AFHU News Winter 2023

PAGE 34
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY
AFHU NEWS VOL. 31 PAGE 35
Mid-Atlantic Tzameret Event
On October 1, the Mid-Atlantic Region hosted a reception welcoming Josh Rednik, CEO of American
Friends of the Hebrew University and the students of Tzameret, Hebrew University’s elite military
medical exchange program. Held at the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland, supporters
gathered to hear Josh discuss the goals of the University and the important role of the American
Friends in the Mid-Atlantic.
Dental Medicine & Israel
The students from the Tzameret Student Exchange Program, based at Bethesda’s Uniformed
Services University of Health Sciences, gave an overview of the program and their course of study.
Recognizing the importance of military medicine in saving lives on the battlefield and in emergency
situations, Tzameret was founded in 2009 in partnership with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
Degree candidates in the Tzameret program fulfill the full six-year medical school curriculum at
the Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School and then complete an internship year. They also
receive specialized training in medicine and infrastructure that equips them to function as triage
military personnel.
The audience was engaged in a lively question and answer session where the students provided
information on the program and its impact on their lives and future in medicine.
(L-R) Mindy Salzberg-Siegel, Prof. Avi Zini, Marvin Sonne, Harry Siegel, and Judith Shenkman
On October 29, in partnership with the Alpha Omega International Dental Society and the Alpha
Omega Detroit Chapter, Mindy Salzberg-Siegel DDS and Harry Siegel hosted thirty guests at
their home in Michigan. Guests heard about the Hebrew University’s current efforts in Israel from
Hebrew University’s Prof. Avraham (“Avi”) Zini, Dean of the Faculty of Dental Medicine.
Prof. Zini began by discussing the current war, sharing facts about the situation, alongside his
personal experience (his nephew, Nirel Zini (z”l), and Nirel’s girlfriend, Nieve Raviv (z”l), were
among those massacred in the October 7 attacks). He went on to describe how HU’s Faculty of
Dental Medicine is assisting with the war efforts, including treating injured patients. In addition,
10 faculty members of HU’s Faculty of Dentistry are performing the grueling task of identifying
the deceased through dental records, DNA, and human remains. He explained that while this work
is unimaginably heartbreaking and difficult, it is an important and necessary task for the State of
Israel and her people.
Brad and Sheryl Schwartz (Member, Mid-Atlantic Regional Board, National
Board of Directors) & Bill Kilberg (President, Mid-Atlantic Regional
Board, Nominations Chair, National Board of Directors)
(L-R) Shelly & Dr. Richard Weitzman, inaugural Chairs of Paws for a Cause
benefiting the Koret Veterinary School, pictured with Tzameret students
Prof. Zini then concluded by speaking about the Faculty of Dental Medicine, its history, and plans
for renovation and expansion, including the planned, state-of-the-art, Robert I. Schattner Oral
Health Center for People with Disabilities. This center is part of an overall planned five-floor
renovation, construction, and equipment upgrade. It will be the first of its kind in Israel, with
accessible and optimal care for people with a wide range of disabilities, conducted by specially
trained dental professionals.