On Friday, September 6, more than a dozen rehabilitation patients from ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran (adi-israel.org), took to the southern Israel skies with pilots from partner organization ‘Ananim: Flights for the Community’ for a cathartic and uplifting experience that set the tone for the new year. With residents from sister center ADI Jerusalem looking on, Ananim founder Shay Shimon and 30 other pilots gave personal aerial tours of the Negev to exuberant war-wounded soldiers and civilians who are rehabbing at the Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center at ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran – the first and only rehabilitation medical center in Israel’s south.
In addition to providing a moment of joy during the ongoing Iron Swords War, the flights also represented a respite from each patient’s complex battle with disability and a metaphor for hope, progress and reaching beyond one’s limitations to uncharted potential.
“This event and partnership is perfect, because empowering those with challenges and providing them with opportunities to feel equal is exactly what we do at our ADI centers,” said Major General (Res.) Doron Almog, Founder of ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran and Chairman of the Executive of the Jewish Agency for Israel. “Today, we did something truly special by allowing those in the middle of their rehabilitative journeys to touch the sky, giving them a glimpse of what’s possible with hard work and dedication and reminding them that they aren’t alone.”
One of the rehabbing heroes is Michael Gottesman, a resident of the southern Israel village of Shlomit, who came to the aid of the residents of nearby Pri Gan on October 7, fighting valiantly against the Hamas terrorists who infiltrated their village. After hours of intense fighting, Gottesman was shot in the arm and had to be evacuated under heavy fire. Following surgery and a period of healing, Gottesman was transferred to the Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center at ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran for continued treatment.
Having suffered significant damage to his arm, Gottesman has worked diligently with his physical and occupational therapists to regain full functionality and range of motion. After months of hard work, he was elated to be able to help pilot a plane.
“This morning’s flight was thrilling and provided me with much needed closure. The last time I was airborne, I had just been shot, and I was being airlifted by helicopter to Soroka,” reflected Gottesman. “To see our beautiful country, this land that we are fighting for, from above is an exhilarating experience.”
“At ADI Negev, we focus on taking small steps towards our goals. But this is a very significant day in a long process, when we are able to make a giant leap and even fly. It was extraordinary being able to share this overwhelming sense of accomplishment together with other patients and our therapists, all of whom I consider friends and members of my family.”
Since October 7, the 72-bed Kaylie Rehabilitation Medical Center at ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran has assisted the war effort by providing the highest-level medical, rehabilitative and emotional care for dozens of war-wounded IDF soldiers and civilians. With the help of Jewish National Fund-USA, ADI Negev is adding another 36-bed ward to the medical center, which will be completed by the spring, bringing the hospital’s capacity to 108 beds, enhancing care for the hardest hit communities in southern Israel and easing Israel’s national rehabilitation crisis.
By re-imagining rehabilitation, ADI Negev-Nahalat Eran is advancing ability for all – empowering children, adolescents and adults with severe disabilities and pioneering cutting edge therapeutic and recovery services for anyone touched by disability. ADI provides its residents and special education students with the individualized growth plans and specialized services they need to grow and thrive, its rehabilitation patients with the inpatient and outpatient treatments and therapies they need to heal and return to their lives, and the community at large with tangible opportunities for encountering disability, raising awareness and promoting acceptance.
