jr. came to visit Israel in 2008, Dr. Zalut met him and his head doctor, LTC Kevin C. O'Connor. Dr. Zalut realized that it would probably come in handy to keep in contact with him and it did. Last summer when Dr. Zalut and his family were on vacation in America, he sent him an email and got them permission to visit the White House. The Zalut family enjoyed a private tour given by two doctors from the White House medical unit.

After 25 years of practicing EM, when asked, Dr. Zalut would say that if he could go back in time and choose a job again, he would probably choose business or finance over medicine, but he is happy with his choice because he believes that Hashem wanted him to be in this role and that this is his goal in life. If you ask him, he will probably tell you not to become a doctor, but if you really want to study medicine come to the hospital to get as much experience as possible before starting.

Dr. Zalut is currently looking for a new job. As the director of the ER, Dr. Zalut feels that he has a responsibility to ensure that people can get good care in the ER, and while the job is good for him personally he feels that he is not given the tools to build a system where patients can get good quality care. Maybe as a result of Dr. Zalut leaving Shaare Zedek, people will understand that a hospital and medical care are not just about your own personal gain but about the care that patients get.

= =

= **Background** =

Unit 669 is a special and unique, operational fighting unit. Saving lives in any way- whether land, sky or sea is the main part of there jobs.

U nit 669 was founded in 1974, after the [|Yom Kippur War] in 1973, as part of the Israeli air force (IAF). As a result of an air accident that happened over the sea in 1971,as part of an IDF practice, where one person was killed, it was decided to open a unit that will specialize in air rescue. The number 669 was chosen for the unit because it was similar to the number of Syeret Matcale. In April 1974 the first group of soldiers reported to "Tel Nof", the new air force base. Most of them where form navy units. After the first course the unit was declared as an operational unit, at the time there where only about a dozen fighters in the group. In 1978, unit 386, which had air doctors and paramedics, was added to unit 669, and the name of the new unit was changed to "Airborne Rescue And Evacuation Unit 669". They were also given the responsibility for the search for lost or captured soldiers. After the second Lebanon War, the unit received a medal of honor from the commander of the IAF for exceptional bravery under fire.

Unit 669 is built out of 1) a rescue section- that includes rescue personnel and soldiers to protect the medical team 2) an evacuation section- that includes a medical assistant team, in it participate doctors, paramedics and air medics 3) a technical section 4) a school that educates the staff and, 5) a section that is in charge of searching for missing people.



The symbol of unit 669 is a black cat with big green eyes. The two officers in charge, came across a picture of the black cat, and fell in love with it. Their graphic designer designed the symbol, and all that was left to do was to find a connection between the cat and the rescue unit. The unit frequently operates at night and goes in with the night vision and quiet movements of a cat.



The pictures above show a rescue from a Sikorsky (left) and Black Hawk (right) helicopters. The Sikorsky and Black Hawk were originally used for rescuing pilots that where bailed out in enemy territory. Now they are also used for rescuing army and navy forces and evacuating injured soldiers from the battlefields, as well as evacuating injured or stranded civilians.



=** Literary Connection **=

מילים ולחן: רבע לשבע
 * __אהבת ישראל __**

אלפיים שנה אני נודד  מחפש את הארץ אותה אני אוהב כל יום מחדש הלב נשבר כל יום מחדש אולי מחר מתי הגאולה?

אני מאמין באמונה שלמה בביאת המשיח בארץ ישראל של אהבה בכל יום שיגיע הנה הנה זה בא -אהבת ישראל בנשמה.

כל בוקר ציון אליך אני מתפלל לא ינום לא ישן שומר ישראל כל יום מחדש אני אוהב כל יום מחדש מכל הלב שלום על ישראל אני מאמין באמונה שלמה בביאת המשיח בארץ ישראל של אהבה בכל יום שיגיע הנה, הנה זה בא אהבת ישראל בנשמה.

אהבת ישראל בנשמה

**__ For the Love of Israel __**  For two thousand years I have wandered Searching for the land I have pondered My heart prays each day That tomorrow it may See the redemption

I have full faith In the coming of the Messiah In the land of Israel full of love, Each day I believe he will come. Here it comes: The love of Israel is in your soul

Every morning I pray towards Zion, The guardian of Israel will not slumber nor sleep. Every day my love is renewed Every day my heart is filled with wishes For peace in Israel

I have full faith In the coming of the Messiah In the land of Israel full of love, Each day I believe he will come. Here it comes: The love of Israel is in your soul

The love of Israel is in your soul

__ Literary Connection __ The song "Ahavat Yisrael" refers to the Jewish Nation and its yearning for redemption. The writer is trying to convey his complete faith in G-d, his love for Him and his deep desire for a life in the Jewish state of Israel. This song expresses the wish of the Jewish people to return to the Land of Israel, their complete trust in the protection of the Almighty and their everlasting hope for the coming of the Messiah. The songwriter is trying to give the message that peace and redemption will only come when we remove all the baseless hatred among us and appreciate the wonderful land which G-d has given us. I chose this song because I think it represents the philosophy of the Religious -Zionist community, of which I am a part, and which also represents one of the many faces of Israel. I feel that this song has a personal message for me, since I am a first- generation Israeli. Neither of my parents were born or raised in Israel. My father was raised in Phoenix, Arizona, USA and my mother in Leeds, England. They each made Aliya individually and met each other in the Holy City of Jerusalem. If not for the love of Israel in //their// souls, they would have never met and I would not have been born. This song is a beautiful expression of the two thousand year longing of the Jewish people for their homeland in Israel and the recognition that the love of the land lies deep in the soul of each and every Jew. = = = = = Creative Connection = = = For this part of the project I chose to do a collage of Israeli bumper stickers. I think bumper stickers show a lot about the thoughts and feelings of the people. For example when the government decides to do something that the people don’t like, they try to get the government to change their plans. How do they do that? Through bumper stickers, posters, banners, demonstrations and more… I chose for the collage bumper stickers that I felt connected to and that I agree with. I feel that you can tell a lot about a country and its people through there bumper stickers, and that this collage gives a good feeling of many of the faces of Israel.



= =

=__Reflection__=

When we were told about this project I spent a long time thinking about my choice of subject. In the end I decided to choose my father, Dr. Todd Zalut. I think that during my work on the project I have learned a great deal about my father and his reasons for aliya that I did not know before. For example, although I knew about his work in general, I did not understand the motivation behind it. Since I had the privilege of being born in Israel I have never really stopped to think what it means to be an Israeli. Interviewing my father has made me realize that Jewish people all over the world are prepared to leave their familiar, comfortable lives and give up their jobs to come and live in the Jewish homeland. In the project I wrote two chapters about my father and his feelings about Israel and a chapter where I expressed my feelings about Israel. I feel that this project has brought me closer to my father and increased my love for Israel.

Concerning the Wiki, there have been both advantages and disadvantages. I think that it gave us a wonderful opportunity to share our work with people on the other side of the world. However, I think that there is a lot of room for improvement. For example, the Wiki is very slow and the technical functions are not so user- friendly. In particular an undo button and spell- check would be useful for students using this program.

=<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 16pt; text-align: left;">Bibliography =

<span style="display: block; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; text-align: left;">__MP3Music,__ 2007, 2.4.2010, []

"Unit 669". __Wikipedia__, 10 April 2010, 4.3.2010, []

Zalut, Todd, EMD. __Personal interview.__ Efrat, 7.2.2010

"יחידה 669". __ויקיפדיה__, 26.3.2010, 4.3.2010, []