By Sharon Wisch-Ray
sharon@tjpnews.com

Walnut Hill Medical Center hosts CEO and head of imaging from new Israeli hospital

On Thursday, Dec. 3, Walnut Hill Medical Center hosted Rachel Shmueli, CEO of Assuta Ashdod Hospital, (AAH) and Dr. Michal Guindy, head of imaging of Assuta Medical Centers in Israel. Throughout the years Israel has continuously developed and renovated existing centers, but the 300-bed facility in Ashdod will be the first brand-new public hospital to be built in Israel in 45 years. The hospital is set to open in May 2017, near the center of Israel.
“We learned about Walnut Hill Medical Center while searching for new hospitals around the world that we could learn from. Surprisingly enough, very few hospitals have the opportunity to have a fresh start like us. Reading about WHMC, its mission, values and challenges, we felt we have a similar approach to deliver health care,” said Shmueli. “Walnut Hill Medical Center seems to have found new solutions to old problems.
“The habit of smiling to one another, the emergency rooms workflow and all of the stories about the hospital make it unique. I felt that although we were many miles apart, our shared vision made us very close.”
Dr. Michal Guindy and Rachel Shmueli spent the day speaking with Cory Countryman, CEO of Walnut Hill Medical Center, and Dr. Nick Karr, WHMC’s ER medical director, among many other physicians and staff members. Discussions centered on how WHMC was built, the culture and the opening of a brand-new hospital. They toured the hospital with directors, taking note of WHMC’s cardiac, surgery and nursing floors, the radiology department and the nationally recognized Emergency Department. They also spent time with Keri White, VP of Human Resources, on recruiting and hiring the right staff members for a hospital focused on patient experience.
“It is a great honor to share our accomplishments and our focus on patient-centered care with Assuta Ashdod Hospital,” said Countryman. “I am proud that our hard work and dedication from the employees and physicians toward enhancing health care are valued around the world. It is a testament that putting the focus on patient experience is truly a universal outlook.”

Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance receives $25K grant from Dallas Mavericks Foundation

The Dallas Holocaust Museum/Center for Education and Tolerance has received a $25,000 grant from the Dallas Mavericks Foundation to offset admission and transportation for approximately 3,300 Dallas Independent School District (DISD) students in the coming year.
During their visit to the Museum, students will receive guided tours of the exhibits and watch video testimony of survivors in the Museum’s theater. In addition, when available, a local Holocaust survivor or refugee will speak to the students about his or her experiences.
“This generous grant allows us to support both students and teachers as they learn about the Holocaust and human rights. It also assists us in providing additional materials and guidance in discussing genocide in the classroom, when requested,” says Mary Pat Higgins, the Museum’s president and CEO. “Our education department includes two Museum educators with Ph.D.s; Sara Abosch, an expert in modern Jewish history; and Charlotte Decoster, with expertise on children and the Holocaust.”
Established in October 1996, the Dallas Mavericks Foundation is a 501(c)(3) private foundation affiliated with the Dallas Mavericks professional basketball team. The Foundation is dedicated to using its unique platform to build a stronger community by empowering youth, women and families who need financial support, advocacy and service.
As part of the DISD partnership, the Museum staff offers teacher workshops to ensure educators have an understanding of the history of the Holocaust and human rights. Because many educators have had limited formal Holocaust or human rights training, these workshops can help teachers prepare their students and create appropriate classroom activities to complement their visits.

Dallas educators attend iCamp

Six local educators attended the iCamp Conference in Las Vegas hosted by iCenter, the leading nonprofit specializing in Israel education in North America. The educators received grants to attend from the Center for Jewish Education (CJE) of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas, underwritten through generous support of the Schultz Family Foundation. iCamp is the only conference dedicated to Israel education and assembled 250 educational leaders, practitioners, stakeholders and funders from across North America and Israel for an interactive, dynamic three-day gathering.
The conference provided these Dallas educators the opportunity to join a network of colleagues from around the country to inspire new ideas and explore new tools and frameworks on integrating Israel into Jewish learning, and to create a culture of Israel education in our community.
“Thanks to the ongoing generosity of Leslie and Howard Schultz and the Schultz Family Foundation, the CJE is blessed to be able to provide our educators with the most cutting-edge tools to teach Israel in our religious and day school classrooms,” said Meyer Denn, executive director of the CJE.
“This latest initiative began with 10 religious-school educators who participated in the Schultz Family Israel Educator Fellowships which trained and sent them to Israel, and has continued with this unique opportunity to expose even more educators to Israel education through iCamp.”
Representing the Dallas Jewish community were Rachael Hunt (Congregation Kol Ami), Steve Kendall (Temple Emanu-El), Sarit Sabo (Akiba Academy), Marcia Sand (Congregation Kol Ami), Peta Silansky (Congregation Kol Ami and CJE) and Annette Wolk (Akiba Academy).
The Center for Jewish Education (CJE) serves on behalf of the Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas as the resource to facilitate and convene the Jewish community on issues pertaining to Jewish education, to enrich existing programs, to serve as a catalyst for new initiatives, and to support Jewish education as the critical link in ensuring Jewish continuity and the increased engagement of all members of the Greater Dallas Jewish community.