Mr. Williams expressed how he found Sheba, the largest hospital in Israel, to be an oasis of peace and coexistence in an otherwise turbulent region. He was amazed and inspired by his experience. In his words, “Israel’s well-earned reputation as a hotbed of innovation was embodied by the doctors I interviewed. Israel’s doctors are more than practitioners of medicine. They are visionaries and global leaders.”
During his visit to Sheba, he met with Professor Yitshak Kreiss, Director General of Sheba Medical Center and former Surgeon General of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Prof. Kreiss outlined a plan to ensure that Israel’s medical systems continue to grow and evolve, serving the healthcare needs of Israelis, Christians, Muslims, Jews, and populations from across the region alike.
Dr. Tzipora Strauss, Israel’s leading neonatologist, also met with Mr. Williams. He described his impression of Dr. Strauss, “I understood immediately that her own calling is to be in the intensive care unit every day – preserving the lives of the most delicate newborns, giving them a chance both to survive and to thrive.”
Mr. Williams was particularly awed by 39-year-old Professor Gal Markel, the youngest physician in Israel to have achieved a full professorship. Markel is engaged in cutting-edge research to find a cure for cancer. “Markel is turning the tables on cancer by daring to think boldly,” says Armstrong. “With quiet confidence and chutzpah, Prof. Markel has dedicated his life to defeating the scourge of sickness that has impacted so many lives in America, Israel, and all over the world.”
The state of Israel is committed to cultivating hospitals without borders, and Mr. Williams met with men and women who are training medical professionals around the world – including in Kosovo, Rwanda, Guatemala, Equatorial Guinea, and Haiti – on the best ways to provide life-saving care after natural disasters and manmade calamities.
Armstrong Williams expressed how his visit to Israel gave him a glimpse at the high-tech future of medicine. “I met the very doctors at the forefront of breakthroughs in treatment … Not far off is a world where doctors will use robotics to perform heart surgeries on patients across the world … It sounds like stuff from science fiction novels, but it’s real, and happening right now in Israel. The country is carving out a niche as a global medical pioneer.”
Thanks to deep bilateral medical collaboration, the findings of doctors in Israel will benefit Americans too. “Pivotal collaboration between the top Israeli doctors and leading American physicians is a win-win for both countries,” said Armstrong. “And the relationship between the United States and Israel must remain strong and committed…” In line with this, he shared a recent quote by Vice President Pence, “We stand with Israel because we believe in right over wrong, in good over evil, and in liberty over tyranny.”
In sum, Armstrong Williams discovered a vibe in Israel and in its people that is crackling with intensity. As he said, “Israel skillfully built itself into an epicenter of medical innovation and a bastion of hope, and its people demonstrate this same skill.”
