Ofir and Daniel, a young couple from Sderot who were impatiently waiting for their first home birth, found themselves on Saturday the 7th of 10th in MMD at Ofir’s parents’ house in Sderot, along with the other members of the extended family, while Ofir’s father was in the shelter at the synagogue at the time.
Ofir and her sister, both pregnant, were not feeling well and neither was Ofir’s grandmother, and without water, electricity or internet reception, the situation was extremely dire. On Sunday morning, after a difficult Shabbat at the Medical Center, full of alarms and warnings of terrorist infiltration, the family realized that they had to evacuate as quickly as possible.
The family members went through a long and complicated path that included hasty packing and collecting equipment from the houses, when on the way they encountered an inferno – “We discovered a destroyed city, companies of soldiers and policemen with drawn weapons roaming the streets, one event after another,” says Ofir. “We were looking for an escort and we found Achim Lishek, they helped us get to the car and leave the city safely.”
When they heard about the accommodation in Moshav Shoresh’s B&Bs, which offered accommodation and even escort for local residents, they realized that this was the solution for them, especially in light of the fact that Ofir was due to give birth at any moment.
In the Moshav Shork, each evacuee family was assigned escorts from the Moshav, and Ofir’s family was fortunate enough to be accompanied by Prof. Yossi Ezra – director of the obstetrics and gynecology unit at Hadassah Ein Kerem, and his wife – who immediately harnessed her husband to help Ofir and Daniel. He accompanied the couple in Hadassah tests before the birth and came to visit and check Ofir several times on the day of the birth itself.
Last Monday early in the morning, Ofir’s water broke, and she and Daniel quickly arrived at the hospital, and due to the baby’s challenging position, the doctors prepared Ofir and Daniel that a caesarean section might be necessary. In the evening, the medical team resorted to a vacuum delivery as a last attempt before the caesarean section, and Prof. Ezra, who had just finished his operations and came to check on Ofir’s condition, had just entered her room and helped the team deliver Ofir safely.
“I was very happy about the match my wife made, and that I had the opportunity to help the lovely Ofir and Daniel along the way and in the end, by chance, also take part in their birth,” says Prof. Ezra.
“The truth is, I was already praying that the baby would stay a little longer in my stomach, we heard about so many of our friends and neighbors who were killed and I asked myself – what kind of world is she going to?” Ofir says excitedly, “It was very stressful to think about giving birth in such a situation, but when she arrived – she healed me and gave me hope. For many days I was anxious, but now I have to hold on to life – especially for my baby girl.
“Prof. Ezra is an angel, he and his wife wrapped us in warmth and made us feel at home. Everyone we meet – they are such good people who give of themselves with a lot of love. It’s not always pleasant to be on the receiving end, but when the nurses in the Hadassah maternity ward offer to bring you clothes From their home, and when the volunteers take care of you around the clock – it’s impossible not to get excited.”