Over 30 skiers hospitalized after hitting Hermon slopes

As ski season kicks off, dozens wind up in Safed hospital with injuries of varying degrees.

By TAMARA ZIEVE
Snowy Mount Hermon 311 (photo credit: REUTERS)
Snowy Mount Hermon 311
(photo credit: REUTERS)
NORTH
The beginning of the ski season on Mount Hermon brought with it more than 34 injured skiers and snowboarders last week, according to the Local website.
Casualties were evacuated to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, where doctors treated patients of all ages with varying degrees of injuries.
Two people suffered particularly severe injuries last Tuesday. One man, 28, fell while skiing and sustained injuries to vertebrae of his back and neck. He was taken to the trauma room, where his condition stabilized to moderate by the end of the week, the Local website reported. In the second incident, a 39-year-old man suffered a heart attack and was airlifted to hospital by helicopter in critical condition. Doctors in the cardiology department saved his life, and he was taken to intensive care in stable condition.
The majority of casualties sustained injuries to their hands when trying to break a fall.
Dr. Hussein Amer, director of the emergency department at the Ziv Medical Center, said that every year during the ski season the hospital receives dozens of casualties from the Hermon. He called on hikers, snowboarders and skiers to take all necessary precautions to prevent injuries.
“It is important to prepare your body before skiing or snowboarding, to stretch in order to increase flexibility as well as [doing] exercises at the end of the day to prevent cramps and pulling muscles,” he said. He also stressed the importance of wearing protective gear and to avoid taking unnecessary risks.Mateh Asher wins award for shelter maintenance
After years of effort and investment, the Mateh Asher regional council last week won the prize for outstanding maintenance of public shelters. At an event at the Tel Aviv exhibition grounds, council head Yehuda Shavit received a certificate of excellence from the Council for a Beautiful Israel and the Interior Ministry.
Shavit said that the award was the latest in a line of certificates that the regional council has received, illustrating its desire to excel in areas such as service to its residents, financial management, preparation for emergency situations and education. He also praised the defense and environmental protection units for their remarkable work and investments in maintaining and refurbishing shelters.58 northern educational institutions go green
Director-general of the Education Ministry Dalit Stauber certified 18 schools as “constant greens” and 138 schools as “green,” the Local website reported. Of those schools, 58 are located in the North. The newly certified “green” schools joined 538 other educational institutions that had previously earned “green” titles. The certification recognizes significant environmental education that takes place in schools.
CENTER
Hod Hasharon gears up for Tu Bishvat
Hod Hasharon was set to celebrate Tu Bishvat with a variety of special activities over the weekend, the Local website reported. The green-fingered community was due to plant over 1,000 trees and plants in honor of the festival of trees. The activity, involving residents, visitors, schoolchildren and kindergarteners alike, has in recent years become a traditional cooperative activity throughout the city.
Today, an event including tree-planting and other activities is due to take place that will be accessible to disabled residents. The event is the fruit of collaboration between the Hod Hasharon municipality and the community resources and volunteers unit and the Access Israel NGO. It is the only event in Israel that is fully accessible to people with all types of handicap, according to the Local website.
Vandals caught red-handed in Ramat Gan
Police caught three suspects red-handed while they were spray-painting graffiti on a gate in a public area of Ramat Gan, the Local website reported this week. The Ramat Gan Municipality stepped up policing operations following increased incidents of vandalism of public property around the city. During a routine patrol one night last week, a municipality policing team spotted three rubber-glove clad suspects in the middle of spraying graffiti on a gate. The team also found a bag containing stencils and a variety of spray paint bottles on the suspects.
Police took the three suspects, who are not Ramat Gan residents, to the Merhav Dan police station, where the authorities filed a complaint against them for destruction of public property and vandalism.
Rehovot resident arrested for stealing from youths
Police arrested a 20-year-old Rehovot resident after receiving a report that two girls were robbed at knife-point on Sderot Chen last weekend, the Local website reported. The thief stole the girls’ cell phones and wallets.
The girls told police that they were walking in the street when the perpetrator approached them and ask if they had money that they could change with him for a bill, and asked them for directions. According to their testimony, he then pulled out a kitchen knife and threatened to stab them if they did not do what he told them to.
After robbing them, he reportedly called a taxi, using one of their cell phones, and fled the scene.
A police officer identified the taxi just moments after the incident and found the stolen cell phones and wallets on the suspect. The suspect confessed to police that he had robbed the two complainants.
Police were investigating whether the suspect was connected to two other similar incidents.
El Al to compensate passenger over massive canine feud
The Ramle Magistrate’s Court ordered El Al to compensate a passenger with NIS 15,000 after refusing his request to bring two massive 90-kilo dogs back to Israel with him from Germany, the Mynet news website reported last week.
According to the report, the Ramle resident had booked his ticket months in advance and made the necessary arrangements to transport the dogs, including obtaining permits from El Al. However, when he arrived at the airport in Berlin, the airline officials informed him it would not be possible for the dogs to board the plane. Among other reasons, the El Al representative said that the dogs’ cages would not fit on the plane.
El Al rejected the passenger’s claims, saying that he had not coordinated with the airline over the dog’s cages and that the company was not aware of their exceptional size.
The court ruled that the airline had breached its contract with the passenger, and he was subsequently forced to stay longer in Germany and to find an alternative solution to bring the dogs to Israel. Judge Zacharia Yamini ruled that El Al must compensate the passenger for damages, including the payment of international phone calls, accommodation expenses, car rentals and compensation for days of leave.
SOUTH California bar mitzva boy forgoes gifts for new MDA ambulance
A new Magen David Adom ambulance with a special story was due to arrive in Ashkelon this week, after 13-year-old Robert Leeds from Los Angeles donated his bar mitzva money to Sacramento’s newest sister city. Leeds requested that instead of bringing money and gifts for him, guests donate cash toward a new lifesaving vehicle for the city that suffered a rain of rockets during the recent Operation Pillar of Defense.
“I realize that in life I have been very blessed,” The Sacramento Bee quoted Leeds as saying in a statement released by Sacramento Council member Steve Cohn’s office. “This is my Bar Mitzva statement and the responsibility that I am taking on. It’s my hope to show Israel and the city of Ashkelon that I stand with them and that’s what becoming a man means to me.”
Cohn used the Hebrew term “tikun olam” (working to repair the world) to describe Leeds’s decision and said it was “a great story of a young man seeing a need and making a difference.”
The Sacramento City Council voted to make the coastal city its 10th sister city last August. Ashkelon Mayor Benny Vaknin sent Leeds a certificate of appreciation on behalf of all of the city’s residents, which was presented to him at a ceremony in Sacramento attended by dignitaries of both the US and Israel.
Drivers suspected of stealing fuel from rehab village
Managers of a rehabilitation center in the South filed a complaint at the Ofakim police station two weeks ago over the suspected theft of fuel by drivers employed by the institution to transport patients for medical treatments and other needs.
The Local website reported on Sunday that, following an undercover investigation, police arrested three drivers suspected of stealing fuel from the village over a long period of time.
“I was amazed at the audacity of drivers who are entrusted with driving disabled children from the institution, and who stole fuel on a regular basis… for profit,” said Southern District Commander Yoram Halevy in response to the arrests.
Eilat readies for Israman Samsung triathlon
Some 1,100 athletes were ready to test their limits at the Israman Samsung 2013 triathlon, due to take place today in Eilat.
Masses of supporters were expected to congregate on the shores of the Red Sea to watch the competitors swim, run and cycle in the Iron-distance race. The competition was launched in 1999 as a small, intimate event and has evolved into a major competition that has won international recognition and exposure. Last year, 800 athletes took part in the event.
Road 12 will be closed for the event, and the city’s promenade and bike paths will be used in the competition.