Israel’s Air Force and the Carmel Sailing Club recently took to the skies and the sea, respectively, to pay tribute to the medical teams at Rambam, recognizing them for their hard work during the hospital’s battle against COVID-19.
Watching the sailboats in the bay behind Rambam. Top Right) Fighter flying jets over Rambam. Photography: Courtesy of Rambam HCC.
On Independence Day, the Air Force’s aerobatics team carried out a flyby over Rambam as part of a series of similar performances for hospitals throughout the country. With excited Rambam employees, patients, and visitors cheering from the grounds far below, four Air Force jets performed a series of maneuvers across a clear blue sky.
Heartfelt messages from Air Force Commander Major General Amikam Norkin and the fighter pilots themselves were shared with the medical teams, thanking the teams for “working night and day for the health of our citizens”, and wishing everyone a Happy Independence Day.
Several days later, the Carmel Sailing Community saluted the hospital from a flotilla of boats along Rambam’s shores in recognition of its work on the front lines of the pandemic. The flotilla was comprised of members of the Carmel Sailing Community, an association for the promotion and cultivation of sailing in the north. The event was chaired by Brigadier General Shlomo Cohen and retired Brigadier General Brigadier Shabtai Levi, who is 88 years old.
In light of the healthcare and security sectors war against the Coronavirus, the community decided to go out to sea and salute the country’s healthcare and security agencies. More than 120 vessels participated.
"We are all healthy and thankful to those who work constantly so that we can be healthy," said the flotilla’s organizers. “We are grateful to all of you and wish to express our solidarity with your effort and sacrifice. We all hope that the people of Israel will be stronger and more united, thanks to you. As sailors, one of our traditions is to say that ‘we will continue to see Rambam from the sea and not the sea from Rambam.’"
Click below to watch a video of the flyby.