I have selected the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group (SJEHG) as my charity for this year.
The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is and has always been apolitical, and its work furthers the cause of peace in the Middle East. In a land where ethnic and religious divisions still fester and the situation changes daily, The St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group has made real the ideal of peoples united by their faiths. Inspired by Christian ideals, the hospital treats mostly Muslim patients with the help of many Jewish physicians who assist in training.
St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is the only charitable provider of expert eye care in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, treating patients regardless of ethnicity, religion or ability to pay.
The main hospital in East Jerusalem has been operating for 140 years. The Hospital is the primary provider of eye care for Palestinians in East Jerusalem, and sees many of the most complex eye cases from across the Palestinian Territories, which are referred to the Hospital from medical centers across the West Bank and Gaza. As it is the only charitable provider of eye care, the importance of the Hospital for the region cannot be overstated.
St John Eye Hospital has a large outpatients department, specialist eye units, operating theaters and 24-hour eye emergency services. There are also hospitals in Gaza and Hebron, clinics in Anabta and Kufor Aqab and mobile outreach vans. With the renewed conflicts in the Holy Land, it is my sincere belief that supporting the St John of Jerusalem Eye Hospital Group is a worthy endeavor and is emblematic of our Masonic ideals and our hope for peace. (You can learn even more about them here: https://www.stjohneyehospital.org/)
MWB Jacob M. Bressman
