 QUITE A TEAM: Larry Rich and speaking tour organiser Flora Sellwyn |
The talk was by American-born Larry Rich, of the Emek Medical Centre in Afula, who was on a week-long lecture tour of Scotland.
Mr Rich was speaking about the wonderful example of co-existence between Jews, Arabs and others in the hospital, that gives hope for the future.
After speaking in Glasgow on Monday, Mr Rich addressed a meeting, chaired by Ken Macintosh MSP, in a committee room at the Scottish Parliament.
There was a demonstration outside the Parliament and there were several disruptions to the talk when individual protesters started shouting.
One called for the meeting to be halted and another shouted 'Free Palestine'.
The hecklers, including Muslim students from Dundee, were ejected from the building.
The Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign described Mr Rich on its website as a 'racist' and 'defender of Apartheid racist Israel'.
At St Andrews Town Hall on Wednesday, Mr Rich was challenged by some members of the audience, who were ejected. He was also due to speak in Dundee twice and again in St Andrews.
"I'm aware of a global problem when it comes to pro-Palestinian sentiment and demonisation of Israel," Mr Rich told the Jewish Telegraph on the eve of the tour.
"The reason I've created the lecture is to show people how the international media has diluted thereal picture of Israel - the true daily relationships that take place across the country.
"The situation in Israel is not perfect, but it's so much better than anything else on the table. You have to focus on real life individual stories to show that there is hope. People have a choice - to focus on hatred and divisiveness, or on real life examples of human co-existence."
Facing hostile audiences is nothing new to Mr Rich, though at least when speaking in America, they let him give his talk uninterrupted.
Mr Rich, author of Voices from Armageddon, said: "I gave a lecture in a neighbourhood of Detroit where there was a large Muslim population. I was invited to speak to a group of 20 Muslim representatives.
"When I completed my talk and presentation, I got a standing ovation. They told me that they had never heard a story like that coming out of Israel and that their people needed to hear it.
"The hospital is in the Jezreel Valley where, over the past 4,000 years there have been more military conflicts than anywhere else on earth.
"Of course, hospitals across Israel treat Arabs and Jews alike. What makes Emek unique is the region - a region that contains 50/50 Jews and Arabs and the hospital treats the same proportion.
"The hospital is by far the most symbolic institution in the Middle East because it has Arabs and Jews working together for the good of each other. The living philosophy is co-existence through medicine - a place of physical and spiritual healing. It is known in many circles as Israel's Hospital of Peace.
"During the years of the Intifadas, Emek treated hundreds of men, women and children from Jenin and the West Bank, caught up in life-threatening situations. They were treated without having to pay. The sad thing is that they couldn't go home and talk about it or they'd risk being killed.
"When the Intifada was at its height, Emek invited all the health care administrators throughout the West Bank and Gaza to attend a day-long seminar.
"We spoke to them about issues in their daily lives. We shared knowledge and experience with the people running health care throughout the Palestinian Authority.
"There are negative things in Israel, of course, but when you put it on the scales you see the most positive examples of co-existence taking place.
"Despite the threats Israel faces, you have institutions like ours reaching out to Arabs throughout the Arab world. For example, we provide training for doctors and surgeons from Jordan."
What does Mr Rich hope will be achieved from the tour?
"That I can make people understand that there's a different reality taking place in Israel from what is presented in the media and by the pro-Palestinian activists," he said.
"I hope that they will feel it and understand it. I also hope that this lecture tour will result in me being invited to lecture across many more venues throughout the UK and the world.
"As individuals, we all have the chance to do something about changing perceptions. No one should ever be afraid to stand up for truth and for hope. If we don't stand up to the bullies in this world, there will be no hope."
The tour was the brainchild of St Andrews resident and Association of Jewish Refugees member Flora Sellwyn.
Flora, 79, has been publishing the bi-monthly magazine St Andrews in Focus for the past 10 years.
Flora said: "I was reading the Jerusalem Post and there was an article about Emek by Larry.
"I contacted him and asked him to write one for the Focus and then invited him to come over. I've never organised anything like this before.
"I've had support from the Scottish Friends of Israel and I managed to get a sponsor for the tour. Christian friends have been wonderful and have been bending over backwards to help. CST has also been very helpful, as have the police.
"I've contacted all the local universities, rotary clubs, churches, schools and local councils, without receiving any response in many cases."
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