One of the enduring images of the coronavirus was captured in Israel on Wednesday, as a camera caught the remarkable sight of two emergency workers — one a Jew, the other a Muslim — standing alongside their ambulance vehicle and praying in their respective traditions.
The image was shared by Nir Dvori, a journalist with Israel’s Channel 2 broadcaster.
The Israeli ambulance system normally fields about 6,000 calls a day. Since the coronavirus crisis began, it has been averaging an astounding 100,000 calls a day.
In the southern town of Beersheba, a pair of emergency medical technicians were about 40 minutes into their shift on Tuesday afternoon when things suddenly grew quiet. No panic attacks, no elderly people running out of medicine, no kitchen accidents involving people stuck at home.
CNN reports that Avraham Mintz and Zoher Abu Jama just finished responding to a call regarding a 41-year-old woman having respiratory problems in the southern Israeli city of Be’er Sheva.
Before that, they were checking on a 77-year-old man. There would be more calls ahead. Of that, there was no doubt.
After a moment of pause the two members of Magen David Adom (MDA), Israel’s emergency response service, paused to pray.
Mintz, a religious Jew, stood facing Jerusalem, his white and black prayer shawl hanging off his shoulders. Abu Jama, an observant Muslim, knelt facing Mecca, his maroon and white prayer rug unfurled underneath him.
For the two paramedics, who routinely work together two or three times a week, the joint prayer was nothing new. For so many others, it was an inspiring image in the midst of the global coronavirus pandemic.
The picture of the two men snapped by a co-worker quickly went viral, garnering thousands of likes on social media and appearing in international media coverage. One user responded on Instagram: “I’m proud of all of the rescue services, it doesn’t matter from what community or religion.” On Twitter, another user said: “One fight! One victory! Let’s unite.”
