Just hours before the start of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles—a holiday symbolizing generosity, unity and the welcoming of guests—“Miss Universe“ Israel Melanie Shiraz visited the Sylvan Adams Children’s Hospital, located within Wolfson Medical Center in Holon, to learn firsthand about the Israeli organization Save a Child’s Heart (SACH) and its lifesaving work providing free cardiac care to children from developing countries.
During her visit, Shiraz met with Simon Fisher, SACH executive director and Dr. Lior Sasson, head of the Pediatric Cardiac Surgery Unit at Wolfson and the organization’s lead surgeon, who has operated on thousands of children worldwide.
Shiraz met young patients from Tanzania and Zanzibar, Kenya, Djibouti, Rwanda, Somaliland and Ethiopia, who are currently recovering after lifesaving heart surgery and catheterization performed by the SACH medical team. She learned about the immense challenges faced by children in rural Africa, where limited access to healthcare often turns treatable infections into life-threatening heart conditions.
Sasson introduced Shiraz to Robera, a young boy from Ethiopia whose untreated streptococcal infection as a child led to rheumatic heart disease, causing severe valve damage and eventually chronic heart failure—a condition that would have been fatal without surgical intervention.
Shiraz toured SACH’s state-of-the-art surgical and recovery facilities, made possible thanks to the generosity of donors from around the world, among them philanthropist Morris Kahn, whose support has helped expand the organization’s capacity to treat more children each year.
“It’s incredible,” said Shiraz. “I always knew that Israel was doing good things for the world, but it’s different to see it in person. It really speaks for our values as a nation—wanting to help people simply because we value life. Here, issues of religion, nationality, or politics become irrelevant; the priority is to save children’s lives.”
Shiraz also met doctors from Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and Zambia who are specializing and receiving hands-on training in Israel through SACH’s long-term capacity-building programs.
Among them was Lise from Rwanda, a genocide survivor who shared her remarkable journey. Initially anxious before arriving in Israel—and later again at the outbreak of the war—Lise said she now feels completely at home. Having completed nearly three years of training in Israel, she has specialized in pediatric intensive care and will soon return to Rwanda as the first doctor in her country trained in this lifesaving super-subspecialty.
“Yes, I enjoy working and learning with Save a Child’s Heart,” said Lise. “My Israeli mentors, as well as other healthcare providers, are very professional and knowledgeable. The standard of care is high, and everyone is accountable. I feel like the culture in Israel is very assertive, and this makes life easier. I look forward to returning home and working with my colleagues in Rwanda to provide quality healthcare to sick children who need it.”
Shiraz was deeply impressed after meeting Lise and her fellow African doctor colleagues.
“What’s even more impactful is the knowledge transfer, seeing doctors from Africa train here for years and then go back home to lead cardiac care in their own hospitals,” added Shiraz. “It’s inspiring to see how Israel’s expertise and compassion ripple across continents.”
Following her tour of the hospital, Shiraz continued her visit to the Save a Child’s Heart Children’s Home, located about a 15-minute drive from Wolfson Medical Center. The home provides a safe and loving environment for children and their families to live, play and recover while they await or complete treatment. Shiraz was moved by the sense of togetherness and cultural diversity among the families.
“The vibe here is so embracing,” she said. “People can come and be themselves, eat what they want, dress how they want, speak their own language. It’s beautiful because it preserves a sense of familiarity for the families while showing how much diversity can thrive under one roof.”
The Children’s Home is also known for its large community of Israeli volunteers who visit regularly to play with the children, help with activities and support families. Birthright participants, Jewish Diaspora volunteers and Israeli teens from schools and youth movements frequently visit and engage with the children.
Simon Fisher added that it’s also important for Israeli society, especially now: “Israelis who come here to volunteer and give to these children are also receiving so much in return. We don’t always know to look beyond our borders, but when you see all these different nationalities and children together, you realize that, at the end of the day, they’re just children—just like ours. It’s a healthy message for Israel, about life-saving, working together and doing good.”
Beyond its global humanitarian reach, Save a Child’s Heart is also a symbol of coexistence within Israel. The organization’s medical team includes Jewish and Arab Christian, Muslim and Druze doctors working side by side, united by their shared mission to save lives. Over the years, SACH has provided life-saving heart surgery to thousands of Palestinian children, as well as children from countries without diplomatic relations with Israel—including Iraq, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Syria—proving that compassion knows no borders.
Founded in 1995 by the late Dr. Ami Cohen, a pediatric cardiac surgeon at Wolfson Medical Center, SACH has since provided life-saving cardiac treatment to more than 8,000 children from 73 countries, making it Israel’s largest international humanitarian organization in the field of medical aid. A new group of children from the Central African Republic is expected to arrive in the coming weeks, marking Country No. 74.
As she concluded her visit, Miss Universe Israel Melanie Shiraz prepared to travel to the United States to represent Israel at the upcoming Miss Universe competition. With a busy schedule ahead, she said she remains focused on proudly representing Israel “despite the noise and the often-controversial international environment,” adding that her visit to Save a Child’s Heart served as a reminder of “the true values and humanity that Israel stands for.”
