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JERUSALEM — Within an hour of the Bondi Beach ambush in Sydney, Australia, trauma experts at the Hadassah Medical Organization, the Jerusalem hospital system owned by Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, held a briefing for Australian physicians and mental health professionals. Among the most important information the Israeli doctors shared were the lessons they had learned when treating more than 1,000 victims of the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack.
For many months, the Hadassah Medical Organization team has been providing training in trauma care to members of the Forum of Jewish Therapists in Australia, a professional network created in response to the country’s rising number of antisemitic incidents. The Israeli physicians have advised the Forum’s members on disaster preparedness, early intervention and developing a community-wide trauma response.
With a collaborative framework already in place, when disaster struck on Sunday the Hadassah team was able to arrange an emergency briefing almost immediately.
Amichai Ben Ari, MD, a Hadassah Medical Organization rehabilitation psychologist specializing in acute trauma, led the session, focusing on crisis intervention for victims and their families, support for first responders and medical professionals, and strategies to address the broader community impact. Dr. Ben Ari and his colleagues shared detailed written protocols, including guidelines for community therapists that focus on the importance of quickly identifying people who need urgent psychological care.
Dr. Ben Ari held another briefing on Monday, this one for roughly 100 Australian family physicians who are helping the community cope with the shock of the attack, the loss of life, and the visible and invisible injuries.
Hadassah International, the global fundraising arm of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, and Hadassah Australia, have played a critical role in coordinating the briefings.
“The staff of the Hadassah Medical Organization stands with people of goodwill around the world all of whom are deeply shaken by this murderous assault,” said Yoram Weiss, MD, chief executive of the hospital system. “Our trauma experts are at the disposal of Australia’s Jewish community and the clinicians caring for its members just as they have been since antisemitic attacks began multiplying in Australia.”
“Our hearts go out to the victims and their families and to Australia’s entire Jewish community,” said Carol Ann Schwartz, national president of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America. “We are horrified by the attack’s brutality and inspired to see our doctors sharing their expertise with colleagues in Australia who are working to help their community deal with this tragedy.”
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About the Hadassah Medical Organization:
For more than a century, the Hadassah Medical Organization, the Jerusalem-based medical center of Hadassah, The Women’s Zionist Organization of America, has set the standard for excellence in medical treatment and research in Israel. The experience and ingenuity of Hadassah’s doctors and scientists have led to new tools and treatments in all areas of medicine, including therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices. Visit hadassah.org/how-we-help/our-hospitals.