As Christians the world over celebrate Christmas, one Christian nurse in Haifa's Rambam Medical Center decided to show his holiday spirit by spreading joy to the patients at the hospital's underground coronavirus ward.
Haifa is one of Israel's most diverse cities, and Rambam Hospital has long reflected that. As of 2019, 25.6% or the hospital's staff came from the Arab sector.
On Thursday morning, Nurse Halil Namura decided to add a cheerful beard and Santa hat to his full suit of personal protective equiment, and began going around the coronavirus ward, handing out chocolates to patients while singing and dancing with his fellow medical staff.
Patients of all ethnic and religious backgrounds were overjoyed by Namura's gesture, which supplied them with a short break from the monotony and pain of everyday life at the ward.
Rambam's Sammy Ofer underground emergency hospital was opened in September in order to better handle the coronavirus pandemic and provide appropriate treatment for patients.