Dr. Alejandro Roisentul
Argentine-Israeli doctor honored in Buenos Aires for work with Syria wounded
Dr. Alejandro Roisentul, who made aliyah almost 30 years ago, was honored by the Buenos Aires City Legislature for his work at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed with wounded Syrians; 'My dream is for the children of the Syrian wounded I treat to one day be able to play with my own children in peace,' he says.
Argentine-Israeli doctor Alejandro Roisentul, who works at the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, was honored by the city of Buenos Aires earlier this week for his humanitarian work with Syrians wounded in the civil war waging across Israel's northern border.
"My dream is for the children of the Syrian wounded I treat to one day be able to play with my own children in peace," he said.
Dr. Roisentul, a father of three who made aliyah to Israel almost 30 years ago, has personally treated hundreds of the Syrians who made their way across the border into Israel for medical help.
Dr. Alejandro Roisentul, second from the left, receiving the award
The honor was bestowed upon him in an event on Tuesday at the Buenos Aires City Legislature building, with the Argentine Deputy Minister of Justice and Human Rights Claudio Avruj, Israel's Ambassador to Argentina Ilan Sztulman, city council members and other dignitaries in attendance.
During the ceremony, Dr. Roisentul said he does not consider his work to be out of the ordinary. "Only in such a unique situation, the kind of which we deal with in Israel, our work as doctors is considered at times as different, even though we are merely doing our job and duty," he said.
Ambassador Sztulman noted that, "As we see it, Roisentul's work is giving real meaning to the Jewish concept of 'Tikkun Olam.' Roisentul is one of many others who made it their goal to improve the place they live in and help those in need."
Dr. Alejandro Roisentul, left, with Israel's Ambassador to Argentina Ilan Sztulman
The event at the Buenos Aires City Legislature is part of a series of events surrounding Israel's activity on its northern border amid the fighting in Syria, as well as the humanitarian aid given by Israel to some of the wounded in the battles of the civil war.
The Argentine media covered Dr. Roisentul's story, and he was interviewed by a number of media outlets, providing a different perspective on the fighting in Syria from the Israeli point of view.
