Between wars and wildfires, and on the very day the country marked its independence, new life was born last Thursday at Assuta Ashdod Public Hospital. Standing beside the newborns in the delivery room were two doctors — Dr. Omer Globus and Dr. Ray Biton — who have become living symbols of courage and the choice to embrace life.
From a Terror Attack to the NICU
Dr. Omer Globus, Director of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Assuta Ashdod, was moderately wounded about six months ago in a shooting attack near the Yavne Interchange, after stopping his car to assist the injured. Despite a long and demanding rehabilitation process, Dr. Globus chose to return to his post and continue caring for premature babies and newborns.
“New life always reminds us that there is hope. It’s the greatest privilege, to be part of that moment,” he said.
From the Frontlines to the Delivery Room
Dr. Ray Biton is a senior physician in the internal medicine department at Assuta Ashdod. During the battle of Re’im, she lost her brother-in-law, Colonel Roi Levy z”l, who fell in battle while defending Kibbutz Re’im. Despite the heavy grief and loss, Dr. Biton chose to serve in reserve duty as a military doctor with the Givati Brigade’s reconnaissance unit.
Throughout the war, she treated dozens of wounded soldiers from the front. On Independence Day, she returned to the hospital — this time, to bring new life into the world.
“We choose life, even when our hearts are broken,” she said. “It is precisely out of pain that hope is born.”
“We Will Bloom Again”
Dr. Erez Barenboim, General Director of Assuta Ashdod, reflected on the significance of the moment:
“In days when we are facing a string of challenges — wars, disasters, and fires — even today, as we all carry the sorrow of the latest tragedy, we choose to look forward.
This Independence Day, we declare loudly and clearly: no crisis will break us, and we will flourish again.
The flag waving above us symbolizes our deep connection to this land, and the immense hope for the next generation — already born here among us, wrapped in blue and white in the maternity ward.”
