A three-month-old premature baby in urgent need of an
operation was flown to Baltimore two weeks before Pesach in a
cooperative effort of Ezra LeMarpeh volunteers and El Al
Israel Airlines.
The infant, who was born three months ago in Jerusalem's
Sha'arei Zedek Hospital, weighed only 580 grams at birth. She
suffers from severe lung problems and needed an urgent
operation. After her weight rose to a kilo and 88 grams her
doctors from Sha'arei Zedek, conferring with Hadassah
Hospital doctors, decided to fly her to a Baltimore hospital,
where they have more experience, for the operation.
Arrangements were made by Rabbi Michoel Luxembourg of
Luxembourg Tours at the request of Rabbi Elimelech Firer,
chairman of Ezra LeMarpeh. He asked El Al to provide places
on its night flight to New York to bring the infant and her
parents to the United States. Dr. Michael Shimel, a top-
ranking doctor in Sha'arei Zedek's premature baby department,
accompanied the infant on the flight.
El Al asked a number of passengers to forego their seats on
this flight. The company then compensated them financially
for their agreement to take other flights.
After the seats were arranged, Ezra LeMarpeh personnel
obtained the medical equipment needed for the flight. They
installed the necessary equipment on the plane. That
afternoon the parents, American tourists studying in Israel,
were provided with the necessary affidavits. Despite the
strike in the Interior Ministry, the clerks complied with the
special request and issued the documents needed for the
flight.
