Hadera hospital workers against building of Muslim prayer room

Employees at the Hillel Yaffe Medical Center in Hadera have recently expressed strong opposition to the building of a prayer room for Muslim patients and visitors, which they have described as a "mosque."

"How can we be sure this prayer room will not turn into an activity zone for radical Islamic groups-" a representative for the hospital employees said. "We have not even touched on the issue that religious [Jewish] patients might refuse to come here because of the existence of this mosque. The management wants to come across as liberal and pluralist at our expense. This a dangerous phenomenon, where to any place they [Muslims] go, they demand a place to pray in the name of freedom of religion."

The dispute started a year ago, when Israeli Arabs organized a benefit evening for the hospital that raised NIS 200,000. The event's organizers presented the proceeds to Hillel Yaffe's management requesting that they create a special prayer room for the Arab population. Construction of the prayer space is expected to be completed in about one month.

"The management wants to pride itself on tolerance, but we have a zero-tolerance approach toward a mosque in the heart of the hospital," one hospital employee said angrily on Sunday. "The management and the benefactors should invest in more beds for patients. What is happening here is a joke. We oppose this and it offends our sensibilities," the employee added. He also pointed out that management was supposed to consult employees on this controversial decision. "As an observer of [Jewish] tradition, I do not want to hear 'Allahu Akbar' [Allah is great] inside the hospital, especially considering that we are located across the street from a yeshiva."

Despite the employees' outrage, it turns out that none of them discussed the issue with hospital management. "We did not make an issue of it because we fear being fired," said one of the employees. "But we will organize and do something."

Another employee added: "We are a democratic state, but why do we have to establish a mini-mosque here? What if a muezzin [Muslim prayer caller] comes and calls groups of patients throughout the hospital? What will prevent them from starting a Christian prayer room as well? And what about Buddhists? We live in a Jewish country, so it is not essential to establish a Muslim prayer room within a hospital center."

Professor Meir Oren, CEO and medical director of Hillel Yaffe, said, "We respect worshippers of all religions that walk through our doors and that is why we decided to honor this request. Construction of the prayer room began a month ago. It is located near the outpatient clinics and will provide a comfortable and organized corner for patients and visitors that seek to pray while on our premises."

In response to the employees' claims, the hospital said it is joining other medical centers throughout Israel, as well as the Knesset and other Israeli public buildings, that provide a prayer space for Muslims.

Hadera rabbi responds to the initiative: "What about a synagogue in Umm al-Fahm-"

Rabbi Meir Israel Biton, one of the main rabbis in Hadera and son of the city's chief Sephardi rabbi, on Sunday criticized the initiative at the hospital. "It is unfortunate that now, on the 120th anniversary of this city, we hear about the construction of a Muslim prayer room at Hillel Yaffe, instead of building synagogues," Rabbi Biton said. "I would have been happy, for example, to dedicate the first synagogue in Umm al-Fahm."

Tzion Ratzon, a local public activist, said: "The [Jewish] religious public will stay away from the hospital and seek alternative options. I have no doubt some rabbis will boycott the hospital because of this."

Deputy Minister of Health, Yakov Litzman, said the issue "will be handled as the law prescribes."

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