Rabbi Elimelech Firer
Rabbi Elimelech FirerIsrael news photo: Flash 90

Health Minister Yael German and Health Ministry Director Prof. Ronny Gamzo received the recommendation of health expert Rabbi Elimelech Firer Sunday for the polio immunization drive currently being carried out among Israeli children.

German and Gamzo visited Rabbi Firer at Beit Ezra Lemarpeh and discussed the vaccination drive. Rabbi Firer shared his opinions of the vaccination's effectiveness and on assessments of the vaccination in other countries.

The rabbi summed up the conversation by stating that based upon the principle of mutual responsibility and societal commitment, the vaccinations should be taken by all healthy children, and only children suffering from health problems should be exempt from it.

“I, too, have told my grandchildren to be immunized,” he said.

Israel Prize winner Rabbi Firer matches sick people with the best hospitals, physicians and treatments available for their conditions, in Israel and abroad. His organization, Ezra Lemarpeh, operates a fleet of ambulances, a special ICU for flying patients abroad, a Home Care Network that cares for cancer stricken children and a Video-Conference System for international medical sessions.